Music Retail
Eric Satterlee founded Meridian Winds in 1984, in Lansing, Michigan. The store specializes in wind instruments and has a very innovative repair shop. In fact, the repair shop is the birthplace of several of Eric’s ideas in tooling enhancement, including a series of products he sells under the...
Ed Strege is known within the band instrument repair world as “fast Eddie” for his speed at repair and short-cut tricks he has taught members of NAPBIRT for several decades. His classes on repair started as a service within his company and served as the only training program for band instrument...
Russell Thomas was a band director for over 34 years. During his teaching years he often felt frustrated that simple repairs would take weeks and often delay concerts or rehearsals. A local music store provided him an opportunity to learn simple repairs, which led to a passion that resulted in...
Chuck Dadisman grew up on a farm and went to school to become a school music teacher, which he did for five years before moving to Omaha, NE, where he worked in piano and organ retail. It was at that store that he met one of the mentors in his life, Dick Carlson. Dick was the road rep for...
Lee Donais may be the only industry member who played piano (as part of the Navy Band) for three United States Presidents: Johnson, Nixon and Ford. After his career with the Navy Band, Lee was hired by Gordon Keller to help run His string of piano stores on the east coast. Lee moved to Florida...
Mel Schiff and his wife Sally established All County Music in Tamarac, Florida. The first store opened in 1976 with a strong focus on band and orchestra music and repair. However, Mel’s introduction into the industry began when his father established The Schiff School of Music in Brooklyn, New...
Kathi Kretzer is the founder of Kretzer Piano in Jupiter, Florida. She established the store in 1985 and has since been an active member of the music industry as well as her local community. The store is the authorized Yamaha Piano dealer in the area and has provided countless programs and events...
Sally Schiff and her husband Mel moved from New York to Florida where they decided to open their own music retail business. All County Music in Tamarac, Florida first opened in 1976 with a strong focus on band and orchestra music and repair. Sally ran the store while Mel went out to call on the...
Pete Ceo grew up in a musical home, thanks in large part to his band-directing father. When Pete was a child his parents owned a small music store in Wheeling, West Virginia. Pete grew up in the store and fell in love with the band instrument business. When Pete took over the business, he...
Ede Kidder was teaching full time when her husband came home from his job at a music store with the idea of owning their own store. Luckily for Jim, Ede jumped in with her many skills to make the store a success. She took over as the book keeper and played a vital role in the growth and...