New Brunswick Business Journal , Canada
July 11 2009
The pursuit of a better cymbal never ends
Published Saturday July 11th, 2009
Honour Bob Zildjian is being inducted into the New Brunswick Business
Hall of Fame because of his drive and ‘legendary’ commitment to
creating the world’s finest cymbal
C1John Pollack
Telegraph-Journal
After more than 70 years in the cymbal-making business, Bob Zildjian
says he couldn’t imagine being interested in any other career.
At 14, Zildjian was told he would join the family cymbal business and
he quickly fell in love with it. This, combined with a passion for
music, sent Zildjian on a life-long quest to create the world’s finest
cymbal.
Zildjian, 85, will be inducted into the New Brunswick Business Hall of
Fame in recognition of growing Sabian Ltd. into a leading world-class
cymbal maker.
Glenn Cooke, co-founder of Cooke Aquaculture Inc. and Claude Savoie,
founder of Acadian Properties, will also be honoured at a gala dinner
in Moncton Oct. 20.
Zildjian believes having a top-quality product is what took Sabian
from a 15-person factory at its launch in 1981 to a 130-person, global
operation with $35 million in annual sales.
He started Sabian after losing a legal dispute with his brother,
Armand, now deceased, over the family business Zildjian Cymbals, which
is currently controlled by Bob’s niece Craigie.
In 1968 Zildjian moved to Meductic, just south of Woodstock, to open a
specialty cymbal plant for Zildjian Cymbals, then controlled by his
Armenian father, Avedis Zildjian III, whose cymbal-making roots date
back to 1623 Istanbul, Turkey.
When Avedis died in 1977, the company was split between Zildjian and
his brother.
"It was a question of – Let’s get rid of Bob," he says with a laugh.
Though he had to drop the Zildjian name, Bob kept the Meductic plant
whose workers could make the more difficult cymbals. And a new empire
was born.
Today the brands – Sabian and Zildjian – are known as "the big two" in
the cymbal world.
Sabian is noted as the best in the world for quality, Bob Zildjian
says. But the sales leader is less clear.
"If we are second to Zildjian (the company) we’re damn close," he
says. "I’m more than sure we keep them awake at night, which is one of
our desires."
Though Bob Zildjian has stepped back from the day-to-day operations,
leaving his son Andy as the chief executive, the company’s pursuit of
a better cymbal never ends.
Sabian strives to be the driving force behind new cymbal-making
innovations, whether it is burying the instrument in the ground for
six months to add more "mellowness" to the sound or spending a decade
developing a more affordable way of making cymbals with the highest
tin content.
This ambition has created quality products that have led to Sabian’s
success, Zildjian says.
David Chambers, who has known the Sabian founder through business and
friendship for decades, agrees.
He says Zildjian’s "legendary" commitment to creating the finest
cymbals was obvious when working with anyone from the company.
"He certainly gave lots of latitude to his senior administrators,"
Chambers says. "But Bob had created the vision for that company and
was absolutely without a doubt the driving force of energy and vision
behind it."
Chambers met Zildjian through advertising work his firm SGCI
Communications did for Sabian. The two eventually became friends who
would go on annual fishing trips on the Miramichi River.
"Bob’s way of doing business – ultimately you become part of Bob’s
world," Chambers says, meaning friendship was inevitable.
While Chambers was advising on advertising for Sabian, Bob Zildjian
would offer advice and support back to Chambers.
"Bob wanted to make sure that I understood that if I wanted to
undertake doing something on my own, he was absolutely confident I’d
be able to do it," Chambers says. "And he’d be there to help me,"
Money has only been part of Zildjian’s ambition; spreading his love of
music has been equally, if not more, important.
He is happy to see so many teenagers playing instruments in garage
bands these days.
"It’s just great to see enthusiasm for this whole music feel," he
says. Though he admits it is also beneficial to his business, which
makes cymbals for beginners to the most talented professionals.
"Personally I’m not fan of rock ‘n’ roll," Zildjian says, "But
financially I’m devoted to it."
Since a drum set is used in the majority of styles of music, and each
one uses multiple cymbals, Zildjian says there’s a big need for
cymbals.
"The only thing that really doesn’t use cymbals to any extent, is the
damn Scottish pipe bands," he says on the phone from Meductic. "I had
to marry a McTavish and she’s been getting hell for it ever since."
Zildjian married his wife Willi shortly after returning from the
Second World War.
Grown up in the Boston area, music – more specifically the big band
sound – was Zildjian’s main hobby.
"It was the Depression, but we used music to forget our troubles," he
says. "I was a musician, an unpaid one, and I enjoyed it."
He would play a number of instruments through his life, including at
one point the drums.
Zildjian and his friends knew the names of all the swing band members
like kids today memorize hockey rosters.
"We didn’t have the TV to ruin it," he says. "If you wanted to see the
Benny Goodman band, you waited on pins and needles until he toured to
your town."
Photo: Sabian Ltd. strives to be the force behind new cymbal-making
innovations, whether it is burying the instrument in the ground for
six months to add more `mellowness’ to the sound or spending a decade
developing a more affordable way of making cymbals with the highest
tin content. This ambition, says company founder Bob Zildjian, has
created quality products that have led to the company’s success.
front/article/725652
http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/