APRIL 3 I YAMAHA I RETIREMENT
Rick Young Retires from Yamaha

Yamaha has announced that effective June 30, Rick Young will retire from the company following a 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, Young has been responsible for the company's piano, B&O, and pro-Audio and combo divisions, as well as the music education department.

"Leaving my daily work with the Yamaha family will be bittersweet," Young said. "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 accomplishments at Yamaha were leading the B&O division move from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Buena Park, helping to institute the company's Customer Sales and Marketing Group, an initiative designed to align Yamaha with the needs of a broad base of select dealers, top artists and performance venues, as well as leading academic and institutional facilities. Young was also responsible for driving One Yamaha organization changes over the last decade.

"I'd like to congratulate Rick on his upcoming retirement," said Hitoshi Fukutome, president of Yamaha. "We thank him for his years of service to Yamaha and the music industry. His leadership, industry knowledge and work ethic have 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. His retirement plans include traveling and spending more time with his family.

usa.yamaha.com