Matson, Mitchell

1958-2022

Mitchell Matson grew up in an OOH family. His father was an executive with General Outdoor. I met Mitch while securing railroad locations in the 1980s. Transportation  Displays, Inc.  (TDI) had an agreement with the railroads and they took payments and handled OOH leases for each railroad. Mitch had a confident voice over the phone and he was very assertive about what could be done with the railroad locations. As a young upstart, Mitch intimidated me. Sometimes I dreaded a call from Mitch which at times would be to collect past due invoices.

Once I made the rookie mistake of thinking I could negotiate a better rate. A booming voice bellowed from my phone handset, "You b@#$#%*s, I know what you guys are making on billboards!" That ended that conversation. As the years passed, I was able to talk with Mitch and he often helped with leasing troubles. Mitch was brilliant in leasing and could figure out great ways to add a location.

I was able to purchase a billboard company in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Part of the purchased assets included property with an interstate 14'x48' owned by Outdoor Systems. The lease had expired and I received a phone call to renew the agreement. The familiar voice of Mitch Matson greeted me on the line. He politely asked me if I would speak with him about working up a renewal. I responded with a grin on my end of the phone, "I supposed I could do that, but.....I know how much you b@#$#%*s are making!" 🙂 I waited a pregnant moment and then laughed into my phone telling Mitch, "I was just kidding you!". I have been on the receiving end of property owners with unrealistic expectations and excepted the proposal Mitch offered.

TDI was purchased by Outdoor Systems. Outdoor Systems was later called Infinity. Infinity was changed to CBS Outdoor. CBS changed to Viacom and then to Outfront. Mitch stayed with all these companies as they were purchased and merged. He later retired from his OOH career.  - Dan Walcott

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Mitchell Matson, beloved husband, age 63, of Southport, North Carolina passed away on Sunday, June 19, 2022. Frank was born July 28, 1958 in Amarillo, Texas to the late William and Irene Matson.
Mitchell is survived by his wife, Charlene Matson; his sister, Gerri Lynn Breeden; his nephew, Jeremy Breeden; his brother-in-law, Brian Olson; his sister-in-law, Colleen Olson; his sister-in-law, Jennifer (Stephen) Bishop; as well as several nieces and nephews.

Mitchell graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. He went on to work for 35 years in the outdoor advertising industry, both in St. Louis, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois.

Mitch and Char's love story began in St. Louis, where they were wedded April 12, 1984. Mitch was a devout St. Louis Cardinals and Mizzou Tigers fan. They resided in the suburbs of Chicago for 30 years before retiring to Southport, North Carolina in 2017.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.peacocknewnamwhite.com for the Matson family.

Peacock - Newnam & White Funeral and Cremation Service, Southport, North Carolina.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/southport-nc/mitchell-matson-10800439