Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> November 7, 2000
DAVID J. THOMPSON has been a major principal of Mikohn Gaming
Corporation since 1987 and a year later became its President, Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. In September 1993,
shortly before the company entered the public marketplace, he was
appointed its Chairman of the Board while also remaining as CEO. Mr.
Thompson directed Mikohn through several stages of carefully planned
growth from its beginnings as a manufacturer and distributor of
technologically advanced progressive jackpot systems through becoming
the world's premier designer of interior casino signage. By
orchestrating key acquisitions for Mikohn, he added proprietary games,
player tracking systems, exterior casino signage and lighting
spectaculars and surveillance systems, produced at manufacturing
facilities in Las Vegas, Nevada; Gulfport, Mississippi; Rapid City,
South Dakota; Amsterdam, Holland; and Sydney, Australia and Lima, Peru.
Prior to joining Mikohn, he spent 15 years in private practice as a
Certified Public Accountant in Reno and Las Vegas, primarily serving the
casino industry. The 30-year gaming veteran began his career with
Harrah's shortly after his discharge from the Army, during which time he
was awarded a Bronze Star for service in Vietnam. Mr. Thompson earned a
BA degree from Concordia College, in Moorehead, Minnesota, and an MBA
from the University of Nevada at Reno. Profile
Gaming Corporation?
Mr. Thompson: Mikohn was started as a closely held company back in the
mid-1980s, specializing in
