Growing Billups Through An Authentic Approach: CEO David Krupp

Billups CEO David Krupp has spent his entire career in media, though he expected to attend law school after graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  “I neared the end of school and realized I didn’t want to be in class any longer.”   He recalls having friends who had gone into advertising after graduating and thought, “Cool, I’ll go make commercials too.”  

He never got an interview for a creative position though he did manage to get an interview from Leo Burnett Media and Western International Media.  Leo sent him a rejection letter which he kept in his nightstand for the next several years, discarding only after Starcom hired him years later.  Western International Media, now Initiative, took a chance on him, and David quickly realized the creativity in media planning. “It was more than just calculating reach and frequency. There is really a beautiful moment when media and creative are aligned and authentically connecting with consumers.  This made up for the fact that I hate math, and the job was a lot of math in the early years.  Plus, I found that when dollar signs were put in front of numbers and making a mistake could be a big problem for a client, the math became significantly more interesting.”   

David says he feels like he came to Billups at a unique time. “Billups had grown over its first fifteen years and very much operated like a small business.”  Having come from holding company agencies, David viewed Billups as uniquely situated to consolidate the middle market and then expand. “Ben (Billups) and I talked a long time before joining the company. We shared a common view of the requirements necessary to accelerate the Out-of-Home space in terms of measurement, platform technology, and managed service support.”   

Exploring the Unknown

“I woke up January 1, 2018, and knew exactly what my year would look like - what our numbers would be plus or minus, what the challenges would be, who would stay and who would go,” David said. “I wasn’t challenged and was ready for something new.”

David knew with a little luck and savvy that the 85-person Billups could punch well above weight.  David said this was an opportunity for him to be more entrepreneurial,  Not to mention he genuinely liked Ben. They had formed a friendship over the two years of corporate courtship.  “Leaving the holding company was a real eye-opener. I remember telling Ben a little after joining that we needed to hire for a certain role, and Ben said, ‘Why are you telling me?  Just do what you think is right.’”  It was then that David realized that the only people to answer were the four partners of the organization. 

Accelerating Through Challenges

Though David has only been with Billups for a quarter of its legacy, he finds the 20-year milestone impressive.
“What a great milestone to achieve.  It’s like we’re emerging from our adolescent years and entering adulthood. , ” David said. “At Billups, we’ve done an exceptional job accelerating and growing amidst market pressures, non-OOH digital advancement,  recessions, and a global pandemic.  We stayed focused on our game plan and kept our eyes on the horizon. Ben is pretty remarkable in that he hits the gas when he sees challenges ahead, said David  
“Ben is an eternal optimist and willing to take risks. Where others see caution, Ben sees opportunity,” David said.  

Over the next twenty years, David expects continued growth, geographically, technologically, and in Billups staffing and resources.  Billups launched in Europe in 2022 and continues its expansion today. “Europe has been a great experiment for us.  We have hired a strong, smart, capable team who understand that client relationships are the essential factor in building for the long-term.”   As Billups technology advances, David envisions meeting clients how they desire, whether via a platform for self-service, through research and analytics, or through a full-service solution.  

“There are several areas we are advancing simultaneously, and I am grateful we have the talent and the curiosity to challenge how things are done to identify a better approach,” David said. 

David’s passion for venturing into uncharted territories is also part of his personal life. When David is not running Billups,  he likes to get on the road and see the world with his wife, Beth Ann.  Spring and Summer, you can often find him in South Bend, cheering on the University of Notre Dame Baseball team, where his son is a pitcher. 

Supporting Talent for Growth

David is passionate about bringing the right groups of people together and putting them in the right roles so they can deliver amazing results to clients.
“I’ve found, throughout my career, that seeing people succeed and advance their careers gives me greater joy than my own work successes,” David said.  “Putting people in the right roles can materially change an organization for the better.” 

“We are not just buying Billboards.” Our clients come to us for the strategy we provide and to break down the complexity of a very decentralized marketplace.  Our work helps our clients achieve their goals.  As an independent company, we recognize we are only as good as the last campaign we executed,” David said. “The advancements we have made in understanding the effect out-of-home has on achieving our clients' various KPIs has undoubtedly made us smarter, more strategic planners, and better stewards of our clients’ investments. 

David has spent the past five years helping to build Billups technology, marketing, and associated resources while winning new business.  He has supported the company to focus more efforts on securing direct engagements with brands, in addition to the work Billups engages with other independent agencies.  “We do this by telling our story through geographic and human insights combined with actionable data and measuring results.” 

David says that authenticity matters in everything Billups does, from how it works with suppliers to internal teammates to Billups clients. 

As I have gotten older, my father's lessons ring in my ear.  ‘Don’t worry about what others are doing, focus on your plan and execute, stay humble, listen, and try to leave things better than you found them,’” said David. “ I don’t have the time for inauthenticity in my personal or professional life,” David said. 

Under David's leadership, annual revenues and employees have more than doubled. Though he may not like math, he has a talent for increasing numbers.