New York State
Dick Puccio opened a music store with his wife after working in both general retailing and the banking industry. The couple took over a small store in Corning, New York to make it their own. The store is a true mom and pop operation with their son Daniel and daughter Kate growing up in the...
Phil Passin began working for Carl Fischer in 1947 in the shipping department, where he took a deep interest in the industry. After serving in the US Army during the Korean War, Phil returned to Carl Fischer where he began working his way up in the company. When the company sold its interest in...
Jim Trimper, Sr. is the president of Denton, Cottier & Daniels, a chain of piano and organ stores in the upstate New York area. The company was formed in 1827 and thus has a long history in each of the communities of their store locations and a dedication to service that Jim has continued...
Paul Musilli opened his drum shop in upstate New York called Buffalo Drum Outlet. The year was 1980 and as Paul recalled in the early days his customer base grew as a direct result of his service and attention to details, a key element of the business today. Paul’s business also covered the...
Michael Kubera grew up in the music store his father established in Buffalo, New York. Kubera Music was a full line store that specialized in the big name brands as well as the hard to find items. The store became a hub for the local musicians as well as many who would launch their own musical...
Art Kubera began taking accordion lessons when he was eight years old growing up in Buffalo, New York. His love of music continued to develop and within a few years he was playing in school bands and later his own bands around town. After years of playing professionally, he realized there was a...
Bob Scheiwiller taught music for three years before landing a job at a music store; the very first store he would later purchase. Bob bought and opened several music stores over the years beginning in the early 1970s, with a strong focus on band instruments. Also beginning in the early 1970s, Bob...
Lou Capece began selling musical products in the 1960s and has since become one of the industry’s largest musical instrument wholesale distributors. One of the successes of the company has been the development of their self-branded instruments with names well known around the world today, such as...
Rob Mazzella is the vice president of GMS Drum Company. As a teenager, Rob combined his love of drumming with this love of machine shop work and began creating small accessory items for local music stores. Rob established GMS, which stands for his series of products called Grand Master Series, in...
Jon Haber is the president of Alto Music in Middletown, New York. Jon grew up in New York and as a kid would go into Alto Music, which he later bought and expanded to include sales in their store as well as on the Internet. In 2006, when Jon was asked by American Express to appear in one of their...