Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc. announced its acquisition of E. K. Blessing of Elkhart, Indiana. These two icons of the industry have a combined 185 years of instrument making in the USA. Randy Johnson, the fourth generation of the Blessing family to own and operate E. K. Blessing, commented on his motivations for selling to Powell: "I had been looking for a buyer who had the vision, the people, and the capital to create a renaissance for the Blessing name. My entire family would have been proud to know that a company with the stellar reputation and strong sense of integrity of Powell is continuing the "Made in USA" traditions of Blessing."

Powell has designed and marketed trumpets under its Sonaré brand over the past 3 years. Sonaré trumpets are now endorsed by such diverse players as jazz great Lew Soloff, the San Diego Symphony, the Big Apple Circus, and the US Marine Band. With the acquisition of Blessing, Powell will have its own factory to produce Sonaré brass. However, Powell owner Steven Wasser indicated that controlling the Sonaré supply was far from the only reason for buying Blessing. "As more suppliers buy product in Asia, we believe there is a great opportunity for quality brass instruments made in the USA. Under Randy Johnson's leadership Blessing has made tremendous strides in the past year to improve production quality. We believe that further improvements can be made in both design and production quality which will position Blessing to be competitive across the board in the brass market." The Blessing operation will be managed in Elkhart by Steve Rorie, a seasoned music industry executive. Rorie worked for Selmer for over twenty years, and managed the Bach factory. In the past year, Rorie has consulted for Blessing and is responsible for the improvement in quality over this period. Marketing, sales and administrative functions for Blessing will primarily be handled from Powell's headquarters in Maynard, Massachusetts.

For more information, visit www.powellflutes.com or www.sonarewinds.com

Source: Steven Wasser, Powell Flutes