-- For Immediate Release --
PRS ANNOUCES THE RETIREMENT OF DAVID MAGAGNA
(STEVENSVILLE, MD) December 18, 2013 – Paul Reed Smith, working founder and Managing General Partner of PRS Guitars announced that David Magagna, Director of International Sales and Marketing, will retire as of January 31, 2014. Magagna has been with PRS Guitars since 2002 when he was pulled out of retirement by Paul Smith to help guide the growth of international sales for the company.
“David is deeply respected in our industry,” Paul Reed Smith said. “He has almost 50 years of international sales experience. His relationships with music industry leaders throughout the world are amazing. He has been a driving force in the growth of our international sales for which we are thankful.”
Magagna began his professional career in the music industry with CF Martin Sales Co. in 1962 quickly rising to become their first Vice President of Sales and Exports. Magagna was one of the first Americans to exhibit at the Frankfurt, Germany, MusikMesse, and to establish a network of highly successful distributorships for Martin Guitars in Asia and Europe. In 1975, he founded Cobble Hill International with Diane Magagna, representing well-known guitar brands including Gurian, Lowden and Taylor. In 1987-89, served as President of Guild Guitars, Westerly, Rhode Island, and in 1990, cofounded Rhode Island International Trade Corporation. In 1992, Magagna accepted an offer from Taylor Guitars to become their first Director of International Sales where he remained until he retired in 2001.
Shortly after his retirement from Taylor Guitars, with the attack on the World Trade Centers, 2001, Magagna was a volunteer at Ground Zero, as a night supervisor for the hydration site and canteen in the “Red Zone” (the most volatile area).
In addition to his career in the music industry, Magagna also served as a director of the New Hampshire international trade association, a joint initiative between the State of New Hampshire and the private sector, which helped train small businesses in penetrating international markets. Additionally, Magagna served on the Export Counsel for the U.S. Department of Commerce in California, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. There he developed training programs for firms desiring to increase their international sales.
An avid cross country and downhill skier, along with hiking and kayaking around the world for much of his adult life, Magagna is also an accomplished scuba diver. He and a team of scuba divers in 1960 published one of the first manuals on skin and scuba diving. He is a former member of the US Air Force working with Air Force Intelligence and the National Security Agency. He trained at the Yale University School of Oriental Languages, attended Sophia University in Tokyo and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Washington D.C.
About PRS Guitars:
Paul Reed Smith Guitars is a leading manufacturer of high quality instruments in Stevensville, Maryland and has provided some of the world’s most renowned musicians with instruments since 1985. The PRS team of highly skilled craftspeople design and build a wide variety of musical instruments and gear for worldwide distribution, including electric, acoustic, and bass guitars as well as boutique-style guitar amplifiers. The PRS SE line of products complements the Maryland-made PRS line by offering highly approachable and more affordable electric and acoustic guitars and guitar amplifiers. Carlos Santana, Neal Schon, John McLaughlin, Linkin Park, Orianthi, Opeth, Zach Myers of Shinedown, Mark Tremonti of Creed and Alter Bridge, Ricky Skaggs, Cody Kilby, Martin Simpson, Tony McManus, Warren Haynes, and Derek Trucks are among the artists currently playing PRS instruments and/or amplifiers.
PRS Guitars Info:
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PRS Contact: Judy Schaefer / 410-643-9970 x6873 /