Here are some excerpts from out of home broker Marty Williamson’s speech at last week’s IBOUSA show.

Getting into out of home

I’m President and CEO of Williamson & Associates Mergers and Acquisitions. This year marks my 40th anniversary in the OOH industry.  My start was in 1983, after my dad sold the radio station where I worked, I had to decide my next career move. The outdoor sales rep that I bought space from to promote the radio station asked me what my plans were. I didn’t have an answer.  He said, “You should come work with us and sell billboard advertising.” Long story short, Marshall Henderson’s dad, Stan Henderson, a great man and mentor, hired me.

Entering the out of home brokerage business

After 14 years of sales and management, I started Williamson Outdoor Advertising in 1997. Over the following 9 years, I started and divested five companies. Then in April 2016, I decided that with my years of experience, industry connections, knowledge of selling and buying and understanding the value of brokerage, just maybe I could have some success in the M&A side of the industry. It’s gone better than I thought possible!

Adding employees

When I came up with the name Williamson and Associates, I thought that maybe someday I would actually have associates.  When I started the company, my daughter Amber worked with Clear Channel in Atlanta. We had talked about her possibly joining me someday and in 2020, the time was finally right. It was a solid year for me on the M&A side. At the same time, COVID impacted OOH sales, especially CCO in a very competitive market like Atlanta. I had more business than I could handle while she was losing business. So, it worked out perfectly. Amber joined in 2020 and has been a big part of our success and growth.

In 2017, I met Mike Morrill as president of Standard Outdoor. When Standard was acquired, Mike went back to focusing on billboards he owns in Austin.  We remained friends and, on a phone call in 2021, I mentioned that Amber and I were really busy and that I was thinking of adding another person. Mike said, “Well, hey, I might be interested in doing that.” That conversation led to Mike joining us.

I met Cynthia Beiler when she was GM for Adams Outdoor Savanah. I sold some permits to Adams and worked with Cynthia to build them. We stayed in touch and during a conversation in 2023, I mentioned that we occasionally have clients that could be better prepared to sell.  We agreed for Cynthia, who specializes in consulting, to join us to offer consulting that addresses areas that impact revenue, value and the likelihood of a sale. In addition to consulting, Cynthia will be active in brokering.

Natalie Kessler comes from a billboard and sign business family. Her father Bob and her uncle Roger started their careers in SE Ohio with an on-premise sign company which also built a billboard plant with 250 faces. Natalie worked with Lamar for a time and later helped the family start K2 Media in the Florida Panhandle. We assisted Natalie and Bob with the sale of K2 and later with the sale of Kessler Outdoor. After that, I asked Natalie what her plans were, and she said she would probably become a business broker. I said why not join us and broker billboard assets. So here we are today.

Williamson and Associates has associates! We have real hands-on experience doing what you independent billboard operators do. It’s in our blood. We love OOH and we love helping others.

What’s happening with M&A

The M&A market is alive and well.  We have seen interest rates rise but most capable operators can find money.  Last year was one of our best with 16 transactions. What will 2024 look like? We are very optimistic considering our pipeline. Buyers are still there – new and old, large and small. We don’t expect the big 3 to be particularly active this year, but I think Lamar and Outfront will make a few strategic acquisitions.  When you take away a few larger deals, the majority of the transactions are independents buying independents. Multiples are still strong… every situation and deal is unique…. You need to be ready when the time comes… We are happy to have a confidential conversation any time.

To receive a free morning newsletter with each day’s Billboard insider articles email info@billboardinsider.com with the word “Subscribe” in the title.  Our newsletter is free and we don’t sell our subscriber list.

Paid Advertisement