“Proffit Named COO of The Chronicle’s Parent Company”

• Editor’s note: I have been out of the country for the last 2 weeks and just noted the news about Michael Wagar’s departure and wish him well in his next endeavors. He provided much stability and vision to the Nisqually Valley News and made the newspaper a more vital and integral part of our town, something that had been sorely missing. His community involvement was a refreshing change, as was his open-door policy. And best wishes to Eric Schwartz, who now has big shoes to fill.

“Transition: Longtime Lafromboise Communications Employee Takes the Reins After Departure of President and Publisher Michael Wagar”

“Longtime Lafromboise Communications employee Kim Proffit has been promoted to chief operating officer of the company, which publishes The Chronicle, Nisqually Valley News and The Reflector and also owns and operates Sign Pro. 

“Proffit’s promotion comes following the departure of Publisher and President Michael Wagar, who parted ways with the company last week and is pursuing other journalistic opportunities.

“She’ll lead the company’s financial and day-to-day operations as Regional Executive Editor Eric Schwartz absorbs Wagar’s editorial duties and oversight of the company’s three newsrooms.”

“Wagar came to work for Lafromboise Communications in 2001 when he was hired as executive editor at The Chronicle, a position he maintained through 2011. After a brief departure, he returned in 2013 as regional executive editor for the company and publisher of the Nisqually Valley News. He was promoted to president and publisher in March 2018.”

“In his time as president, The Chronicle won four C.B. Blethen Memorial Awards for Distinguished Reporting while the Nisqually Valley News and The Reflector each earned first-place General Excellence Awards for the first time in the history of those newspapers. 

“The company is also in better financial standing than it was when he became president in 2018. 

“‘After a year where The Chronicle and its two sister papers won top awards at the highest levels in decades, I believe it is the right time for me to step down from my post as president and refocus on what I enjoy the most — running a newsroom and reporting, Wagar said. ‘I want to thank ownership for the past opportunity, and especially the staff, which has worked so hard during my tenure. This continues to be a great team. I also want to thank the greater Lewis County community for all their support'””

“Schwartz, who was first hired by Wagar as an intern in 2004, said Wagar’s leadership will be missed but that a strong editorial team and a shared mission of producing excellent and important community journalism remains in place at Lafromboise Communications,” by The Chronicle, Centralia. Read more

Click here to read NVN Editor Eric Schwartz’s farewell to his boss.