By Justin Powell, President & CEO, Huntington Billboards
I sat silently, watching an endless line of cars honking and drivers yelling things I don’t care to repeat. It was 2012, and while attempting to build my seventh billboard, I had accidentally caused an enormous traffic jam. In the early days of the business, I was every bit as energetic and adventurous as I am now, just not as experienced. I had located this amazing location on a curve right outside a bustling small town. It wasn’t until after I obtained the lease, acquired the necessary permits, and built the billboard that I realized one side of the board would be obstructed by trees. I knew they were there. I just didn’t realize how badly they would affect visibility. I also didn’t realize how many there were! I swear a number of those things popped up overnight. Being extremely frugal and essentially broke, I grabbed several buddies and we started cutting. Near the end of day three we were just about finished. There was one left and it was the one closest to the road. Well, long story short, it fell the wrong way…into the road.
As I sat there silently, I had two thoughts…
- Based on the size of this traffic jam, this sign is going to be great.
- You’re terrible at tree removal.
It didn’t take long before the police arrived. Then the fire department. Then the electric company. Then a professional tree company to cut the tree out of the power lines and off the road.
In the end, the tree removal and power company must have felt bad for me because they only charged me $750 (which was an unbelievable blessing). That day and experience was so painful the lesson was learned…
Stick to what you’re good at and what actually produces value.
Which for me in the beginning was land leasing/permitting/sales and is now finance/planning/leadership. Everything else is a distraction.
Against the wishes of my general managers and staff, I still occasionally go out and cut down trees and post new designs. I guess I’ve got too much country in me to not get my hands dirty occasionally. However, this is only when I’ve taken care of what’s most important and when the trees aren’t anywhere near the road.
P.S. I’ll be speaking at the 2023 Independent Billboard Operators conference in Houston on April 19th and would love to meet you there!
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