Five Minutes With

DAN ROBERTS,

President and General Manager, Manhasset Specialty Co.

By Brian Berk

The COVID-19 pandemic may not have been kind to companies and retailers that cater to the school music and band and orchestra markets. But Yakima, Wash.-based Manhasset Specialty Co. put its creative hat on and looked to a brighter future. Dan Roberts, president and general manager, explains why he is optimistic about the future of MI and much more.

The Music & Sound Retailer: Please tell us about your background and your time spent at Manhasset Specialty.

Dan Roberts: The six years I have been with Manhasset Specialty have flown by. It has been a great experience for me to be part of a great company whose products are in demand all over the world because of their quality and timeless design. Manhasset Stands are now sold on six continents, and its export sales grow significantly every year. One of the reasons I have enjoyed working at Manhasset so much is the team of people; they have been great to work with. The experience of working in an employee-owned (ESOP) company has been very positive. Every employee is invested in helping to make great products and give great service to our customers, to ensure the future success of the company and the brand.

I had the opportunity to get into the music business when I joined Musicorp many years ago. There, I had the privilege of working for one of the leading musical instrument and accessories distributors in the United States. That gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet thousands of MI retailers and hundreds of MI manufacturers, which was phenomenal for me. It helped me become immersed in this great industry of ours. And after Musicorp, working with KMC Music, then as part of Fender, I learned so much more about the industry. Prior to my experience in working in the music industry, I worked for companies that manufactured products for the housewares, hardware, sporting goods and toy businesses, which was enjoyable. But, in my opinion, the people that make up the music industry are the best. And it is the people in the MI industry that I will always remember most fondly.

The Retailer: Please tell us about everything Manhasset Specialty sells as you enter your 86th anniversary?

Roberts: I will tell you one thing: we will never forget our 85th year of business! Who would have believed all of the challenges that we have struggled with in 2020? But Manhasset has survived and gotten stronger in many ways, which has prepared us for whatever may happen in 2021, the year in which we are celebrating our 86th anniversary.

Looking at the products that we will sell in 2021, our core music stand products continue to sell well. In the last six years, we have invested in production processes and new equipment to help us make our stands the best they have ever been. We want to make sure that our distributors, dealers, band directors and end users are delighted with the products that they purchase from Manhasset. Our goal is to be problem-free for the end user and to have our products last for decades. When you offer a lifetime warranty on a product, it had better be good. That has been Manhasset’s warranty program for the last nine years. We are proud to say that our products’ performance has exceeded the expectations of many end users, as the great testimonials that we receive from purchasers of Manhasset music stands attest to.

The Retailer: You mentioned Manhasset Specialty is an employee-owned business. Tell us more about what advantages this provides you.

Roberts: Firstly, every employee knows that the products that we ship out must meet our expectations for quality. We strive to give our band directors and end users a great experience when they take Manhasset music stands and accessories out of the box. Secondly, we have a great team atmosphere at Manhasset, and every employee is crosstrained to give us flexibility in our production, quality control and shipping activities.

Because our employees are all owners of the company, we can fully share information about the direction of the company, our commitment to continuous improvement in our manufacturing processes and our plans for future investment in capital expenditures. Everyone understands that the company needs to keep investing to make our products the best they can be, and we need to produce our music stands and accessories as efficiently as possible.

The entire Manhasset team has worked to bring productivity up to record levels to make sure that our products are competitive even with products that do not have all of the features and benefits that ours do. We are proud to produce our music stands and accessories in the USA and proud to have the best warranty in the business on our music stands.

The Retailer: Due to the pandemic, retailers saw school rental business drop. Symphonies and orchestras also could not play in person. How did you adjust as a company?

Roberts: Short answer: as best we could. We shut down production for some weeks to make sure that our employees stayed home to avoid getting the virus, and that worked out well. We operated a skeleton crew, and we did all we could to take care of the needs of our customers during that time, shipping from products in our inventory. With MI retailers shut down for the most part during these weeks, demand was light. Fortunately, our export business came back sooner than U.S. demand, and we went back to work to take care of those customers’ needs.

We also saw a growing demand for protective shields, and we concentrated on finding component parts to make our Acoustic Shields and Clear Desk stands for dualpurpose use as personal protective

equipment and as music stands. We also developed the new Clear Shield, which is designed primarily as a protective shield, but it can be used similarly to the Acoustic Shield, when we are able to put bands and orchestras back together in person. Demand for all three of these stands has been very high, and we have pushed to produce every possible piece so that we could support the needs of schools, orchestras and other businesses. Demand for all of our music stands has also been strong since we have come back to work. We have been making record numbers of music stands on a daily basis to meet the needs of worldwide demand.

The Retailer: How difficult were the times for the company during the height of the pandemic?

Roberts: Manhasset is very strong financially. The company owns its property and has almost no long-term debt. There was no doubt that the company would survive, unlike many other companies, as we waited for business to come back. Our greatest concern was for our employees’ safety and especially for everyone associated with the MI business. With operations shut down for a time, that led to savings from utilities and raw materials usage, reducing cash going out. The company received a Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) loan, and we continued to pay all of our employees even when production was shut down. The PPP only covered a fraction of the cost of our payroll and fringes, but we felt it was the right thing to do. We did not want our people to be without health care coverage in the scary COVID-19 environment if they had been laid off. Since production has resumed, we are diligent about monitoring each employee’s health, with hand sanitizer and hand-washing stations located all around the plant. We also have provided face masks, face shields and gloves, and insisted on social distancing in the plant and offices. Thankfully, our people have stayed healthy and safe!

Are you optimistic that once the world returns to normal, you will see brisk business? Demand for symphonies and orchestras should certainly rise, for example.

Roberts: The news about vaccines is great! I know that we all hope that we can beat this virus and get back to a more normal life soon. I do think that people will be a little more careful about being a part of crowds for a while, and we may see face masks still being used until new cases become much fewer in number. We know that Americans are tired of being cooped up working from their homes, and they are anxious to be able to go to movies, concerts, symphonies and theme parks. So, I do see brisk business ahead once vaccinations are widely available. I think we will all appreciate the little freedoms and entertainment opportunities a little more, having been restricted for so many months.

The Retailer: What are you doing to get the word out about your products with the absence of an in-person NAMM show?

Roberts: We are going to take advantage of every virtual interaction opportunity that we have. Manhasset participated in the NAMM Believe in Music Week so that we could communicate with anyone that would like updated information about our company and our products. And we will be involved in video calls with our distributors in the U.S. and around the world, talking about their business and the opportunities that we have together. We will miss the face-to-face meetings, handshakes and hugs, but we will do our best to assure everyone that Manhasset is committed to helping them grow our business together in 2021 and in future years. Our export sales representatives have really done a great job of keeping communications open with all of our export distributors around the world.

The Retailer: Can you tell us about some new products you have recently launched or will soon launch, and the benefits of such products?

Roberts: I mentioned the Clear Shield, which has become a very good seller. We have a few other new products that we are still finalizing that we think will be very well received. Details will be available soon.

The Retailer: Looking on a macro scale, are you optimistic about the MI industry in the future? Why or why not?

Roberts: Yes, I am optimistic. The satisfaction of learning to play (continued on page 45)