Our Privacy Policy

Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation (together with its subsidiaries Davison Publishing and Simmons-Boardman Books, Inc. (collectively “Simmons-Boardman” or “we”) is one of the oldest, most well-respected business-to-business publishers of print and digital media products. Among those products are the several magazines, websites and directories, including: International Railway Journal, IRJ Pro, Global Rail Tenders, Railway Age, Railway Track & Structures, Railway Educational Bureau, Marine Log, Sign Builder Illustrated, Bar Business, Marine Yellow Pages, Textile Blue Book, Fence & Deck Blue Book, Box & Carton Blue Book, Tile & Stone Blue Book.
Simmons-Boardman understands that you care about the privacy of your personal information and takes your concern very seriously. To that end, this Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes the personal information we collect, how we use it, and certain rights and options you have regarding your information.

How we collect and use your personal information

Simmons-Boardman collects personal information about customers that subscribe for its publications or otherwise purchase products, individuals who register for a Simmons-Boardman event or register to receive information from Simmons-Boardman, and users of its websites. As described below, the personal information we collect typically includes first name, last name, email address, phone number, country, and state or province. As we are a B2B publishing company, we may ask for some information about your employer, including the company name and your job title. We disclose personal information to third parties only as necessary to facilitate the delivery of products or services or perform our business obligations.
The types of personal information that Simmons-Boardman collects and how it is used can generally be categorized as follows:

Products and publications - Simmons-Boardman offers publications and other media products that are available for purchase or, for some items, made accessible by request through our websites. In purchasing or requesting such items, we may request that you provide your first and last names, email addresses, phone numbers, country/location, state or province, and physical address (of individual or employer). Again, as we are a B2B publishing company, we may ask for non-personal information relating to your employer and its business. We use this information to provide you with the requested publications and products, ensure we receive payment (as appropriate), and provide you with information on other products or services that may be of interest to you or your company. Please note that some of our publications are co-sponsored and, in that instance, we would share copies of your personal information with our co-sponsor.
Event registration – From time to time, Simmons-Boardman offers access to webinars and other events. In connection with the registration for those events, Simmons-Boardman may collect the types of personal information identified above, as well as information on what events you attended and any feedback you provided about the events. We do so in order to ensure that you are registered for the event and identify other, similar events that may be of interest to you in the future. As with our publications, some of our events are co-sponsored and we share copies of your personal information with our co-sponsors.
Transactions – In connection with the sale of products, Simmons-Boardman may collect and process information regarding what products you (or your employer) purchased and details relating to that transaction. As described below, payment card information is processed through a third-party payment card processor and is not stored by Simmons-Boardman. This information is necessary to ensure that your transaction is processed appropriately, to understand what you and your company have purchased from us historically, and to ensure that we can inform you of other product or services that maybe of interest.
Communications with Simmons-Boardman – If you choose to correspond with us by email, phone, post, or any other form of communication, we may keep copies of your correspondence and the information contained in it. We may use that information to respond to your request, provide you with information on other products or events, and keep a record of any requests, complaints, or inquiries you may have made.
Reasons for processing your personal information – As explained above, we use your personal information to provide you with the products and services you have purchased or requested, process your registration for events and ensure our co-sponsors are aware of the product and events you requested. Further, we use the information to better tailor our products and services to your needs and to communicate with you about other products and services we offer that may be relevant to you or your company.

How we collect and use your personal information

Like other companies, Simmons-Boardman collects certain information about visitors to its websites. This includes information about your internet connection, your IP address, the equipment you use to access our website, usage details, and search queries submitted on the websites. We may also collect non-personal information automatically as you navigate through our websites, using technologies such as cookies, flash cookies, and web beacons. This technology allows our web servers to automatically recognize and collect the domain name and IP address of visitors to our websites.

We use the information gathered through these technologies to improve your experience on our websites, analyse trends, track visitor movements, diagnose problems, gather information on visitor preferences, and better meet your needs. We do not respond to “do-not-track” signals, as we do not track visitors across websites.

Who we share your personal information with

As explained below, we may share your personal information with the following third parties in certain circumstances:

With our fulfilment vendor, who maintains the database necessary for the management and deployment of your subscription to our magazines and newsletters, as well as the tracking of your purchases, contact preferences, and data subject requests;
With our email service provider, who enables us to communicate with you and our other contacts;
With firms that audit our subscriptions to confirm that all subscriptions were validly requested;
With companies that co-sponsor media products or events (as discussed above);
With other companies that perform work necessary for Simmons-Boardman to provide its products and services; and
For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information.

We reserve the right to share your personal information to a successor or acquiring company, in the event all or part of our business is sold, merged, dissolved, acquired, reorganized, or subject to a similar transaction. We also reserve the right to share your personal information as necessary to comply with a subpoena or similar investigative demand, court order, request for cooperation from law enforcement or another government entity, as well as to exercise our legal rights, defend against legal claims, or as otherwise required by law.

Your choices about collection and use of your information

You can choose not to provide us with certain information, but that may result in you being unable to use certain features of our website, request information from us, purchase products or services, ask questions, or initiate other transactions on our website. You can also set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to accept or reject it. And you can opt out of receiving marketing emails from us by clicking the unsubscribe link in those emails.

How we protect your personal information

We take appropriate security measures (including physical, technical, and administrative measures) to help safeguard your personal information from unauthorized access and disclosure. No system, however, can be completely secure. We are not responsible or liable for the illegal acts by third parties (such as hacking). If you have questions about the security of your personal information, please contact us at railjournal@railjournal.com .

Links to other websites

Our websites may contain links to the sites of third parties. Simmons-Boardman is not responsible for the privacy practices of other entities. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third parties before sharing information.

Third-Party Applications

The IRJ Pro application uses Google Analytics, an analysis service by Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Google Analytics allows IRJ Pro to analyse the IRJ Pro application usage. The information about your visit collected by Google Analytics is usually transferred to a Google server in the USA and saved there. Google will use the information collected on behalf of the application operator to evaluate the users’ use of the application, to compile reports about the users’ activities within this application, and to provide further services for the application operator related to the use of the application. IRJ Pro will not gather any personally identifiable information through Google Analytics. You can find more information about what data can be collected via Google Mobile App Analytics here . By using IRJ Pro Apps and the Website, the user explicitly consents that his or her information is collected via Google Analytics. By using this website, you consent to the use of Hotjar, a third-party service that provides analytics and feedback functionality. Hotjar uses cookies and other technologies to collect data on user behavior, including but not limited to pages visited, time spent on each page, and interactions with page elements. This data is used to understand and improve user experience. All data collected is anonymized and does not include any personally identifiable information. For more information on Hotjar's data practices, please refer to their privacy policy at Hotjar Privacy Policy. By continuing to use this website, you agree to the collection and use of information as described above.

Children’s privacy

Our websites are general audience websites and are not directed at, or intended for use by, children under 13. Accordingly, we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13.

International Data Transfers

Simmons-Boardman is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States and may share or transfer information between its offices and among its subsidiaries and affiliates. If your information was collected outside the United States, it may be necessary to transfer your information to the United States for processing in order to provide you with requested products and services. You understand and agree that information you provide may be sent to and processed by Simmons-Boardman in the United States. The data protection laws in the United States may not be the same as the data protection laws in your home country. Further, in appropriate circumstances, we may use specific contracts approved by the European Commission that afford personal data certain protections similar to that afforded by E.U. law. Please contact us at railjournal@railjournal.com if you want further information on the mechanisms used when transferring your personal data out of the country where it was collected.

Accessing and Updating Your Information

The accuracy of your information is important to us. If you change your email address, or if any of the other information we hold about you is inaccurate or out of date, please contact us at railjournal@railjournal.com to update your information. If you are located in certain jurisdictions, you have the right to ask for a copy of the information we hold about you or other rights as set forth in applicable law. We reserve the right to limit or deny access to personal information where providing such access is unreasonably burdensome or expensive under the circumstances or as otherwise permitted by applicable law. EU data subjects’ rights under the GDPR are explained below.

European data subjects

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation provides E.U. residents with certain rights pertaining to their personal information. Specifically, if you are located in the E.U., you may request information regarding whether Simmons-Boardman is processing your personal information, its purposes in doing so, how it obtained your personal information (if you didn’t provide it directly), who it may have been shared with, and how long it will be retained. Further, you have the right to request that Simmons-Boardman correct your personal data if it is inaccurate and, in certain circumstances, may ask Simmons-Boardman to erase the data or stop using it. Finally, subject to certain limitations and when feasible, you may request that Simmons-Boardman provide you with a copy of your personal information or transfer it to another entity. If Simmons-Boardman denies this request, it will provide any explanation why. Otherwise, to the extent feasible, it will provide you with a copy of your personal data within a reasonable amount of time.

Additional information on your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation is available from the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office. If you are located in the EU and have a concern about Simmons-Boardman’s processing of your data, you may have the right to make a complaint to the appropriate data protection authority in the EU.

Please note, as indicated previously, your personal information may be transferred to servers in the United States. Simmons-Boardman only transfers your personal information with your consent, to perform a contract with or obligation to you or your employer, or to fulfil a compelling legitimate interest that does not outweigh your rights and freedoms. Because the United States has not received a finding of “adequacy” from the EU, and except as set forth above, Simmons-Boardman relies on derogations set forth in Article 49 of the GDPR to transfer your information to the United States.

Data storage and retention

Simmons-Boardman stores your personal information on its servers and on the servers of cloud-based service providers with whom we have contracts. Those servers are located in the United States. Simmons-Boardman retains the personal data for as long as necessary to service our corporate clients and fulfil your requests. If you have questions regarding our retention of your information, please contact the representative identified at the end of this privacy policy.

How to contact us

If you have any questions about this Policy or our information-handling practices, please contact us at railjournal@railjournal.com .