OH Taxonomy
Brenda Mortimer worked for Crown International in Elkhart, Indiana for 36 wonderful years. Her mother and aunt both worked in the factory, so Brenda grew up understanding and appreciating the family centric culture in the company. She began in 1981 as a wire cutter but soon advanced, becoming a...
Dominic Massaro has been learning each step of the process of making a mouthpiece in the Elkhart shop his great grandfather’s uncle started in 1919. jj Babbitt has been innovating the process and models of mouthpieces for a hundred years and Dominic is excited to carry on the tradition. His...
Dave Mount remembers working with his grandfather, Kurt Gemeinhardt, and learning first hand several important elements of the business including customer service and a focus on quality. Dave carried over these business principles when he and his father, George, formed MTS Products in 1971. They...
Alan Fox’s father played in the symphony orchestra in Fort Wayne, Indiana before being drafted for service in World War I. After the war, he began making reeds and in 1923 joined the Chicago Symphony as the bassoonist. He formed Fox Music, making bassoons, in 1949 and ten years later Alan, who was...
Don Martin was 18 years old, in 1950, when he began working at CG Conn Musical Instruments in Elkhart, Indiana. His mother, who worked for the company for 26 years suggested Don interview for an opening in the bell making department. He stayed in that department, becoming a master craftsman, until...
Steve Rorie landed a part time job the very same day he graduated high school at the Vincent Bach plant in Elkhart, Indiana. He later would accompany his grandfather and father at EK Blessings to observe them while they worked honing and de-burring trumpet valves . His passion for how musical...
Russell Jewell played cornet in the 5th and 6th grade and took singing lessons in junior high school. He also performed in his church and grew up fully aware of the importance of a good sound system for the performers. He began collecting audio gear when he was ten and by the time he was a teenager...
Brenda Hebert remembers driving to the music wholesaler who represented the small store her husband formed, Cosmo Music. She was several months pregnant with her son, Mark, and was given help loading a pair of guitars in her car. The two instruments were all they could afford at the time and yet...
Noel Moore was hired by the B&J wholesale company in Canada in 1951 and served the company for 53 years before his retirement. Noel came to represent the integrity and dedication to customer service that was so much a part of B&J’s reputation. Noel embodied the values of the company and as...
Bruce Chapman has always believed in the importance of music education and the positive role music can play in a young person’s life. All-throughout his music retail career, Bruce looked for opportunities to provide lessons, instruction, and guidance to young musicians. He worked for Musicstop, a...