Trade Regrets: Jerry Freed

Jerry Freed, MI and audio industry icon and founder of Gator Cases, passed away on November 13, after a bout with cancer. He was 74. After college, Freed spent several years selling and representing Roberts Electronics, which co-branded consumer reel-to-reel tape recorders OEM'd by Akai. Freed then went on to also launch a line of guitar amplifiers by Califone, another division of Roberts, and left after Califone was purchased by Rheem in 1967.

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Eventually Freed co-founded International Music Corporation (IMC), first as a supplier of percussion products and then getting involved in developing and distributing guitar brands. By the mid-1980's, IMC had rekindled its relationship with Akai and Akai Professional was born to create keyboards, samplers, drum machines and both analog and digital multi-track recorders for home and pro users. This was followed by IMC's acquisition of Charvel/Jackson guitars.

In 1989, Freed left to form Freed International, marketing and representing various leading MI brands. A major move came about in 2000, when Freed and his daughter Crystal Morris formed Tampa, Florida-based Gator Cases. The company had a modest start with a small initial offering of molded plastic guitar cases, but soon caught on, expanding the line with case and bag solutions for pro audio, IT, A-V, general utility, band instrument and percussion. Gator Cases now offers more than 1,000 different solutions made from vacuum-formed plastics, rotational-molded plastics, wood, fabric and EVA materials.

Freed is survived by his wife Gail, his daughter Crystal, and his grandchildren Tray and Ryan.