Formal CV
James Collins
jlcollinsnh@gmail.com
Mr. Collins is a senior executive with extensive P&L experience and a proven track record of growing revenue and profitability, integrating acquisitions, launching new products, developing and implementing business plans, creating powerful marketing strategies, building strong customer relationships and building effective teams. He is experienced in a broad range of markets including technology, automotive, investments, design engineering, electronics manufacturing, construction, horticulture and energy.
Most recently he served as Senior Manager, Business Development with Penton Media working on Contracting Business, HVACR Distribution Business, The Comfortech Show and their related websites. Under his management revenues grew 82%, setting an all time record.
He has served as a Group Publisher for the Advanced Technology Division (ATD) of PennWell Corporation. There he integrated two newly acquired publishing businesses, Connector Specifier (CS) and SMT (Surface Mount Technology), into the ATD’s operations and culture in what the board of directors called a “textbook example” of successful acquisition integration. Later he guided the integration of the subsequently acquired SMT Germany.
He rebuilt the post-acquisition staff, combining acquired personnel, newly assigned PennWell employees and new hires into highly effective, motivated teams able to execute aggressive quality, cost-saving and revenue goals.
Under his management both businesses set all-time revenue and profit records. CS gained 29% in revenue and 256% in profit and SMT increased 21% and 63% respectively. SMT’s market share grew to nearly 50%, positioning it as the industry’s #1 publication.
He also launched the ATD’s first show daily venture, The APEX Show Dailies, (posting profit margins of 50%) and SMT Mexitronica.
Prior to PennWell, Mr. Collins served as Publisher of Counterman for Babcox Publications. There he substantially increased profitability (54% in year one and an additional 41% in year two) and launched Counterman DIY. He successfully increased revenue, ad sales and market share during a contracting market, positioning Counterman as the automotive aftermarket’s second-largest publication, up from fourth.
In 1988 Mr. Collins was recruited to join Roulston & Company, Inc., an international investment research firm. There he served as an Investment Officer marketing investment research and analysis to institutional investors. He also produced analytical reports on a diverse group of publicly traded companies.
Mr. Collins also spent eleven years with Penton Publishing, Inc. holding several positions of increasing responsibility. As Publisher, he successfully orchestrated the turnaround of Materials Engineering, generating its first consecutive years of profitability in well over two decades. He also launched Composite Materials and served as Market Development Manager for Machine Design.
In addition to his work as a publisher, Mr. Collins is an accomplished consultant, author and speaker. He has provided reorganization strategies, sales and marketing strategies, sales training, business plans and operational reviews for clients such as The Aberdeen Group, East Ohio Gas, National City Bank and Thompson, Hine and Flory. He led the senior management team of Operation Bass in developing a business plan to expand into publications and television, and he wrote the business plan for and helped launch the Journal of Energy Management.
He is the author of the sales-training seminar, Effective Selling, as well as several workshops, speeches, columns and articles on professional sales and peak performance including The Ten Sales Commandments, Enhancing Customer Relationships, The Myth of Motivation, The Most Dangerous Words Your Customer Can Say, Handling Mistakes and There Is No Old Business. He also produced, wrote and presented a weekly radio feature, Your Sales Guru, for WHK Radio,Cleveland.
Mr. Collins launched his career selling advertising space inChicago.
He is a graduate of theUniversity of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and holds a BA in English Literature with minors in Speech and Sociology.


5 Comments
Hi James,
I’ve recently inherited a chunk of money from my dad and knew it was important to start investing. I’m very new to this as I haven’t invested in stocks, bonds, or anything before. I have been researching about investing and stumbled upon Mr. Money Mustache and in turn you.
I’ve learned a lot about what to do before a stock market crash if you’re ALREADY investing, but my big question is…
If I’m am going to start investing for the very first time, is NOW a good time, right before a possible stock market crash?
I have read about us being in a boom and a lot of people seem to think a stock market crash is just around the corner. I know there’s always going to be ups and downs in the market, but I’d like to get off to a good start by growing $60k and contributing about $1000+ per month.
What I fear is that I’m entering at the wrong time. That I’m investing right before a stock market crash and my $60k won’t earn much over a short period. Then, suddenly a crash will happen and I’ll be down to $20k, and then growing from there. I’d rather grow from $60k, than $20k.
My fear had held me off for months, but I feel because I’m holding off I’m losing out. I just want to get off to a good start, not a bad one.
After reading Mr. Money Mustache’s last posting, I thought I should be investing, just more bonds less stocks. So I decided I want to go for a 70/30 portfolio being I’m 30 and with Vanguard as you and MMM have recommended. So last night I opened a VBTLX and put $42k into it and was just going to hold off on stocks and put the stock money into my 1% high-yield savings til after the crash. This morning though I’m having doubts that I jumped in too early and should have waited til after the crash because I still may lose a chunk of money.
If I am doing things right in getting started, should I also be putting that 30% into stocks now too or just hold off til after a crash so I can make the most of that money?
I’m just so fearful since I’m so new to this. Any advice on what steps I should take or change would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for taking the time to look into my situation.
Sincerely,
Wendy
Here you go, Wendy!
http://jlcollinsnh.com/2013/05/22/stocks-part-xviii-investing-in-a-raging-bull/
Ah, it seems it got posted in the wrong window.
I wanted to post the above post under the Stocks — Part XVII: What if you can’t buy VTSAX? Or even Vanguard? post.
My apologies, and if you are able, feel free to delete it from here and move it to the correct post – Or maybe I can repost it, and you can delete it from here, if that is preferable.
Hi Lasse….
Seems I can only move it among the buttons at the top of the blog, not to the post.
Why not repost your comment to Stocks — Part XVII: What if you can’t buy VTSAX? Or even Vanguard?. Then I’ll delete the one here.
Thanks!
Done!
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