Thank god it’s hard to break into the newspaper business. Because if that weren’t the case, Bill Collins wouldn’t have had to try his hand at public relations back in 1977. Sure, the fish wraps came calling eventually – the St. Bonaventure grad was the editor in chief of his school paper and a heck of a writer – but by then, Bill had found his true calling.

By 1984, the fiercely competitive 29-year-old was running William Collins & Associates. Today, his influence on the Western New York PR community is immeasurable. And while he loves nothing more than spending time with his wife and kids, he’s lost none of his passion for the business – if Bill ever decides to retire, we’ll eat our hats. “Once I make a commitment, I live up to it,” Bill shares. It’s this sense of personal responsibility, infused from the top down, that has made Travers Collins a magnet for people with big-time work ethics and positive attitudes. Bill Collins is a public relations icon in WNY. And that’s good PR.