Callahan sells its billboard business

By Glenn DrohanPrint Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD — Mick Callahan, president of CCC Media Group, confirmed yesterday that his family’s 145-year-old business, Callahan Outdoor Advertising, has been sold to Lamar Outdoor Advertising, a Baton Rouge, La., company that operates 152 outdoor advertising companies in 43 states and is one of the nation’s largest. “There’s a regionalization going on in the media world, and I believe this will be good for our customers and good for our associates,” Callahan said in a telephone interview. “Down the road, a larger company can create better benefits for those folks, and we’re excited about it.” All employees will have the opportunity to work for Lamar, a 100-year-old company that is also family-run, Callahan said, adding, “It will be business as usual.” He acknowledged the move had been coming for some time and stressed that the sale, for an undisclosed price, was only of the company’s outdoor advertising branch — primarily billboards. “People have expressed an interest in our business for a number of years. There’s a time when you have to make the right business decision,” he said. According to Dan Callahan, Mick Callahan’s brother and co-owner of CCC Media with him, the sale will enhance the family’s other business ventures. “This allows us to expand our other Callahan family-owned businesses more aggressively,” he said in a news release. Those businesses include the Callahan Sign Co., which manufactures, installs and services on-premise sign systems throughout the Northeast, and M. Callahan Inc., which owns and manages commercial real estate holdings in the region. Both are based in Pittsfield. “My office will still be in downtown Pittsfield, and we’re going to be exploring other business opportunities,” Mick Callahan said. He acknowledged, however, that he has always had a soft spot for the billboard business, which had been in the Callahan family for four generations. “I’ve been president since 1978 and had an association with the company since I was 16 years old,” he said. “When I was off to college, I was still working for my dad. We always knew we had a summer job.” Callahan, a well-known civic leader who has been active on numerous committees and Berkshire County development efforts, said he believes Lamar will continue the family tradition of giving back to the community — as part of that tradition Callahan has often donated billboard space to local causes, non-profit organizations and events. “They’re a hundred-year-old company,” he said of Lamar. “They have a strong history of working with the companies they operate in — I think that’s an important part of anybody’s business plan. It’s not something unique to Callahan. All of the media companies contribute a lot, and I would expect they would continue to do the same thing. I just think this is a very good match that will connect the Berkshires to a larger marketplace.” The sale was effective immediately. Calls to the Callahan Outdoors office yesterday were answered by Lamar. Callahan’s 10 associates will continue to be employed “during the transition,” said Lamar spokesman Roger Rosenbaum, who declined to estimate the length of the transition. He referred inquiries to Matt Duddy, Lamar vice president and general manager, who could not be reached for comment. Lamar’s nearest other offices are in West Springfield and in Albany, N.Y. Duddy said in the news release, “Callahan Outdoor Advertising is a company we are very proud to have in our core group. We can now offer our customers more complete coverage of the Albany–Schenectady–Troy market.” Lamar manages billboards and logo-sign displays from California to Rhode Island and is the nation’s leader in the highway logo sign business, with operations in 20 of the 25 states that have privatized their logo programs. Logo signs are located near highway exits to deliver brand-name information on gas, food, lodging and camping services. Lamar, founded in 1902, operates more than 149,000 billboards and more than 97,500 logo sign displays across the country. In addition, the company has 34 transit advertising franchises that reach motorists in 12 states through displays on bus shelters, benches and buses, according to the news release. The Callahan Outdoor Advertising Division has an undisclosed number of billboards in Berkshire County and New York State, including Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. Mick Callahan said he did have one regret about the sale: not being able to tell customers and the Pittsfield community about it sooner. “My style is, I would like to look every single customer and every single public service organization we’ve helped over the years in the eyes and thank them for the business and personal relationships we’ve had,” he said. “In this fast-paced world, it’s not always possible to do that.”
Share
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
View Full Story

More Stories

Sports
image description

Lee Executes Game Plan to Perfection in Quarter-Final Win

Sports
Sports
image description

Lenox Volleyball Reaches State's Final Four

Sports
Sports
image description

Mount Greylock Boys Win 3rd Straight Regional Crown

Sports
Sports
image description

Mount Greylock Girls Again Top Monson in Western Mass Final

Sports
Sports
image description

Lenox Sweeps Its Way to Western Mass Crown

Sports
Community News
image description

North Adams License Commission Sees Little Need for License...

Community News
Latest Stories
Previous Next

What's Trending?