Schmitt Music Company
Mike Vaccaro is a true piano salesman veteran! Having worked in the piano business for over 40 years, selling for several retail stores and running his own dealership for over 20 years, Mike has sold his share of instruments! He played guitar in the US Navy Band during the Vietnam War era and among...
Travis Christopherson’s roots in music can be traced back to when his grandfather played country music records for him as a child. As he learned to play the guitar, Travis saw his passion for music grow and was inspired by the enjoyment he gave others. While in school he participated in the band...
Bruce Mihalek has played the piano since he was just eight years old. When he saw the Beatles on TV, Bruce purchased a guitar and formed his own band. The band was the Animals Fax of Lyfe. It was the love of music that led him to work at a few music stores, including Well's Music in Denver. When...
Elliott Wessel likes to point out the fact that he has had five different positions at Schmitt Music at five different times during his career. He also conveys, as many others have, that Schmitt Music employees are much like a family. While Elliott worked at a time for Guitar Center in Dallas and...
Joerg Hermsen began his passion for music playing classical guitar in grade school. He later picked up the bass and realized he wanted to have a career in music. While in college he started an internship in the manufacturing side of the music business and Joerg was hooked! He later joined TEAC...
Julie Jurgenson is among the pioneering women in the band instrument repair side of the music industry. She was trained at Red Wing and worked for a couple of shops before opening her own in Rochester, Minnesota. All along she wanted to service a large number of instruments and found it possible...
Lou Witt grew up on a small farm in Iowa and one day asked his band director in school for an instrument. He was given a trombone and has played the instrument ever since. He enjoyed playing music and soon developed an interest in working within the music industry. Lou worked for Schmitt Music in...
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...
Wayne Reinhardt began his musical retail career in 1971, with the same company he was working for at the time of his 2013 interview, Schmitt Music in Minnesota. Wayne is proud of the opportunity he had in working with Bob Schmitt in the early part of his career as Bob was focused on expanding the...
Jerry Grote grew up in Minnesota and began playing guitar after seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. As a high school student, Jerry began visiting local music stores and discovered music retail. One of the stores he visited was called The Guitar Center, not related to the...