John Bodger, OUTFRONT’s Twin Cities Real Estate Manager for 33 years, retired last week after a 42 year out of home career.  Bodger built over 500 static billboards and 32 digital billboards during his career.  This week Bodger talks about getting into the out of home business, R.O. Naegele Sr’s advice on dealing with landlowners and what it takes to be a good real estate manager. 

How did you get into the out of home business?

I was born into the business.  My father Jim Bodger was the vice president of real estate for Naegele Outdoor in the Twin Cities.  I’d go into the office as a young kid and R.O. Naegele would say “when you get out of college I’ve got a job for you.”  In high school I was working part time there cleaning the bill posting trucks.  Little jobs.  I went to college and when I got out R.O. hired me to go down to Des Moines, Iowa and he met me down there and helped train me.  We’d ride around in the car and he’d be pointing out sites.  We want one here and we want one there…He had me spend a year in Des Moines and then he moved me to Indianapolis and then out to Palm Springs when they had the plant there and the signs on the Morongo Indian tribe land and then he shipped me back to the Twin Cities.

R.O. Naegele Sr’s advice on dealing with landowners.

He’d say, “Make the property owner a friend of yours.”  He’d stop the car and we’d walk up to a landowner and knock on the door and start talking to the guy to find a common interest.  One guy turned out of be a fullback from the Chicago Bears from the 50’s and R.O. remembered him playing and before you knew it we had a sign built on the guy’s property.  A personal connection matters.  If you just walk in and say “we want a billboard here” it’s easy for them to say no.

Palm Springs was different.

Palm Springs was different from Des Moines or Indianapolis or the Twin Cities..  It was a resort town.  When we were building signs we’d have Telly Savalas pull up and he’d say why are you building a sign on that corner.  You had all the big movie stars.  I had Frank Sinatra sitting at the stop light next to me one day.  I met Gene Autry, owner of the Angels Baseball team at that time, and Jerry Buss, owner of the LA Lakers Basketball team, it was a  lot of fun.

What qualities make a good out of home real estate manager

You gotta wear a lot of different hats.  Each day could be lease negotiations, construction coordinator, vegetation control, legal matters.  You need to be able to meet with city officials.  You have to be able to present to the planning commission or city council.  Every aspect of the sign business except for selling the face.

Next week John will talk about the most satisfying project of his career.

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