Building a successful billboard company takes far more than finding a good location. In this episode of The Bell Board Podcast, Neil Bell sits down with Matt Schulze of Selective Structures to talk billboard construction, digital billboard strategy, and the lessons of a 30+ year career in out-of-home (OOH) advertising.

Matt shares the wild story of how a bear costume unexpectedly launched his career, wood-pole vs. steel-monopole construction, why billboard maintenance gets overlooked, what makes a billboard truly "digital-ready," building stadium scoreboards and major sign projects, and what he believes the next generation of OOH operators needs to focus on.

Guest: Matt Schulze — Selective Structures (selectivestructures.com)
Host: Neil Bell — New South Outdoor (newsouthoutdoor.com)

0:00 Introduction & meet Matt Schulze (Selective Structures)
1:03 The bear costume story that started a billboard career
4:24 Leaving radio for the billboard business
7:31 Tommy Teepell's influence & finding success in billboards
9:21 Why billboard companies should work together
11:10 How the billboard industry has changed over 30 years
14:55 Why every billboard should be built digital-ready
17:30 Wood pole vs. steel monopole billboards
20:04 Common mistakes new billboard owners make
27:29 Billboard maintenance: paint, head bolts & longevity
32:04 Billboard safety & protecting installation crews
39:57 Wind frames vs. panels for hurricane-prone markets
41:27 Rising steel costs & how to compare billboard structures
45:00 Building stadium scoreboards & major sign projects
47:32 Digital billboard strategy & buying the right equipment
55:10 Billboard advertising around the world
59:23 Creative billboard permitting & using AI responsibly
1:02:24 Economic cycles in the billboard industry
1:04:08 Billboard investing & return on investment (ROI)
1:05:43 Matt's biggest career lesson
1:08:02 Advice for the next generation of billboard operators
1:10:36 Closing thoughts

This episode is supported by:
Drachman M&A Co. — the outdoor advertising industry's M&A advisory firm. drachmanco.com
SignDash — billboard sales & inventory management software for independent OOH operators. signdash.com

#Billboards #OutdoorAdvertising #OOH #DigitalBillboards #BillboardConstruction