I’ve been in the business since before a lot of you were born, I’ve seen a ton of changes.

In 1978, our medium hadn’t even hit $1 billion in revenue. In fact, it was a few hundred million shy of that number. The 2022 forecast is well over $8 billion. How things have changed!  In the early 1980’s people said there wasn’t room for any more billboards. Zoning variances and city/county councils were keeping us from doing business and expanding. How wrong we were!

In 1980, some of the the “power” companies were Naegele Outdoor, Creative Displays, Foster and Kleiser, Lamar, Gannett (Eller), Ackerly, and a guy named Ted Turner.  Lamar was a small company in Baton Rouge.  Kevin Sr. was Lamar’s President, not Kevin Jr. or Shawn.

In 1980, the southeast was filled with small family owned independent out of home companies. Names like Fendig, Byck Outdoor, Wilcox, Lamar Dean, Bocook, Piedmont, Georgia Outdoor, Peterson Outdoor, Columbia Outdoor, Estus Outdoor, Schloss Outdoor, Alabama Outdoor, Outdoor West,  Dothan Outdoor, Cameron Outdoor. The list is endless and I’m sure I’ve left out a ton of important contributors to our industry.

Folks just like you persevered and grew our medium into one of the most valuable assets in the world today. They worked. They strategized. They grew. They became more active in their respective communities and helped overturn zoning laws and misconceptions about out of home. In the process, Corporate America and Wall Street woke up and saw the value of our efforts and began gobbling up a lot of the independent operators throughout the south and other areas. Made a lot of folks rich along the way!  The Reilly family grew…..and grew…..the Lamar corporation during the 1980’s. Boy, did they grow! Today, Lamar is a world leader.

At the same time many out of home company employees started saw opportunity.  They started independent companies to offer alternatives for buyers who sometimes were at the mercy of some of the big companies. Today, independent operators flourish! Our medium is a history of success, survival, growth, and economic stability that each of us should be extremely proud of as a participant. We are all part of the success.  Most importantly, this business continues to be fun and rewarding!

You can reach Pete at petehautem@gmail.com, 423-834-0876.