David Buring has over 30 years experience in the out of home industry. Insider talked with him yesterday to find out what’s new and how his company is coping with Covid.
What’s new since we talked last?
A lot has been going on the past few years since we last talked. This August will mark 30 years from when I first started my billboard company. I can clearly remember back then that I knew nothing about billboards but liked the opportunities I saw. Almost 30 years later I know a little bit more than nothing…Basic rules of business that I learned long ago continue today. As corny as it might sound, as long as you continue to offer really good products at competitive prices, and Always make sure you do what you promise then things have a funny way of being OK.
How big is your company.
We now own right at 134 faces in 3 states and manage another 102 faces. They are in Memphis, Nashville and Jackson, Tennessee, the greater Tupelo, Mississippi area and the Jasper, Alabama area. We own static and digital. We have a small web site to show some of them at burelz.com. but the majority of our business comes from us calling on customers and prospects and fielding calls that generate from the internet/web site. Our phone is listed there at 901.289.5951.
Where do you want to grow?
We want to continue to grow within about a 300 mile radius of Memphis. Whether it be through some key acquisitions or new builds. I feel like we can manage that effectively. We are getting much more national business in the past few years than ever. I have always said that if you will give us a “look” you will hopefully see that we are worthy of your spend.
How has Covid impacted your business
I am 61 years old now and born and raised in Memphis. I have always said that what’s great about our area of the country is that when the big big cities go through their highs and lows we have stayed rather steady with small peaks and valleys. But Covid has been a whole game changer in a lot of ways. We’ve been fortunate that our business recovered quicker than many. We don’t have many restaurants on our boards or bigger hotels. I’ve seen those take a real hit and it’s sad to see. Retail sales seem to be picking back up but the areas that are not are the same as other areas of the country. Conventions, concerts, attendance at sporting events, etc. We all need that to come back and quickly.
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