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On October 7th Noble & Cooley Co-Owner John Keane posted about the current status of the company and to address “growing chatter” about the health of the company.
He writes:
As some of you know, Jay has retired, and Nick expressed a desire to branch out of Noble and Cooley. This has resulted in several inbound questions at the factory and there has also been some chatter on-line about the direction of the company. I wanted to get a message out to clear up inaccurate statements and eliminate any concerns and the blog seemed like a good format as not everyone will have interest in the topic.
First, I want to reassure everyone that Jay’s retirement has been planned for years and there are multiple skilled drum makers who have been at the factory for much longer than many people know. The mission of Noble & Cooley remains unchanged as builders of the highest quality musical instruments for drummers who have a genuine passion for their craft.
This will never change.
In addition, I have long thought the extended family would like to know the backstory of Noble & Cooley’s revitalization over the last several years. It is a story of passion for the brand, risk, and a ton of hard work by many people. The turnaround involves a lot of my contributions, beginning in 2015 when I got involved with the company, but, more importantly, there are many others who have contributed to the company’s success in some vital capacity. I want to ensure they get the credit they deserve and that all of you maintain your direct connection with the team that only a company such as Noble & Cooley can provide. A lot of this information has been on the website for years with my 2015 interview, but I realize most people use social media – typically Instagram and Facebook with us – so probably never read about my plan for the company.
So, the story:
I have been a drummer my whole life. I can’t think of anything else that has been a part of my entire life except for drums. I have played Noble & Cooley drums since 1995 when I picked up my CD Maples and SS Classic snare in Cherry Gloss at the factory like many of you have. I wrote about this in a 2018 blog post. I have been enamored with the drums and the story since then. I still have that kit and still play it (we are so busy filling customer orders; I will probably never get another one). For this newsletter group, I don’t think I need to go into more detail about my passion for these incredible drums and what the experience is like. Most of you have had the same experience.
As I mentioned, I got involved officially with Noble & Cooley in 2015 as an investor/owner with my friend, Travis York, in partnership with the Jones family to combine our skills (business and marketing) and resources (money, people and relationships) to revitalize the brand. For the long-time players, it is no secret that Noble & Cooley as a company and brand was really struggling at the time and the number of offerings was down to essentially CD Maples and a select variety of SS Classics. All great drums, but very limited choices and fewer and fewer drums and styles were available each year. The company had four loyal dealers: Drum Center of New Hampshire, SoundPure, Memphis Drum Shop and Columbus Percussion, all of whom continued to support the company even though more and more players coming into their shops didn’t know the brand at all. There was little active presence in the drum world and, as I was about to learn, no inventory, a lot of debt, and no plan for the future.
We came up with a strategy that would stabilize and then reinvigorate the brand, while maintaining the high quality of the drums, set everything up for the next generation and allow Carol and Jay to retire, knowing the company was healthy and would continue. In parallel, the goal was to expand product offerings and bring in drummers passionate about the brand and drumming to ensure that the company ethos continued from one generation to the next.
Everyone wanted this.
It is also worth mentioning that in the conversations Travis and I had, at no point did we discuss how much money we could make or how we could exploit the company. It was always, “We need to champion this brand and all that it represents. More drummers need to know about Noble and Cooley.” Given this, you can imagine that it is a little frustrating to hear or read comments that the company is moving to China or has been taken over by a corporate conglomerate and has pushed out the Jones family and is going to ruin the brand. That couldn’t be further from the truth. This company is comprised of people that want to be here, have been here, and are proud of the history and the quality. We are all committed to upholding and expanding its legacy.
This brings me to the most important part of this message, which is the Noble & Cooley team and the work that they have done during this entire period to bring you the drums you love. Several of my friends over the years have asked why, in videos such as the Business Insider piece, or the Chronicle segments, on Facebook and Instagram, no one ever mentions me, Travis, or this amazing team we have assembled. My response has always been the same – “This isn’t about us, it’s about the drums.” I do feel, however, that we have not done a good job of getting the message out there about this dedicated team who are the present and future of the company. That does matter.
I mentioned above that it was always in the plan to bring in passionate drummers who are thrilled about working here and that is what we have done. Officially, Luke Garro (General Manager) and Lou Scalzo (Manufacturing Manager) started at the same time in 2020 as part of Carol and Jay’s transition plan. However, their history with the company goes WAY back. Lou worked at Noble & Cooley beginning in 2003. He was personally trained by Jay and was the only person the Jones family had the confidence to bring in as his natural successor. (Fun Fact: Lou was the first person to introduce Solid Shell wood species beyond maple for the company, so thank you, Lou!). Lou has been a drummer for 40+ years. Luke attended his first NAMM Show with the company in 2016 after working with us in a marketing capacity to help update the brand, website and develop lots of the video content and brand campaigns you have seen. Luke was the ideal choice to bring on as General Manager given his entrepreneurial experience – he started his first marketing agency in 2000 – and his 29+ years of experience as a touring and recording drummer. As the company has expanded, Luke and Lou have brought on more members to the team.
We have Ian Haas, funk drummer extraordinaire who has quickly become a master at shaping all our solid shells. We also have Rob Walbourne, who started out in manufacturing in 2016 and is now our East Coast Sales rep with a charmingly seductive English accent. Rob has been playing the drums for 28 years. And rounding out our sales team, we have Ryan Spellman. Ryan’s involvement with our team stems all way back to when he was Luke’s drum tech at the ripe old age of 18. Ryan leads our West Coast Sales efforts and has been a drummer for 25 years.
So, here we are in the fall of 2022. Over the last seven years, the company has had several product launches starting with the re-introduction of the legendary Horizon series. We then introduced the Witt percussion Walnut snares, Walnut Classic and Union Series kits, Copper snares, painted Alloy snares, the DCP Ludwig snare, fractal pattern drums, several limited production runs, and broadened customization options. We have expanded factory output five times over and now have forty dealers.
That’s a lot for a small company.
We like to think we are a much better partner now with our long-time loyal dealers as well as the new shops that have taken us on as business has expanded.
Ultimately, we hope and believe that the true beneficiaries here are all of you, who can continue to play the drums you love and can look forward to a continued relationship with all of us as we continue to innovate and develop great musical instruments that allow you to express yourself as only you can.
Play on.
John
Original Post: HERE
