Armstrong Flute Company
Don Martin was 18 years old, in 1950, when he began working at CG Conn Musical Instruments in Elkhart, Indiana. His mother, who worked for the company for 26 years suggested Don interview for an opening in the bell making department. He stayed in that department, becoming a master craftsman, until...
Dave Mount remembers working with his grandfather, Kurt Gemeinhardt, and learning first hand several important elements of the business including customer service and a focus on quality. Dave carried over these business principles when he and his father, George, formed MTS Products in 1971. They...
Jim Green has been a fixture in the Elkhart band instrument industry since the 1960s. He first worked for Armstrong Flute Company before joining jj Babbitt in 1974. After a short absence from the mouthpiece maker, Jim returned in 1983 and has been a key part of the company ever since. As the...
Mark Thomas was a noted flute player who toured the world and recorded several albums during his long career. As a product endorser, Mark appeared in several printed ads over the years as he was hired by several flute makers as a product engineer to help improve and in some cases, design musical...
Mary Henkin was well known in the band and orchestra business as the hostess with the mostest. Along with her husband, Danny, they put on extravagant parties that were still talked about 30 years later. However, what many may not know is that she was half owner of all of her husband's musical...
Dennis Vaughn began working in the Selmer factory in Elkhart, Indiana in the early 1970s and stayed on when the company merged with Conn. His first bench job was for Armstrong Flutes before it was bought out by Selmer. He is well known for his special skills in the buffing room for Conn-Selmer, a...
Sandy Peffley was hired by her uncle who owned the Armstrong Flute Company, when Sandy was just out of high school. She stayed with the company when it was sold to Selmer and again when it merged with Conn in 2003. Like so many factory workers in the plant, Sandy enjoys the precision work of the...
Sue Bagnall is quick to point out that her favorite part of working for Conn-Selmer and being involved with the music industry are the people! She was hired by Selmer and stayed with the company during the merge with CG Conn, working primarily in the office. Over the years, she feels the greatest...
Steve Lynn began working with his brother in 1974, finishing flutes for the Gemeinhart Company in Elkhart, Indiana. Three years later he joined the Armstrong Company as an experienced finisher. He worked with legendary flute maker Emerson DeFord for a few years before joining Gemeinhart again and...
Roger Shelton was hired by the Armstrong Flute Company and stayed on with the company when it merged with Selmer and later with Conn. Like so many of the factory workers in the plant, Roger takes great pride in the craftsmanship and skills he brings to the process of making musical instruments.