Lafromboise Communications Inc. has purchased The Reflector, a century-old weekly newspaper serving the communities in and around Battle Ground in Southwest Washington.
The 28,000-circulation Reflector will officially change hands on July 1.
The Reflector is a vibrant, family-oriented newspaper and one of the most successful weeklies in the state, according to Dennis Waller, chief operating officer for Lafromboise Communications and publisher of The Chronicle.
“In each of our operations we stress pride and value — that’s our mantra,” Waller said. “The Battle Ground Reflector fits perfectly into that mold. Its slogan is ‘A newspaper with integrity.’”
Unlike many larger newspaper chains that are suffering under heavy debt loads, Waller said Lafromboise Communications is on firm financial footing.
“Our fiscally conservative nature has paid us dividends,” Waller said. “We did this in a down time, not during flush times.”
The purchase price and other financial details were not released.
Steve Walker, chief financial officer for Lafromboise Communications, will take over the job of publisher at The Reflector. Walker and his wife, Annette, and their 15-year-old daughter Katie will be relocating to the Battle Ground area from their home in Chehalis.
“The paper is solid in the center of the community,” Walker said. “My goal is to keep it that way.”
The family-owned Lafromboise Communications, principally owned by J.R. Lafromboise and her daughter, Jenifer Lafromboise Falcon, currently publishes The Chronicle in Centralia and The Nisqually Valley News in Yelm. It also operates a centralized printing operation and a sign shop, both located in Centralia.
“We are pleased to welcome The Reflector into our publishing family,” Jenifer Lafromboise Falcon said. “Its history of success and preeminence in the community will be a nice fit for our company. We anticipate carrying on its tradition of being a dominant provider of local news and an effective promotional tool for advertisers.”
The Reflector, which has 40 employees, has been owned and published for 30 years by Marvin Case.
“The newspaper is financially sound and doing well,” Case, 66, said in a story posted on the newspaper’s website. “The only reason for selling is my age.”
Walker and his wife have eight children and five grandchildren, with two more grandchildren on the way. He has a master of business administration from the University of Washington Tacoma and 25 years of newspaper experience. He will stay on as chief financial officer for LCI, a position he has held for 18 years. Walker’s position on The Chronicle’s Editorial Board will be filled by Jeff Andersen, general manager of the company’s print division.
“My colleagues at LCI have decades of professional, successful newspaper experience,” Walker said. “Their readiness to assist only adds to my confidence in being able to continue The Reflector’s tradition of success.”
