Beyond publishing: From trade magazine to industry ecosystem
⏱️ 4 min read
In 2019, Shield Wall Media's story looked set in stone: a shrinking trade publisher in terminal decline.
Seven years on - under the guiding hand of Gary Reichert - the business is thriving and has grown to be three times its original size.
In that remarkable turnaround lies a lesson in what can happen when a business stops protecting the old model and starts building around what the industry actually needs.
By focusing relentlessly on the audiences it serves, Shield Wall Media has redefined its position in the industry. What began with niche publications of Rural Builder, Frame Building News and Metal Roofing expanded into trade shows, industry research and education, extending the company's reach into new areas while continuing to solve the needs of the same communities.
It is a fascinating story packed with valuable insights for construction professionals navigating a changing industry. That is why we reached out to Gary to share his journey, and his philosophy.
Spot the gap, prove the demand, make it happen
When Gary raised his hand in the auction room to buy F&W Media - the struggling company he would transform into Shield Wall Media - he was the only non-lawyer present.
He was also the only one who knew what he was getting into.
Gary had spent 15 years working in sales for the business. He knew the titles, the readers and the advertisers. More importantly, he knew how to turn the business around.
He had already proven that instinct six months earlier, when he pitched a new idea, for Rollforming Magazine, to the consultant who had been brought in to wind things down for the legacy titles.
"It would cost about $30,000 to print and mail an issue. I asked if I could show $30,000 in ad sales for the issue if we could give it a shot."
The caretaker boss said yes.
"I told him I already had $35,000 in ad commitments if we went ahead. He laughed and said, 'you sandbagged me, didn't you?'"
That mindset is how Shield Wall Media has grown ever since. Not on hunches, but on defined audiences, real needs and commercial proof.
As Gary puts it:
"We look for ideas that, number one, fill needs in our community; and, number two, can be bootstrapped leveraging our existing assets."
Make every part strengthen the next
Shield Wall Media is no longer a traditional publisher. Its work now extends across magazines, trade shows, market research, digital media, directories, training resources and children's books.
The philosophy behind this growth is captured in the company name itself. In a shield wall, each person holds their place while supporting the people beside them. For Gary, the same idea applies to Shield Wall Media's magazines, shows, employees, advertisers, subscribers and partners. Each part has its own role, but the real strength comes from how they support one another.
That is why Gary's strategy is not simply to do more. It is to serve specialist construction audiences better, using each part of the business to strengthen the next.
Build around the needs of niche audience
The business focuses on sectors that often get limited coverage, including roll-forming, metal building, post frame construction, metal roofing, rural construction, sheds and portable buildings, and most recently, construction and trades in the Plain Community. These are narrow audiences by design, and that is where Shield Wall Media makes its mark.
Across Shield Wall Media's titles, the majority of readers are owners and senior managers, and they are actively engaged. This is key to why Gary's strategy works: He keeps the focus on serving the decision-makers who are in a position to read, attend, learn, and - most importantly - purchase and invest.
Gary jokes that his team sometimes pictures him "as a Bond villain plotting and stroking my cat, like Blofeld."
"I like solving puzzles and creating new things. The challenges facing our industries are the problems; new shows, magazines and kids' books are the creation."
Building events around the people who matter
Once Shield Wall Media had built a trusted audience, trade shows became a natural next step.
"The trade shows are a natural partner for the magazines."
Where magazines build an audience of buyers, suppliers and decision-makers, the shows then bring them together.
For Gary, the value of a show is not measured by how many people walk through the door.
"With shows, bigger is not always better. Crowding the floor with non-prospects creates competition for time so actual buyers do not receive the attention they deserve."
The goal is never foot-traffic, but the number of rich conversations between the right people.
"Our elevator pitch for our shows is we cater to the people who sign the front of the cheque, not the back."
Image courtesy Shield Wall Media.
This 'less is more' ethos is one Howick understands well. Our STEEL HORIZONS events are built around the same objective of getting key thought leaders and decision makers together in the same space.
When the right people collaborate to advance the industry, that is when real change happens.
Make it easier for exhibitors, so customers buy
Shield Wall Media also thinks carefully about what exhibitors need to make a trade show work.
At some events, the team will help move heavy machinery into position at no cost to exhibitors. In many US trade show settings, moving and placing machinery can be the single biggest cost of exhibiting.
Image courtesy Shield Wall Media
By removing that barrier, Shield Wall Media's approach makes it easy for exhibitors to show real equipment in action. It also makes the event more useful for attendees, who can see machinery working, ask better questions and have more practical conversations.
Turn industry talk into data you can use
Once a business has a trusted relationship with a specialist audience, it can see gaps that others may miss, like data, or more precisely, the lack of it.
Without reliable market insights, many in niche sectors cannot see beyond local experience and anecdotal evidence when making key strategic decisions or investments. That is why Gary and his team launched the Construction Survey Insights, which has helped turn industry feedback into market data.
"The survey gives us a way to quantify what people are seeing in the market. Instead of relying on anecdotes, we can provide data that helps businesses make better decisions." - Gary Reichert
Image courtesy Shield Wall Media
Inspire curious kids to become future creators
Max Builds is perhaps the most unexpected idea Gary has had so far.
It is a children's book series that introduces young readers to the trades through engaging, accurate building stories.
On the surface, it may seem leftfield, but when you look at the need in the community, the idea makes sense.
"Research estimates up to 60% of everything someone will learn, they learn by 6 years old. We have a built-in audience of parents and grandparents in the trades. Max Builds gives them the opportunity to read to their kids about what they do."
Different project. Same approach: Find a real need in the community. Use the assets you already have. Build something that helps.
Max with books in the Max Builds series. Image courtesy Shield Wall Media
Like-minded businesses create more value together
Howick and Shield Wall Media operate in different parts of the construction industry, but they share a similar approach to growth: understand the market, identify unmet needs and create practical solutions that help the industry move forward.
Howick does this through advanced roll-forming technology that improves the capability of steel framing systems. Shield Wall Media does it by building specialist media, events, research and educational platforms that connect professionals with the information and insights they need.
That shared focus on advancing the industry is what makes Shield Wall Media natural fit for STEEL HORIZONS.
STEEL HORIZONS is a Howick-led initiative that brings together the people, technologies and ideas shaping the industry's next chapter. By connecting specialist construction communities through media, events, research and education, Shield Wall Media is helping drive the same conversations that STEEL HORIZONS exists to inspire.
As such, we are proud to have Shield Wall Media as one of our key sponsors of STEEL HORIZONS 2026.
