About HobbyTown

565

Team Members

100+

Physical Locations

35

States & Growing

Who we are

The HobbyTown story begins in Lincoln, NE (where our national headquarters remains today). Thom Walla, Merlin Hayes and Mary Hayes founded HobbyTown Unlimited, Inc. in 1985 and opened the first franchise store in 1986. Today, HobbyTown franchise stores span the U.S. from coast to coast, making us the leader in the retail hobby and specialty toy industry.

More than 100 HobbyTown franchise stores are located in 39 states in the continental U.S., making us the largest brick and mortar hobby retailer in the world!

HobbyTown’s core values

We Bring It Every Day

We energetically share our passion for hobbies with contagious enthusiasm. Customers will always enjoy an exceptional shopping experience that exceeds expectations. Bringing it is not a spectator sport, bringing it is making (not watching) things happen.

Cultivate Growth

We believe growth is achieved by exceeding the expectations of each individual customer. We relentlessly pursue the development of ourselves and others to foster growth. We believe growth is a process that requires consistent effort.

Lead and Serve

We lead by aspiring to be our best and giving our best to others at all times. We serve by always maintaining a positive and welcoming environment for all. We aspire to be an asset to our community by making free time awesome!

Keep Calm and Hobby On

Our approach is simple, yet powerful. Wisdom and knowledge come with experience. This mantra reminds us that in the face of adversity, we stay calm and focused on finding a solution or a better way. We always seek to first understand, act, then hobby on.

HobbyTown Unlimited, Inc. is a privately held employee-owned company.

Members of our executive team and leaders throughout our company are shareholders with a vested interest in the success of each franchise store. Our leadership team has extensive knowledge in the hobby and toy industries dating back to 1980 as our CEO/Co-Founder Thom Walla remains active in the daily operations of HobbyTown corporate. Our leadership team is experienced with retailing and franchising operations with expertise ranging from HobbyTown franchise ownership to leading national retailers to the largest franchisors in the industry. The leadership of HobbyTown corporate engages our franchise owners in the development of our strategic vision. We have an active franchise advisory council and several focus groups that engage the experience and wisdom of our front-line franchise operators.

Thom Walla

Co-Founder/CEO

Thomas A. Walla, co-founder of HobbyTown and CEO of HobbyTown Unlimited, Inc. located in Lincoln, Nebraska. Mr. Walla continues to be involved in the sale and operation of HobbyTown franchises. His favorite Hobbies are Gaming and Board Games.

Bob Wilke

President

Joining HobbyTown as a franchisee in 1987, Bob has been at HTU Corporate since 1992 and has served as President of HobbyTown since 2009. Bob has served as President of the Hobby Manufacturers Association and has been actively involved in developing corporate relationships in both the hobby and toy industries. Locally, he has been a passionate recruiter and participant in the Teammates Youth Mentoring program. His favorite hobbies include family games, puzzles and anything to get him outdoors.

Tim Van Ert

Senior VP of Sales

In 2003, Tim Van Ert became Senior Vice President of HobbyTown. He oversees the marketing departments and manages the product database, point-of-sale software, and office computer operations. From 1995 to 2003, Tim was Vice President of Information Technology at HobbyTown, then transitioned into leading up the Merchandising Team in Lincoln, Nebraska. Tim’s favorite hobby is Nerf wars with the home office staff.

David Gaines

VP of Operations

David Gaines has served as Vice President of Franchise Services of HobbyTown since 2006 and assumed new responsibilities as VP of Operations in 2022. Mr. Gaines’ responsibilities include overseeing Franchise Business Advisors, Corporate Accountants and Accounts Payable Specialists, and field service support operations, which includes activities such as in-store training, 90 day visits and store visits. He has extensive knowledge on overall store operations and financial analysis skills, with an emphasis on communication and customer service. Mr. Gaines has been with HobbyTown since April, 2001, in Lincoln, Nebraska. David’s favorite hobby is his collection of die cast sprint cars.

Dave Nolte

Director of Software Development

Dave has been a HobbyTown customer since 1974 and began working in the Lincoln HobbyTown store in 1994. He then moved from the store to the corporate office and became Director of Software Development in 1995. Dave enjoys golf, his dogs, and his favorite hobby is regular board gaming.

Celeste Vanderlip

VP of Merchandising & Marketing

Celeste Vanderlip joined the HobbyTown Team in 2019 and now leads the Merchandising and Marketing teams. In this role, she oversees the service and support for the stores should any marketing questions or requests come up. In addition, she is the primary contact for vendor relations. Her hobbies include, cooking, gardening, puzzles, and reading.

Sue Ferguson

Director of Franchise Accounting

Sue Ferguson has been with HobbyTown since 2010, starting as an Accounts Payable Specialist, then moving to her current position in 2016. She works with the internal Accounting Team to provide weekly check writing and monthly financials to HobbyTown stores. Also works with the owners and the FBA’s to analyze financial information for better store operations and profitability. Sue is also a member of the Convention Team. Outside of work she enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends, hopefully in a warm location! Sue’s favorite hobbies are board games and puzzles.

Jon Asbach

Director of Information Systems

Joined the HobbyTown Team in 2011 and is currently in charge of the Information Technology Service & Support Teams, including network support, retail computer systems, and overall software integration with the Franchise and Home Office network. Jon is a U.S. Army Veteran, having served as a 25B Information Technology Specialist with the 134th Cavalry Regiment (Afghanistan 2010–2011). Jon focuses on fostering a culture of constant improvement and monitoring performance to prove out successful strategies. For fun, Jon likes building computers, custom home theatre & car audio, and tinkering with internet-of-things automation. Jon’s favorite hobbies are reading (Sci-Fi and Non-Fiction) & PC Gaming.

Bob Dill

Director of Franchise Services

Bob Dill is the Director of Franchise Services. Bob supervises Franchise Business Advisors and oversees New Store Owner Training program. He began his career with HobbyTown as a Franchise Business Advisor in August 2007. Bob is a certified Silver level bowling instructor and currently coaches a local high school bowling team. His favorite hobby is woodworking and model building.

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