Music Retail
Benny Englund was a rock and roll singer as a teen when he fell in love with the music industry! He toured with groups as a roadie and sound engineer. He also worked for a time for a few record companies and traveled with groups such as the Hollies with Graham Nash and the Rolling Stones. Benny...
Pete Surowski is the founder of Pete’s Music store in Anaheim, California. He often uses the tag line that his store is the closest music retailer to the Winter NAMM Show. While performing as a professional musician, Pete was teaching lessons and decided to open his own store with a teaching...
Vic Lillo Sr. and his wife Doreen started business in 1963, opening Lillo’s School Of Modern Music Ltd, a music school and retail music store in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Lillo’s Music has become an established and unique landmark known for its professional music instruction, customer service and...
Lars Wern is the Vice President of Em Nordic AB in Stockholm, Sweden, working alongside the company’s founder, Benny Englund. In fact, during the 2013 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Lars and Benny were interviewed together and shared their love for the industry and spoke about some of the changes they...
Cassie Brueckner is the president of Pete’s Music store and the daughter of the founder. She grew up in the Anaheim, California store, where she learned to repair musical instruments and developed her skills as the store manager to take charge when Pete had a professional gig. As a brass player,...
Chuck Surack is the founder and president of Sweetwater Sound, one of the landmark companies within the music products industry. He formed the company in 1979 and worked hard to gather the brands his customers wanted and to provide the care and service he himself would want. Chuck has supported...
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...
Thomas Weilbier is the President of No. 1 Guitar Center GmbH, which is located in the musical hub of Hamburg, Germany. Thomas related some of the strong rock and roll history of the city and how his guitar shop was placed at the perfect location to grow over the decades as vintage instruments grew...
John DeChristopher was playing in a band when he would visit the EU Wurlitzer Music Store in Boston. Those early store visits for gear led to a job and John’s introduction to the music products industry. John joined the Zildjian Company in 1989 and created a wonderful reputation as the VP of...
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...