History alumnus takes teamwork to new level as outdoor advertising executive

As a baseball player his first year at The College of Wooster, Don Allman ’74 learned how to work as part of a team, set and achieve goals, and persevere in the face of adversity. As an executive in the outdoor advertising industry, Allman used those same skills to lead the teams he managed to the highest levels of success. 

Growing up in the Cleveland area, Allman fell in love with Wooster after visiting the campus in high school. He hoped to be the starting pitcher for the Fighting Scots baseball team, but his playing career was cut short following injuries his sophomore year (“Plus the other players were better than me,” he laughed). He remained involved in the baseball program throughout his time at Wooster, serving as assistant coach for the junior varsity team as a sophomore and junior and for the varsity team as a senior. He also was active with intramural sports and his fraternity. 

“I loved my time at Wooster,” Allman said. “I made lifelong friends I’m still in contact with today. We were from all different backgrounds, and looking back, I see that contributed to my later success in business. I learned how to interact with people and, most importantly, how everyone has positive elements that they bring to every relationship.” 

Allman, a history major, originally intended to become an attorney but quickly discovered law school wasn’t for him. He began a career in media sales at a radio station in Cleveland. He transitioned into out-of-home advertising when he joined Foster & Kleiser, now known as Lamar Outdoor Advertising. He later spent 15 years with Transportation Displays Inc., the largest bus and rail advertising sales company in the world, where he worked his way up to CEO of U.S. operations. 

“We generated, over the years, literally hundreds of millions of dollars of non-farebox revenue for transit systems worldwide,” Allman said. “In other words, we were, in the majority of cases, the largest source of revenue for the transit systems we worked with after the farebox. We were always very proud of that.” 

In 2002, ready for a new challenge, Allman launched a business venture with the company’s former chairman. “We started a new outdoor advertising company called Titan, which, at the time, was anything but a titan. We had 11 employees,” Allman said. “We competed for and won back many of the contracts we had at TDI because we had developed strong relationships with the transit systems. They trusted us, and we had always overperformed. We ultimately grew the company to about 800 employees worldwide.” Treating those employees well was integral to the company’s success. It’s also a key component of leadership, according to Allman. 

“If you want people to trust you as a leader and want to follow you, you have to look out for them and be available when they need you,” he said. “I tried to be accessible. If anyone in the company needed to get in touch with me, they could call me anytime or walk into my office. At Wooster, people were so open to interacting and communicating, and I tried to bring that same openness to the companies where I worked.” 

When hiring new employees, Allman also thought of his time at Wooster, and specifically his experience on the baseball team. “When interviewing people for a job, I always asked if they had a background in sports,” he said. “Teamwork is critically important to the success of a company. We rise or fall together.” 

Allman initially retired in 2020 after selling Titan and working as a consultant for a few years. As of 2025, he most recently served as partner/co-CEO of VIAVERDE USA, an international company that combines out-of-home advertising with sustainable, green infrastructure. 

Making several generous gifts to his alma mater over the years, Allman, notes that the administration at Wooster is a perfect example of how leadership starts at the top. “I have so much respect for President McCall, the president’s cabinet, and all the faculty and staff at the College. They’re doing so many things right at Wooster, and that’s why it’s one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country,” he said. “I will continue to support the school in any way I can.” 

Featured image: Don Allman ’74, photo provided by subject.

This story originally appeared in the summer 2025 issue of Wooster magazine. 

Posted in Alumni, Magazine on July 4, 2025.