98 YEARS OF STRATHMORE MACHINERY, INC.
Back in 1927, the original manufacturing shop Strathmore Machine Works was located downtown Strathmore Ca, and it was owned and operated by Ernest Steele Thompson, father of Merle Louis Thompson (Louis from his maternal grandfather, Louis Gill)… Merle assumed ownership after his father Ernie passed away in 1964… Then a year later in 1965 Merle built a new shop and moved all the operations to its present location at the intersection of Hwy 65 & Avenue 196… In 1976 Merle incorporated the business into Strathmore Machinery INC…
In the late 1990s, Merle’s son, Mark Ernest Thompson began his command at the shop as Merle slowed down to enjoy his golden years. Mark’s stepson, Jim Campbell began working for Strathmore Machinery from his Jr high school years – the only real job Jim’s ever known, honing his skills and all the experience from the late 1970s… By the time of Merle’s passing in late 2012, Mark had already been transitioning most of the operational duties to Jim, and when Mark passed unexpectedly in 2016, Jim was well prepared to carry on the tradition as Jim knew it to be… Now after 98 years of operation, Jim Campbell serves as president of Strathmore Machinery, Inc.