Henry Juszkiewicz

[teame1]

Anyone catch him at UT yesterday? I love the fact this blogger got his picture taken with henry and his MIM Strat.

The Texas Union frequently brings CEO’s and other speakers to UT, and this Thursday night was a speech given by Henry Juszkiewicz, the CEO of Gibson Guitar who took the company from small and unprofitable to the most recognizable brand of guitar in the world.

He claims his passion for music coupled with his love for electronics since he was a kid helped him excel at running Gibson. He strongly emphasized that true success is best accomplished with passionate leadership.

In his third year at Harvard Business School he became curious about buying/selling companies. His professors told him, “Just find a good lawyer.” Not satisfied with this answer, he went into investment banking for a few years to learn about buying and selling companies. He later tried buying several at-risk companies and restoring them. Like most successful people, he failed at some and succeeded at some.

A while later he was informed that Gibson Guitar Corp was for sale, but no one would buy it because it was a financial disaster. He moved to the Kansas to live near the company headquarters and observed the operation for a full 6 months while drawing up a concrete business plan. Once he purchased it, the company became profitable within 30 days because of his hard work and research. Since 1987 he has grown the business 20% every year.

Some of the main pieces of advice he gave were:

Have the tenacity and boldness to do things others won’t.
What’s possible is only what you think is possible. He said he wanted to grow the company to impossible levels. He has now far exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Only allow people in your company who believe in your vision. If they don’t believe in the company, they must go.
Constantly grow and innovate.
Give back to the community that helped build you.
Of course I had to get a picture with him. I actually brought my own guitar I’ve had for over 10 years to the speech to take a picture with:

The pictures came out….interesting. He covered the head of my guitar in both pictures because it wasn’t a Gibson!

 

[teame1]

This blog is interesting. By all accounts Henry has been after an exclusive deal to buy FIJI Mahogany.

More on the Fiji Gibson Guitar deal with the company accused of paying apparent bribes of between $315,000 and $390,000 each year since 2006 in cash and donations of expensive guitars to the Rainforest Alliance . Federal raids on their wood stocks and everyone pointing the finger at Gibson as the dodgy guys. Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz had worked for months to pull off the Fiji deal, including giving a $5,000 guitar to Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama last summer.
by fijitoday on October 2, 2011
Full Story at For guitar makers, prized woods pose quandary | The Tennessean | tennessean.com

Two weeks ago, Gibson Guitar abruptly canceled plans for what was to have been a major business announcement: the launch of a partnership with Fiji to become the island nation’s exclusive buyer of mahogany to make the Nashville company’s high-end guitars.

Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz and his supplier had worked for months to pull off the deal, giving a $5,000 guitar to Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama last summer as a gesture of good will.

But the Fijian leader’s trip to Nashville didn’t materialize, the announcement was canceled and a hurried explanation from Gibson said the negotiations were continuing.

The on-again, off-again deal between Gibson and Bainimarama — a military strongman who has taken control of many of the island’s resources and denied free elections since a 2006 coup, according to human rights groups — illustrates the uncertainties facing guitar makers such as Gibson.

With worldwide rain-forest acreage dwindling, stronger U.S. and international environmental laws, and consumers snubbing new guitar models made from alternative materials, Gibson and other guitar makers have had to hopscotch the globe in search of new sources for raretonewoods — mahogany, rosewood and ebony harvested from 200- and 300-year-old trees — to deliver the rich sounds musicians treasure.

For its efforts, Gibson has run afoul of both environmentalists and federal law enforcement officials. A federal probe continues into whether Gibson has violated environmental laws in its wood import practices, after two separate raids on the company: one on Aug. 24 and one in fall 2009.

The case has also served to cast a spotlight on Gibson’s financial relationship with the international watchdog group that accredits its wood supplies as legitimate to ship after they’re harvested.

The group — the Rainforest Alliance — has consistently given Gibson high marks for environmental practices in the form of the widely recognized Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) stamp of approval for its wood imports.

The FSC serves as a sort of Good Housekeeping stamp of approval, issued to companies and forest managers that are found to meet a set of forest management standards. Absent any formal national and international legal standards, the FSC stamp is widely regarded as among the best independent assessments of a company’s environmental practices.

Less widely known is Gibson’s longtime practice of making large contributions to the alliance.

While the Rainforest Alliance has regularly investigated and audited Gibson, it also has been among the biggest recipients of the Gibson company’s charitable efforts, receiving between $315,000 and $390,000 each year since 2006 in cash and donations of expensive guitars for the charity’s annual gala dinner, according to aTennessean review of tax records.

The agency also charges Gibson and other companies annual stewardship council fees between $2,500 and $7,500, according to Richard Donovan, the group’s vice president.

……………………………………………………………..

The challenge for American guitar makers, Taylor said, lies in the fact that the the most valuable species for guitars often grow in the most politically unstable places, leaving companies little option but to make the best deals they can.

“We’re not environmentalists, or lawmakers or policy people or forestry experts,” Taylor said. “We’re just guitar makers who now have to be more involved in our sources.”

“While everyone might be pointing the finger at Gibson as the dodgy guys, the question is why is everyone buying this stuff?” said Poynton of the Tropical Forest Trust. “We all bear responsibility. Musicians bear responsibility.”

More on the Fiji Gibson Guitar deal with the company accused of paying apparent bribes of between $315,000 and $390,000 each year since 2006 in cash and donations of expensive guitars to the Rainforest Alliance . Federal raids on their wood stocks an

 

[RombardO]

That's the most unnatural smile I've ever seen.

 

[slapshot]

I watched 5 seconds of this jerk off talk on video & couldn't exit the window quick enough.
You know those guys that when they talk it looks like the biggest effort in the world for them like they're covered in nipple clamps,ball gags & butt plugs.
Plus he often looks like the president of levi strauss.I ****ing hate double denim.
I hate even more the leather jacket with jeans & collar & tie.
Wear a cardigan.

 

[BCRGreg]

Henry is an idiot.

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

Hey! Henry graduated from a denim jacket to a leather one!

Good on him.

 

[slapshot]

Henry Juszkiewicz, the CEO of Gibson Guitar who took the company from small and unprofitable to the most recognizable brand of guitar in the world.
is this blogger high?

 

[jeff_farkas]

Henry Juszkiewicz, the CEO of Gibson Guitar who took the company from small and unprofitable to the most recognizable brand of guitar in the world.
is this blogger high?

Ah... Yes.

 

[HRC]

The pictures came out….interesting. He covered the head of my guitar in both pictures because it wasn’t a Gibson!

 

[Leumas]

If Hank were cool he would have traded guitars with the kid.

 

[teame1]

If Hank were cool he would have traded guitars with the kid.

He probably didn't have 200 bucks to give the kid to make up the difference on the trade. I do wonder whether he would sign the kids guitar.

 

[Joe Bonermaster]

he and sam ash are percento numero uno

 

[John Vasco]

That's the best thing he's done in a long time - covering the headstock of a Banjocaster...! Pity he didn't cover the lot!!!

 

[Leumas]

 

[12watt]

Is that Fonzie's dad?

 

[Nicky]

Is that Fonzie's dad?

No, that's John Vasco.

 

[12watt]

I meant Henry.

 

[SteveGangi]

Shrug. If Henry can lock the Fiji deal, he can have a dependable source of lumber, and also tell both India and the "Bugs and Bunnies Agency" to sod off

 

[Alligatorbling]

i love the guys playing the strats chording hand

 

[stinkfoot]

That's the most unnatural smile I've ever seen.

yeah.. it's got that "please love me.. please" look about it.. sad..