MIAC

George Bishop had the idea of bringing the Canadian music industry together in 1971. With the help of some friends, the Musical Instrument Association of Canada (MIAC) was established not only to provide an annual trade show but to provide music advocacy throughout the country. George served as the first president of MIAC and ensured that music education was a strong element of MIAC’s focus. George also was a founder of the Canadian Conical for Music Education, which developed meaningful programs and advocacy materials for teacher throughout the country. His working gig was as President of Turner Music, the Canadian branch of Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI).

Marty Golden is the founder of the Canadian music distribution company JAM Industries. Marty began his career in retail, first working for his father in a pawnshop and later a music store. He began making his own line of guitar amplifiers he named JAM (which is comprised of the first letter of his three children’s names). He soon began distributing his amps and was asked to include a new line of products from a company in Japan called KORG. The rest is history. As the company grew, Marty kept close to his roots, putting the retailer first and focusing on the care of his product line and employees. 

Greg Hornberger served as the president of the Musical Instrument Association of Canada (MIAC) in the early days of the organization and worked to expand the membership and scope of the annual trade shows. As president of B & J Music he played a vital role in the growth of the Canadian market and the introduction of several key products (too numerous to list in this short bio) from countries such as Japan and China.

Al Kowalenko has overseen one of the largest growths in the music products industry during the 1980s and 1990s –the Canadian market. As president of MIAC, beginning in 1979, Al fostered the development of the Canadian annual music fair and the relationships between retailers and suppliers. Al has also worked closely with NAMM, the MIA in England and other organizations to create a stronger unified global industry.

William Locke worked for the Canadian division of the Martin Guitar Company going back to the early 1970s. During that same time period, several suppliers came together to form the Musical Instrument Association of Canada (MIAC). William (Bill) joined the board of MIAC, including a term as president. His interest in organizational psychology lead him to establish a public relations consulting firm at which he was able to apply concepts he learned while in the music industry.

Bruce Mitchell is a veteran of the Canadian piano and organ industry dating back to 1966 when he was hired as the Hammond Organ sales rep for Canada. Bruce has since been deeply involved with Kurzweil Music and Young Chang as well as the Musical Instrument Association of Canada (MIAC). During his years on the MIAC Board Bruce assisted with the association’s efforts to grow the music making market and to add support in more formal ways to school music programs.  

Eddy Shenker teamed up with Marty Golden in the mid 1970s to form JAM Industries. The distribution company has become one of the largest in Canada and introduced the market to a number of innovative products. Eddy’s background as an accountant not only played a vital role for JAM, but was an important element of MIAC’s membership expansion when Eddy served as president of the MIAC Board of Directors.  

Martin Szpiro's mother was the office manger and one of the first employees of JAM Industries, a Canadian wholesaler started by Marty Golden and Eddy Shenker in the early 70's. As the company grew to include growing segments of the industry such as pro audio, they needed a "go to" man. Martin (Marty) was hired to develop and implement some of JAM's leading divisions including electronics and digital sound. Jam expanded its activities into the US  through acquisition (AM&S, USM, Ashly etc). Marty eventually became a partner and finally President and CEO. Marty has also been a strong supporter of the music products industry working with NAMM and MIAC over the years.

George Ullmann directed the Boosey & Hawks Canadian operation for several decades beginning in the 1970s. It was during those early days of expanding the Canadian music market that George began serving on the Musical Instrument Association of Canada’s Board (MIAC). While George served as president of MIAC the association enjoyed a growth in members both domestic and foreign as well as the launch of several educational initiatives. After Boosey & Hawks closed their Canadian distribution, George formed his own company, Counterpoint Musical Service.

Allan Ward has enjoyed nearly 40 years in the print music industry. He has become one of the leaders in promotion and education regarding sheet music purchasing and retail selling. Allan has worked for Belwin, Alfred, and Charles Demont and Sons (print music distributors) in addition to serving as President of the Musical Instrument Association of Canada (MIAC). He has long been a strong supporter of music advocacy programs.