Collins started in outdoor advertising in 1944 painting signs on the weekends and evenings while working as a truck driver for Pepsi. He had to hire an assistant to help, quickly forming the earliest incarnation of Collins Outdoor, Collins La Crosse Sign Co. The company grew to be the largest out-of-home advertiser in western Wisconsin and surrounding areas. He was also a founding member of the Wisconsin State Electric Sign Assn. and Wisconsin Sign Assn.
Collins received the Outdoor Advertising Assn. of America’s Hall of Fame award in 2003 and was voted its “Man of the Year” in 2001.
He is survived by Marjorie, his wife of 66 years, his children Shannon, Timothy and Michael, and four grandchildren: Shannon, Ashley, William and Courtney.