Remembering Andrea Messimer-Henley
by Nick Coston, OOH, DOOH, pDOOH Professional; Industry Writer
Earlier Friday, there were reports on LinkedIn that longtime OOH Media professional and good friend to many, Andrea Messimer-Henley, has passed away.
Her last OOH position was with LED Truck Media, where she served as executive vice president of sales. Andrea previously worked with Adomni, Circle Graphics, Outfront Media, Clear Channel Outdoor and Adams Outdoor.
Based near her home and family in southwest Florida, Andrea was always the first to greet her friends at various OOH Media conferences with a big smile and firm hug. Whether it was OAAA, Geo-Path, DPAA conferences or during covid, she was a valued guest on numerous Zoom-style happy hours and seminars. Andrea was always tuned to the OOH grapevine.
Although we hadn’t been in touch often since the pandemic, she attended parts of the most recent OOH conference last May at Marco Island. I had a chance to snap some group photos where she naturally had the brightest smile. No matter how many people were at an event, Andrea would welcome you with open arms when you walked in.
It happened to me at OOH conferences in Austin and Las Vegas and DPAA in NYC. I’ll always remember the authenticity of her greeting and engagement, even if we weren’t doing business together at the time. Arriving late at the PBR Bar in Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, music was blaring, dancers sweating, and beer spilled everywhere. I was set to turn around and leave when Andrea appeared in the middle of the dance floor with her arms wide open, shouting, “Hey Nick, get over here.”
Of course, I stayed.
Her light, laughter and kindness will stay with us. She was a great listener and found the right words to say when needed most. And she always, always called you back. Who does that these days? Andrea Messimer-Henley, that’s who.
She leaves behind a young daughter, her husband and many close friends and colleagues. She was always a big part of OOH Media and a bigger part of our lives. Her passing leaves a huge hole in our small world, and she will be terribly missed. Andrea was 50 years old.
A GoFundMe donation page has been started for Andrea’s family at https://gofund.me/69a61ec5.
Nick Coston has been in the advertising industry for over 35 years. He’s worked at newspapers, magazines, OOH/DOOH companies, programmatic platforms, and ground-breaking ad tech companies, including Washingtonian, Washington Times, New Republic, USA Today Weekend, Clear Channel Outdoor, and The Neuron and Hypercell. He’s also spent 10 years buying OOH for a top 10 national advertiser. Nick resides with his family in Dayton, Maryland. He has been musing about the Outdoor Media industry for over five years.