Band and Orchestra
Greg Howren is the past president of his family's music store in Charlotte, North Carolina. Greg followed in his father's footsteps and continued to build the music store, which focuses on school band programs as well as the combo business. After his father was president of the company, his older...
Karl Leong participated in the International Coalition during the NAMM Show beginning in 2012 to discuss collaborative efforts in creating more active music makers. As CEO of KHS, Karl has been active in these and other music education efforts both in Taiwan and around the world. As CEO, Karl has...
Robin Walenta attended the University of Northern Iowa and Middle Tennessee State University before joining West Music in 1982. She was named president/CEO of the company in 2007. She was appointed to the NAMM ExCom and has also served as a board member for the National Association of School Music...
Tom Schmitt is the CEO and Chairman of Schmitt Music Company, which was founded by his great-grandfather in 1896. The company, which now has several locations throughout the Midwest, has been an innovative retailer within the music products industry. Tom spoke of his family roots and how the...
Jerry Trestman grew up in a musical home, in fact his older brother played saxophone for several of the big bands during the swing era. Jerry served in the Korean War and was stationed in Japan where he conducted several Japanese bands and played in small groups. Jerry continued to play...
Charlie Ollmann is the co-founder (with his wife) of the retail shop Music Connection in Minnesota. They both taught music and had an opportunity to open their own store, with lesson rooms, and they jumped at the chance. Music Connection was born in 1981. The company is located in Forest Lake,...
Nat Clark worked for the York Band Instrument Company for over 40 years! He was hired in New York in 1957 because his older brother was working for Carl Fischer, which owned York at the time. Nat later moved to the factory in Michigan where he started on the bench buffing instruments. He soon...
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...
Karen Wojcik began working for Selmer in 1973 and watched the company change hands but stayed with the same company for her entire career. She works in the office for Conn-Selmer in Elkhart and has witnessed some great changes with the use of computers and later the Internet. Her role in...
Mary Ann Eckroth quietly sat behind the desk working on the books while her husband Bill traveled to the local schools to help the band directors. She took care of the customers and cleaned the store when he would travel for industry meetings, and she taught herself many of the business practices...