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GUITAR CENTER ANNOUNCES COMPANY
APPOINTMENTS
— Guitar Center promotes key employees as part of
company’s ongoing strategic plan for continued growth —
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, April 6, 2006 — Guitar
Center, Inc. (Nasdaq NMS: GTRC), the leading musical instrument and
professional audio retailer, has made several new appointments to its
management team. The announcement was made by Maxx Galster, Executive
Vice President of Stores for Guitar Center, and further positions Guitar
Center for continued growth and long-term expansion.
Three new Vice President, Regional Managers have been
appointed: Glen Peiser has been named to the position of Vice President,
Regional Manager West covering the states of Arizona, California, Idaho,
Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington; Don Rodrigues has been named
Vice President, Regional Manager South covering the states of Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, North & South
Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas; Dave Settimi has been named
Vice President, Regional Manager North covering Colorado, Illinois,
Ohio, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Western Pennsylvania, Utah,
West Virginia and Wisconsin.
In their new positions, Peiser, Rodrigues and Settimi
will oversee a team of district managers in the West, South and North
respectively, and be responsible for insuring full implementation of
Guitar Center’s strategy and guidelines for retail growth. Each
with rich histories in the music industry and over the years having
received numerous Guitar Center Awards, prior to their new positions,
Glen Peiser was Vice President, Regional Manager South; Don Rodrigues
was District Manager for Florida; while Dave Settimi was District Manager
for New York and New Jersey.
Two new District Managers have been named to oversee Guitar
Center store managers, supervising local training and coordinating local
promotional events in their corresponding states. Vinnie Del Buono has
been appointed District Manager for Florida; Tim Miller has been appointed
District Manager for New York and New Jersey. Prior to their appointments,
Vinnie Del Buono was a Guitar Center store manager in Kendall, Florida,
and Tim Miller ran Guitar Center’s flagship superstore in Manhattan,
New York.
Commenting on the appointments, Maxx Galster stated, “These
promotions are a direct result of each individual’s work ethic
and commitment to Guitar Center’s ongoing growth. I’ve always
believed that companies are made of people, and we have the best in
the business. Each has strong people skills, not only with GC management
and employees, but with our vendors as well. These individuals will
help our expansion in the coming years.”
…ends 372 words
About Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the nation’s leading retailer of guitars, amplifiers,
percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment.
We presently operate 170 Guitar Center stores across the U.S., including
127 major market stores, 41 secondary market stores and 2 tertiary market
stores. In addition, the Music & Arts division operates 87 stores
specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving thousands
of teachers, band directors, college professors and students. Guitar
Center is also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments
in the U.S. through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician’s Friend,
Inc., and its catalog and web site, www.musiciansfriend.com.
More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company’s
web site at www.guitarcenter.com.