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Owner of billboard company has no plans to retire after three decades in the business
Lee Pounder has been swapping out billboard signs for about three decades and probably changed 10,000 signs over the years. It takes him about 45 minutes. He loves heights and has no plans to retire anytime soon.
TAMPA, Fla. - Have you ever been driving to work in the morning and noticed a billboard along the highway was different from the day before?
And have you thought, who does that? Who gets up there and changes that sign?
Well, if you live in most parts of central Florida, there's a good chance it was Lee Pounders.
Lee’s has changed thousands of billboards over the last 30 years.
"I say 10,000, if not more," he says.
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He’s built his business, Lee Signs Inc., on reliability and adaptability in an industry that’s gone from painted signs to vinyl, and now digital.
Lee works fast. He gets most billboard changes finished in about 45 minutes.
"People tell me all the time I’m a one-man army," he says.
Lee's fondness for heights came while working on top of oil rigs as a young man.
"It just turned me on, man," he explained. "I think I’ve always been a daredevil. Speed has never been a problem; height has never been a problem."
And even at 64 years of age, retirement hasn't crossed his mind.
"No, not at all," he said. "I love working. I want to continue as long as I can."