On Friday, March 31, Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) announced that, effective June 30, Rick Young will retire from the company following a distinguished, 30-year career.
Young has most recently served as one of three senior vice presidents for the Buena Park, California-based company, as well as SVP and Director of the Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute. Over his career in senior management, Mr. Young has been responsible for the company’s Piano, Band & Orchestral, and Pro Audio and Combo divisions, as well as the Music Education Department. In addition, he was president of Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. in New York City and responsible for Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs, Inc. in Nashville and Yamaha Artist Services in Hollywood and Indianapolis.
“Leaving my daily work with the Yamaha family will be bittersweet,” Young says. “After 30 years, I can truly say I thoroughly enjoyed working with everyone at Yamaha, both in Buena Park and other areas of the world. I have learned that with each additional responsibility, it becomes more about the people—the ones you have hired, mentored and guided in their careers. Having a positive influence on people’s lives is the most important outcome and I hope that I have made some small impact on the culture here, helping others find the same success that I have enjoyed.”
Among his many accomplishments at Yamaha were leading the B&O division move from Grand Rapids to Buena Park, helping to institute the company’s Customer Sales and Marketing Group, an initiative designed to seamlessly align Yamaha Corporation of America with the needs of a broad base of select dealers, top artists, and world-class performance venues, as well as, leading academic and institutional facilities. He was also responsible for driving One Yamaha organization changes over the last decade.
“I’d like to congratulate Rick on his upcoming retirement,” says Hitoshi Fukutome, president, Yamaha Corporation of America. “We thank him for his years of service to Yamaha and the Music industry. His leadership, industry knowledge and work ethic has helped grow Yamaha. And his belief in, and dedication to music education has been invaluable to the industry and the next generations of musicians.” Young has served on the Board of the Music Achievement Council for thirteen years, chairing the organization for the last ten.
Mr. Young began his music retail career in 1984 at Ward-Brodt Music Mall in the Madison, Wisconsin area, and joined Yamaha in 1987 as District Manager in Chicago with the company’s Band & Orchestral division. He was named National Sales Manager, Pro Audio & Combo division in 1995, and in 2000, became General Manager of the division. In 2002, Mr. Young was named Vice President/General Manager of the Band & Orchestral division, and in 2007, he was promoted to Corporate Vice President/General Manager of the Pro Audio & Combo division. He was formerly a member of the NAMM board of directors and other music related boards, including the National Association of Band Instrument Manufacturers and a founding advisor of Music Crossroads in Indianapolis.
Young’s plans include travel and spending more time with his family.
