Charles C. Tillinghast III, publisher and co-founder of Advanced Marketing Services, died on November 5. He was 78.
As recalled by the Idaho Statesman, while working for Boise Cascade, Tillinghast was in charge of divesting the conglomerate's CRM division in 1973 and stayed on as president when the textbook, education film and magazine publisher was purchased by Ziff Davis. He founded his own children's book company, Oak Tree Publications, in 1975. In 1982, with Loren C. Paulsen and Craig Shafer, he founded AMS, which became one of the country's largest book wholesalers and specialized in supplying warehouse clubs. He retired as president and CEO at AMS in 1996, well before accounting scandals helped push AMS to declare bankruptcy in 2006. In an effort to rebuild the company, he returned as CEO in 2003, and then fully retired the following year.