OH Taxonomy
Susan Lipp has a background in the theater, which she has used to great success in running the pro-audio distribution company Full Compass. The company was formed by her husband, Jonathan, in 1977, and has since become an industry leader in pro-audio, pro-lighting and home engineering equipment....
Bob Sperzel’s grandfather and father were both mechanical engineers working in their own shops creating machine parts for several industries. As Bob learned from them he discovered on his own a real need for machined parts to be improved for turning keys for guitars. Bob witnessed first hand how...
Michael Diehl opened a small store in Freehold, New Jersey after serving in the United States Navy during World War II. He attended college on the GI Bill and found that he could run the music store with a small loan from the bank. His business flourished during the great accordion craze of the...
Jonathan Lipp formed a recording studio, which by 1977 turned into a pro audio distribution company he called Full Compass. In the early days of the company he focused on the radio broadcasting market and played a role in the growth of home recording market as equipment prices went down and the...
Jim Lo Duca’s father and uncle were the original Lo Duca Brothers, who formed a small music store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that opened for business on December 1, 1941. Seven days later America was attacked in Pearl Harbor and soon after that Jim’s uncle was drafted. Jim’s father, Tom, was too...
Don Middleton taught music lessons around town before working for Billy Hill at Hill’s Music in 1967. A few months later Mr. Hill announced his retirement and asked Don if he wanted to buy the store. With a small loan, which Don paid off in just over a year, he purchased the store. By 1970, he had...
Alberto Kreimerman opened Hermes Music Stores in the United States with branches in Mexico beginning in 1982. His goal was always to serve music makers with quality products and service and in the background he set aside some of his profit to serve underprivileged children in both the US and Mexico...
John Nady first began working on a wireless system for guitar in 1968 and debuted his Nasty Cordless product eight years later. Although it was not the first such product on the market, it had many unique features that helped establish the product as a standard in the industry. After top performers...
Jerry Pellegrino wanted to own a business ever since he was a kid, so when the opportunity arose to start his own music store, he jumped at the chance. With a small loan and the help of several local school band directors, Jerry started serving the orchestra programs in the Canton, Ohio area. Over...
Mitch Gallagher grew up in a musical family. His mother and her sisters sang three-part harmony for dance bands, encouraging all of the children in the family to get involved with music. Mitch followed his love of music throughout college and into a salesman job for the Sweetwater Sound retail...