Henry Juszkiewicz

Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar Corp., grew up in Rochester, NY. With a passion for music and superior academic skills, he enrolled at the General Motors Institute in Flint, MI, a five year co-op engineering college. Sponsored by GM's Delco division, he gained experience in a variety of different jobs at Delco's 6,000-employee electronic components plant in Rochester. Putting his musical skills to work, he worked his way through school playing guitar -- a Gibson, of course -- in various rock bands playing for parties and weddings. After graduating with honors, he worked at Delco Products for two years as product manager while studying for an MBA in night school at the University of Rochester. He completed his MBA at Harvard University on a General Motors Fellowship.

Juszkiewicz then joined the New York firm of Neiderhoffer, Cross and Zeckhauser Inc., a pioneer in the area of middle-market deals, where he rose to the position of executive vice president of mergers and acquisitions. He left the firm in 1981 and, with two former Harvard classmates (David Berryman and Gary Zebrowski), acquired Phi Technologies of Oklahoma City. Within one month he turned the struggling technology firm into a highly profitable company.

In 1986, Juszkiewicz and his partners acquired the faltering Gibson guitar operation from the Norlin Corp. Juszkiewicz's aggressive management style again effected an immediate turnaround, and Gibson became profitable within a month's time. With creative and innovative marketing tactics he concentrated on the consumer rather than the retailer -- a reflection of his personal experience as a guitar player. Refocusing the company on achieving the highest possible standards of quality and customer service, he drove Gibson from the brink of closing to a company that has regained worldwide respect with annual average growth of 20 percent over the last decade.

Juszkiewicz has been a stalwart supporter of numerous charitable organizations and has a strong commitment to the environment, health and welfare, music and the arts and educational causes. Under the banner of the Gibson Foundation, the philanthropic division of Gibson Guitar Corp, he supports numerous organizations including the Rainforest Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, WaterAid, Free The Children, Polaris Project, Feeding America, the World Food Programme, UNICEF and many others. He currently sits on the Boards of the We Are Family Foundation, Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum. As co-founder of the highly lauded Music Rising program, he has helped rebuild hundreds of music programs in the Gulf Coast region post-Katrina. A member of the Society of International Business Fellows, he is also the recipient of numerous awards and was given an Honorary Doctor of Management degree by Kettering University in 2009 .

Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, MI, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar’s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Maestro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, Baldwin, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer.

Juszkiewicz resides in Nashville, TN, with his wife and children.