Darryl Simmons launched Collision Repair in 2001 with a clear vision: to create a business-to-business publication that acknowledged and recognized the importance of the auto collision repair industry.

“There’s a difference between perception and reality,” says Simmons, the CEO and publisher of Media Matters Incorporated. “It’s an industry that fixes cars and puts families back on the road.”

In launching the magazine, Simmons not only met a pressing need in the industry, but also discovered a greater potential to grow into peripheral industries.

That’s where the OMDC came in. Thanks to its support, Simmons was able to expand the brand horizontally into the auto recycling industry with Bodyworx Professional, and he recently published the tenth annual issue of Canadian Auto Recycler, a glossy professional trade magazine.

“Without the OMDC, we wouldn’t have been able to grow,” Simmons says, and as with Collision Repair, Canadian Auto Recycler has also helped to challenge preconceived notions about the nature of auto recycling.

He points out that it is a multi-million-dollar industry in Canada that employs a host of people from different professions, including the trades. People are catching on that it is a profitable industry with lots of opportunities.

“I have been asked to go to schools and speak about recycling,” says Simmons. “We wanted to changed perceptions, and because of the OMDC, we were able to accomplish that.”

Simmons is adamant that there is a future for high quality trade publications in print. And as the publisher of six glossy magazines, including Collision Quebec, and WaterWorx Guide, he makes a strong case.

“Our research tells us that overwhelmingly people want print, and over half would pay for it,” he says. He makes a distinction between newspapers and magazines, and targets business-to-business publishing as a growth opportunity.

“People want good stock, colour, and a glossy cover; something that looks and feels good,” explains Simmons, who positions print as a premium product. “It’s not for consumers, it’s less general interest magazines, but niche publications for those in the business.”

Being in the business is part of what drives Simmons, who is passionate about auto repair and recycling. At one point, he owned an auto repair shop, and he knows the industry inside and out, something he believes is intrinsic to his success.

“We care about our readers, our advertisers, and our industry.”

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