Wm. K. Walthers, Inc. announced that Terry D. Thompson will serve as its new vice president of proprietary products. Thompson was most recently the publisher of Model Railroader magazine and Model Railroader Video Plus, as well as four other Kalmbach Publishing Co. publications. During his more than 10 years at Kalmbach, he held a variety of editorial positions, including editor of Model Railroader magazine. He is also a past president of the Model Railroad Industry Division of the Hobby Manufacturer’s Association.
In his new role, Thompson will provide strategic direction for Walther’s proprietary brands and marketing teams in the areas of product selection and development, inventory management, promotions and other marketing strategies.
Kevin Keefe, Kalmbach’s vice president of editorial, will fill the role of Model Railroader magazine’s publisher.
Although I'm suprised to see Terry leave Kalmbach, I hope he can persuade the folks at Walthers to refocus some of their efforts to bolstering the N scale product line. Rumor has it that Walthers considers N scale to be unmarketable and has therefore been less than prolific about introducing new products. Here's hoping that Terry can help them put a finger on the real pulse of the hobby! Good luck, Terry!!
I'll miss Terry even though I never seemed to see much of him after he left as editor of Model Railroader. Whenever he did a video, I liked his quiet style of presentation. He seemed to rise quickly through the ranks (though I don't know the hierarchy at Kalmbach) so his new position comes as no great surprise. Good Luck, Terry!
Wow. I am surprised. Well, congratulations Terry.
Alexander