NAMM Young Professionals

Connect. Learn. Grow. If you’d like to network with other industry professionals under 40, then you should join NAMM YP. As a member, you'll be invited to exclusive NAMM YP events where you can connect with like-minded peers, build solid business relationships that can turn into lifelong friendships, and learn from the veterans who've shaped our industry.

Thursday, June 28

8:30 PM - 10:00 PM

NAMM YP Social Gathering

The Flying Saucer | 111 10th Avenue South #310, Nashville, TN 37203

There will also be an opportunity to learn more about the new NAMM YP Mentorship Program!

In addition to the educational session and networking reception, there will be an informal social gathering at The Flying Saucer in Nashville. Please feel welcome to join in for this NAMM YP tradition at Summer NAMM!

Friday, June 29

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

NAMM YP Educational Session and Networking Reception

Music City Center | 201 5th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203 | Room 201

Join NAMM YP on Friday, June 29 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. to hear from Crystal Morris, CEO of Gator Cases, as she shares her story and insights on the music industry. There will be a networking reception for all members, following the educational session.

Crystal is the co-founder and CEO of Gator Cases, a certified Women Business Enterprise, headquartered in Tampa, Florida with distribution and manufacturing in Columbia City, Indiana. Crystal has been recognized as a She Rock recipient, E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year, and Top Female Maker in the music industry. She is a past NAMM Board member, Tampa CEO Council member, and Young President Organization board member. In 2018, she is proud to be part of launching S.W.I.M., Smart Women in Music. Crystal graduated from Stetson University with a BA in business, and attended both the University of South Florida MBA program and Yale's Global Leadership program. Crystal is a proud mom of two boys.

Election of NAMM YP Board Member

Every year at Summer NAMM, the NAMM YP membership elects new members to the board of directors. The current board of directors has nominated and recommended election of the following two candidates for two board openings.

Nick Averwater of Amro Music Stores, Inc.

Nick joined the industry full-time in the spring of 2013 after graduating from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with an undergraduate degree in business administration and a Master's in Business Administration in Finance.

Currently, he serves as the band department manager at Amro Music Stores, Inc., a company founded by his great-grandfather in 1921 and is privileged to have a beautiful wife, Ashley, and daughter, Presley. Nick, along with his cousin CJ, represent the 4th generation of family ownership at Amro Music. Nick also serves on the board of the Music Achievement Council, a 501(c)3 non-profit that publishes recruiting and retention materials for music educators.

Melissa Ceo of C.A. House Music

After completing her Master's degree in Communication Studies from West Virginia University in 2012, Melissa joined the team at C. A. House Music as the Business Development Manager. She couldn't be happier to carry on the family tradition at C. A. House Music - she currently works with her father and grandfather and represents the fourth generation of Ceo family ownership.

Melissa resides in Wheeling, WV with her husband Gavin and two beautiful children, Ellie Ana and Desmond. She is excited to be joining the NAMM YP team and looks forward to working with the rest of the board to further the goals of NAMM Young Professionals.

Are you interested in helping with events, programming, and a leadership position?

NAMM YP elects new board members every year and we continue to explore opportunities for organization growth in addition to trade show events at Summer and Winter NAMM. If you’re interested in volunteering, participating further, or would like to learn about opportunities on the board, please talk with any board member at Summer NAMM or email them (emails listed below).

Have you heard?

NAMM Young Professionals is developing a mentorship program to help connect our members with industry veterans. If you'd like to be a mentee or a mentor, please fill out this form to let us know if you are interested! You will also be able to select what topics you would like to engage with, as well as your availability and preferred forms of contact. Learn more at the NAMM YP educational session at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 29 at Summer NAMM!

NAMM YP Mentorship Program Form

NAMM YP in Action

Check out images from NAMM YP’s last event. Be sure to add our next event to your calendar so you don’t miss out on the excellent educational and networking opportunities!

NAMM YP Images

Connect with fellow NAMM Young Professionals and learn about unofficial meetups during the NAMM trade shows by following the NAMM YP social media pages:

Email us to join NAMM YP and sign up to receive the NAMM YP newsletter.

If you're a NAMM YP member and have some words of wisdom you'd like to share with other NAMM YP members, then writing an article for our Next Gen Retailing series might be for you! NAMM YP has monthly articles in Music Inc., written by and written for NAMM YP members. If you're interested in sharing your experiences and insight, please send an email to Stephanie Murphy!