Calzone & Anvil Case Company, the nation’s leading manufacturer of custom fabricated shipping cases for sensitive equipment of music, entertainment, aerospace, medical, military and other industries, has appointed TJ Milian as chief marketing and sales officer. In his new role, Milian will spearhead Calzone’s global marketing and sales efforts as the half-century-old company initiates its next phase of expansion. He will report directly to President and CEO Joe Calzone, a drummer turned entrepreneur who founded the company in the 1970s.
Milian brings abundant experience, including more than 25 years with Sam Ash Music, where he led a team of over 200 employees across eight West Coast stores generating year-over-year sales and profit increases despite a recent downturn in the retail chain’s overall business. Combining technical expertise, creative campaigns and proven business practices, Milian has used a coaching approach to align individual and company goals to improve revenue performance and satisfy client needs.
“TJ brings with him an extremely high level of knowledge and experience in Calzone Anvil’s core competencies and beyond. His extensive background and diverse responsibilities earned while managing one of the country’s largest music retail chains will complement and contribute to our goal of aggressive expansion into markets and industries in which we only scratch the surface,” Joe Calzone said. “TJ’s depth of knowledge in proven messaging techniques will offer our sales team a significantly higher and in-depth level of support. He will be instrumental in leading our efforts to grow market share while also developing new opportunities.”
The timing of Milian joining the company comes at the crossroads when Calzone & Anvil, after decades of manufacturing rackmount, ramp cases, workboxes, monitor cases, trunks, go-live workstations and other durable protective cases for U.S. companies has received new demand for its custom-made products from other parts of the world where the company has begun to export.
Calzone & Anvil recently designed and introduced the StrongBox MK2 cable trunk and has received orders from all over the world. It is constructed from rugged birch plywood with a durable textured exterior and sleek black interior, which is built like a fortress for cables and equipment designed to take on the rigors of transporting sensitive equipment containing electronics. All equipment is currently manufactured by the company in its three U.S. plants located in Bridgeport, Conn.; Carrollton, Texas and Covina, California.
“I am thrilled and honored to join Calzone & Anvil at such a pivotal moment in its history,” said Milian. “The company has a rich history of groundbreaking innovation in safeguarding high-value equipment and assets while consistently surpassing customer expectations in the most demanding, mission-critical scenarios. I look forward to working with the talented teams at Calzone & Anvil to build on this legacy and drive further growth in North America and overseas.”
The announcement symbolizes Calzone & Anvil’s ongoing commitment to investing in innovation and opportunities across all industries served, including aerospace, robotics, space exploration, medical, military, museum, sports, audio visual, broadcast, film, IT, telecom, firearms, and more, in addition to the musical instruments, pro audio, staging and lighting production arena upon which the company has built its foundation for nearly 50 years. Calzone & Anvil was founded in the mid-1970s and grew over the years by acquiring Ascot Cases and Anvil Cases, which was founded in 1952.
Milian obtained his bachelor of business administration degree in marketing from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business. After studying recording engineering at the Recording Workshop, he ran multiple recording studios in the Midwest. Milian is recognized as a thought leader in strategy, marketing and sales conversion rate optimization. He has organized numerous industry events and partnerships.
