Music Manufacturing
Deb Hart began working in the Selmer office in Elkhart, Indiana in the early 1970s and stayed on when the company merged with Conn. Among the elements of the company she has enjoyed the most over the years is getting to work with so many people who have become personal friends. She is very proud...
Naomi Peer recalls the days Danny Henkin brought the CG Conn Company back to Elkhart, Indiana in the 1980s, which is when she first began working for the company. She stayed on during the merge with Selmer in 2003 and has witnessed many changes within the industry. As an office worker, Naomi...
Tom Lacy began working for Armstrong flutes right out of high school in 1971 in the very plant he is working some 40 years later for the Conn-Selmer Company in Elkhart, Indiana. Along the way, Tom built his own flutes for several years before joining UMI and later Conn-Selmer. During his long...
John Crise began his career in the music industry with Selmer in 1975. He has focused his work on the oboe, clarinet and bassoon in the years before the CNC machines came to the company. Even after that time John has used his skills as a craftsman to provide the detail work and adjustments...
Bernice Pelmear began working in the Selmer factory in Elkhart, Indiana in 1973. She was trained by veteran co-workers, a tradition she carried on as a trainer years later. Her work focused on assembling oboes and bassoons and continued on after the merge with Conn.
Elaine Taylor began working on the bench at Selmer in Elkhart in 1975, where she covered cases. Over the years she has worked in the cork and padding department for saxophones, also in the instrument cleaning department, in the office and then as a supervisor in the instrument accessory...
Joe Calzone grew up playing drums. His passion for the instrument lead to his involvement with several bands and memorial concert performances before having the idea of creating his own style of road cases. He spoke to many fellow musicians and designed a line of products that became standard in...
Kurt Listug and his friend Bob Taylor bought the small guitar shop they were working in and renamed it Taylor Guitars. Together they built one of the fastest growing companies in the music industry in the latter part of the 20th Century and worked to create innovative products that would bring...
Ren Ferguson is among the most noted master luthiers in the United States and has been since the 1970s. Many luthiers who wish to follow his style of building have studied his approach to guitar design and building. After having his own shop for some time Ren was hired by the Gibson Guitar Company...
Ken Ingram served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Selmer Company in Elkhart, Indiana. He enjoyed working with the dealers around the country and the staff at Selmer, which he felt were the best in the business. Ken worked for Selmer from l952 until 1974 when he became Vice...