OH Taxonomy
Dave Biro became fascinated with electronic music the second he watched Rick Wakeman perform in the late 1960s. He soon set off on an odyssey to create his own instrument. Dave worked to develop a synthesizer that would respond faster than those available at the time and increase the...
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...
Quincy Yu is a Senior Vice President for Tycoon Music, which his father, Stephen, established in 1984. Quincy has played a vital part in the growth of the markets around the world with a focus on areas with little explorer to world hand percussive instruments such as the conga. He has also helped...
Qian Ni is a classically trained flutist and the President of the Eastman Music Company, making him one of the passionate music makers within our industry! His devotion to customer service and his goals to provide the highest quality products possible have become renowned elements of the Eastman...
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...
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...
Jerry Hovey grew up in a musical home as his father was a professional drummer. Jerry’s own love for music began at an early age but it wasn’t until he saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964 that Jerry wanted to be in a rock band. And he has been in such a band ever since. He...
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,...
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...