“I am deeply saddened by Jeff’s passing,” said Collision Repair magazine publisher Darryl Simmons. “He was a talented reporter devoted to the industry, a shrewd industry analyst and a dear friend.”
Like Simmons, Collision Repair magazine’s longest-serving editorial director, Mike Davey, reflected on Sanford’s loss on a personal and industry-wide level.
“I worked closely with Jeff over the years and was always impressed by his ability to read between the lines of a financial story and hone in on exactly what was going on and it’s wider implications,” said Davey. “We’ve all lost a friend and the world of journalism has lost a great business reporter.”
Within the collision repair community, he may have been best known for his work as a business analyst in Collision Repair magazine, Sanford’s reporting was not just confined to this magazine.
A business journalist who had started writing with Investment Executive magazine, Sanford would go on to serve as a staff writer for two major Canadian publications, the National Post and Canadian Business, interviewing Fortune 500 CEOs and two a couple Prime Ministers. In 2009, Sanford took up a dual role as a senior editor and publication manager for Wealth Professional.
In 2012, Sanford decided to a reporting return to his first love – business. Becoming a freelance writer for an array of magazines and newspapers, Sanford also took up a part-time role with Media Matters. Online, his popular Friday Fun series highlighted the stranger side of the auto aftermarket, while his Tuesday Tickers helped keep repairers abreast of the business stories relevant to the automotive sector. In print, his Final Word column held a place-of-honour, closing out each issue.
Another obituary, written by his family, can be viewed here.
