OH Taxonomy
Mary Ortigara has always had a deep passion for education and was even an English major at Xavier College. After graduation in the late 1950s, she began working in her brother’s music store providing accordion lessons. She soon expanded the lesson program within the store to include other...
Mike Ortigara runs the piano repair and restoration branch of the store his father Ben opened in 1947. Ben opened an accordion store in Chicago which expanded overtime to include pianos, organs, and a well-respected lesson program. When Mike came into the business he focused on the repairs and...
Mario Ortigara joined his brother’s music store just two years after it opened. Since 1949, Mario worked alongside his brother Ben who started the store to teach and sell accordions. By 1959, their sister, Mary, joined the team and years later both of Ben’s sons, Mike and Dan, came on board. The...
Bob Olsen often said because he did not play a musical instrument yet had a successful career in the music products industry that he was “a vegetarian in the business of prime meat.” The fact is Bob became very passionate about the music companies he worked for, beginning with Hammond Organ and...
Don Peterson wore many hats during the 21 years he worked for Crown International in Elkhart, Indiana. He began on the factory floor in QA Factory Services before working in the Engineering Services, Technical Services, and Field Services departments. Don enjoyed each position he had including as...
Dave Stuber was just out of high school in 1968 when he was hired to work as a technician in the tape recorder production of Crown International. The Elkhart, Indiana based audio company continued to pay Dave and even gave him raises when he was drafted to serve in the army during the Vietnam War. ...
Clay Barclay was associated with Crown International in Elkhart, Indiana for more than 40 years. As a kid, he took radios apart to see how they worked and has been fascinated with audio his entire life. He is a brain surgeon by trade but always worked in the field of electronics with the goal of...
Larry Shank joined Crown International in 1985 with a computer background. He had the goal of bringing computer technology to the product line. With the help of Dick Hyser, the inventor of the technology behind the TEF analyzer, Larry was able to assist and became the Sales Manager for TEF. Among...
Jim Beattie went to his local audio dealer in Columbus, Ohio in 1971 seeking high-end gear. The dealer invited Jim to tour the Crown International factory with him following week in Elkhart. Jim was approached to fill a job position while there and joined the company that year, 1971, and retired in...
Jim Marks always enjoyed ham radio and often sought opportunities to learn more about audio equipment. He was working as a radio station engineer for Progressive Broadcasting when he heard of an opening at Crown International. He joined the company in 1970 as a service repair technician and his...