User:Captainkiwi/sandbox

Make'n Music is a guitar boutique based in the "West Town" neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Its main focus is high end electric and acoustic guitars, tube amplifications, effects pedals and guitar accessories. In 2011, Premier Guitar named it "One of the 20 coolest guitar shops in the country."

History
Chuck Surack started the company as a recording studio in 1979, originally based out of his home in Fort Wayne, Indiana. When the Kurzweil K250 programmable keyboard and sampler was introduced in 1984, Surack became known for his custom K250 sound library and programming skills as well as his upgrade kits. Surack became a Kurzweil dealer, but his clients were asking for advice regarding other products as well. Surack expanded Sweetwater to become a music retailer whose emphasis was pre- and post-sale customer service.

By 1990, annual sales had grown to $6 million and had outgrown Surack's home, so Sweetwater moved into its own building. In 1995, Sweetwater mounted a website: www.sweetwater.com. By 1999, most of the inventory was available for purchase online. Electronic Musician named the website one of the nine best information sources for a musician, due to its 63,000 pages including instructional videos, demos and technical documents.

Between 1990 and 2005, Sweetwater had grown to 220 employees and had expanded its building four different times, but still needed more room. Choosing to remain in Fort Wayne, in 2006 the operation moved to larger, custom-built headquarters using 14 acre of a 44 acre parcel; enough area to allow for planned further expansion.

The new headquarters also includes the Sweetwater Productions recording studio complex and a Performance Theatre, both designed by Russ Berger Design Group. The 250-seat theater has a LARES electroacoustic enhancement system.

In 2006, Sweetwater Productions and local Fort Wayne radio station WAJI Majic 95.1 started a partnership to record live, acoustic music from nationally-recognized artists and bands traveling through Fort Wayne. These recordings, along with others, have been used to produce "Majic Miracle Music" charity CDs to benefit Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Artists who recorded at Sweetwater Productions for "Majic Miracle Music" CDs include REO Speedwagon, Ingrid Michaelson, Lenka, Aimee Allen, Jars of Clay, Landon Pigg, Ben Jelen, Josh Kelley, Sara Bareilles, Jon McLaughlin, Gin Blossoms, and Collective Soul.

In January, 2010, Chuck Surack was elected to the board of directors of NAMM, the International Music Products Association. The election took place at the organization's annual meeting in Anaheim, California, during The NAMM Show in Winter 2010.

Awards

 * 1994, "Inc. 500 – America's Fastest Growing Companies"
 * 1995, "Inc. 500 – America's Fastest Growing Companies"
 * 2005, "Independent Retailer of the Year" from Music Inc. magazine
 * 2006, "Torch Award" for business ethics, integrity and honesty from Better Business Bureau
 * 2008, "BCA Ten Award" for exceptional involvement with the arts that enrich the workplace, education and the community from Business Committee for the Arts (BCA).
 * 2009, LEED Platinum Award, U.S. Green Building Council, for Sweetwater's corporate headquarters and its environmentally friendly construction and management
 * 2009, "Indiana Governor's Arts Award", presented September 25, 2009, by Governor Mitch Daniels at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts, Muncie, Indiana