Link Media Outdoor has grown rapidly over the past year with $138 million in acquisitions including Waitt Outdoor, Key Outdoor and Tammy Lynn Outdoor. Link’s parent company has $117 million in cash and access to public debt and equity markets so you can expect Link to keep growing. Insider talked with Link CEO Jim McLaughlin about the company’s growth, culture and hiring needs.Jim, how are the acquisitions coming together
Very well, thanks, especially given our size and how much we’ve grown over the past 6 months. In the end, it always comes down to people, and fortunately we have inherited great folks who were with Tammy Lynn, Key and Waitt, that are talented, smart, energetic, and have pitched in to help on all the transitional issues. That, combined with our already talented group of legacy Link players, has enabled us absorb the “whales” pretty efficiently. It’s been especially fun for me to see all the new markets, the new talent, and to think about all the ways that we’re going to build Link into a world class outdoor company.
Can we expect to see more acquisitions.
I guess the best way to answer that is to say that my mandate, as the CEO of a Boston Omaha Corporation company, was to build a meaningful, profitable enterprise that will continue to grow over the next couple of decades. The best/quickest way to do that in this industry is through acquisitions. So, we’ll maintain our focus on those and try to find inventory and companies that will enhance our footprint, while striving to make the most efficient use of the assets that we acquire.
What’s Link’s culture like?
Thank you for asking that. I constantly hear people mentioning our culture, which I’d describe as being ”Zig Ziglar” like. We sincerely want everyone at Link to get everything they want, and we want to help them get there. We truly believe that if we are successful at that, then it will be a win-win for everyone. One of the things I regularly do is ask our employees to share with me their written GOALS for the next ten years, broken down in short, medium and long term segments. I’m interested in what they want to do, where they want to go, and how they want to live their lives. It has proven to be a good exercise for both sides, as most people have never actually sat down and thought a lot about that, and even fewer have ever written them down and set a plan in place to execute them. It’s not mandatory, but I encourage this exercise since I can only help my team attain their goals if they share them with me. It gives us a better understanding of how ambitious people are, where they want to live, what they want to do, how much money they want to make, and how much responsibility we can give them. It’s sort of fundamental when building a growth oriented company. We evaluate all the assets, both people and billboards, so we can be as efficient as possible, as quickly as we can. A road map, so to speak, that helps us utilize all resources the best way possible.
What kinds of people are you looking for to facilitate Link’s growth.
It would be easy for us to say that we only want A players on our team, which is true, but there is much more to it than that. Talent and experience are only part of the puzzle when finding good quality candidates. Our company culture, values, and, work ethic must be aligned with the candidate’s. The key is it must be a good fit for them as well as for Link. We want team members that will make a meaningful impact on the company as well as their peers. We need self-starters, subject matter experts, up-and-comers, and those that are able to adapt to change in an every growing environment. We value integrity, respect, passion, excellence, and serving the team. We are always looking for top notch team players.
Who should people contact if they are interested.
If someone is interested in being a part of this incredible team they are welcome to apply through our website at https://linkmediaoutdoor.com/careers/.
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