From our stores to our corporate offices, everyone at The Guitar Center Company is united by music.
Gabe DalportoCEOView Bio(opens bio data in dialog modal)
Gabe Dalporto
CEO
Gabe Dalporto joined the Guitar Center Company as Chief Executive Officer in 2023 and has served as a member of the Board since December 2018. Before the Guitar Center Company, Gabe was Chief Executive Officer of Udacity, Inc., an online provider of technology education programs from 2019 to 2022. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of LendingTree, a company where he has previously held various roles, including Chief Marketing Officer, President Mortgage & Chief Marketing Officer, and Chief Financial Officer.
He earned a BS in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Florida and an MS in Nuclear Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Ken C. HicksChairman of the BoardView Bio(opens bio data in dialog modal)
Ken C. Hicks
Chairman of the Board
Ken C. Hicks was appointed Chairman of the Guitar Center Company’s Board of Directors in October 2023. Ken is a seasoned retail industry executive with over 40 years of operations and management experience. He currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc., and previously served as Chairman, President and CEO of the company, where he led its transition to becoming a public company. Before that, he served as the Chairman, President, and CEO of Foot Locker, Inc. and has held leadership positions at J.C. Penney, Payless ShoeSource, Home Shopping Network, May Department Stores Company, and McKinsey & Company. Hicks currently serves on the board of directors of Avery Dennison Corporation and previously served on the board of directors of Whole Foods Market.
Ken graduated from the United States Military Academy and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Tim Martin Chief Financial OfficerView Bio(opens bio data in dialog modal)
Tim Martin
Chief Financial Officer
Tim Martin serves as Chief Financial Officer of the Guitar Center Company. Tim returned to Guitar Center in 2023, previously serving as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer from 2012 to 2022. Prior to his return, Tim served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Torrid Holdings, Inc., a direct-to-consumer apparel, intimates, and accessories brand from 2022 to 2023. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Land’s End from 2010 to 2012 and as Chief Financial Officer of Coldwater Creek from 2006 to 2009.
Tim graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a degree in accounting.
Kristin ShaneEVP, Chief Merchandising and Marketing OfficerView Bio(opens bio data in dialog modal)
Kristin Shane
EVP, Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer
Kristin Shane leads Guitar Center Merchandising and Marketing. With over 20 years of experience in retail merchandising for iconic brands, she is a transformational merchandising leader with proven success in developing and implementing effective strategies and operational excellence across diverse consumer product and retail businesses.
Prior to her role at Guitar Center, Kristin was the Chief Merchandising Officer at PetSmart, where she served as Senior Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer, driving billions in incremental sales and market expansion. She also spent eleven years at Target, where she demonstrated her merchandising prowess as Vice President Merchandise Manager for the Beauty and Personal Care Business, leading to significant growth and earning the WWD’s Best Beauty Retailer Award. Kristin enriched her retail portfolio by advising high-growth beauty brands, helping to drive their strategic direction and go to market strategies.
Adolfo Rodriguez is EVP, Chief Technology & Information Officer of the Guitar Center Company, where he is responsible for developing a comprehensive target state architecture and technology roadmap aligned with our strategic goals as a best-in-class omnichannel retailer. Prior to joining, he was the SVP of Technology Transformation at Advance Auto Parts, where he leveraged technology to improve customer and team member experiences across the company and led the Architecture, Engineering, and Customer Contact Center organizations. Before joining Advance, Adolfo served as Vice President of Product Management for the ShareFile cloud service at Citrix and as General Manager of several smaller cloud services. He was previously Distinguished Engineer and CTO of Connectivity and Integration at IBM and Chief Architect of DataPower SOA Appliances.
Adolfo holds a BA in Mathematics and BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Computer Science, all from Duke University. He is a graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.
Jeff Gottlieb assumed the role of President in April 2019 and is responsible for Music & Arts, the Guitar Center Company’s specialty retailer focused on band & orchestra instruments for sale and rental. He oversees over 200+ retail stores, 120+ educational representatives and 300+ affiliate locations. Jeff has extensive experience leading complex retail operations, including managing companies through strong growth initiatives. Prior to joining Music & Arts, Jeff held executive positions at Sur La Table and Jockey International, Inc
Zac BogartSVP Digital MarketingView Bio(opens bio data in dialog modal)
Zac Bogart
SVP Digital Marketing
Zac Bogart is the SVP of Digital Marketing and joined the organization in January 2024. He oversees Guitar Center’s eCommerce channels, Contact Center, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) team. He is a data-driven digital marketing executive with deep experience leading high-growth teams and has a significant background in the music industry and pro audio sector. Most recently, he was CMO at ConsumerAffairs, a rapidly growing online marketplace where millions of consumers research purchases, connect with brands, transact, write reviews, and stay updated on important news. Zac also served as Senior Director of Digital Marketing at Sweetwater, where he was responsible for building out the brand’s online footprint in the late 2010s, resulting in their accelerated digital growth. Additionally, he worked as Director of Customer Acquisition at Universal Audio. A graduate of the University of Washington, Zac is also an accomplished musician.
Anne BuchananSVP, Chief Human Resources OfficerView Bio(opens bio data in dialog modal)
Anne Buchanan
SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer
Anne Buchanan is the Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer for the organization. She assumed the role in June 2018, and she is responsible for the organization’s human resources strategy and enabling the Guitar Center Company to attract, motivate, develop, and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce. Anne joined the company from Global Brands Group (GBG), where she led the human resources strategy for the fashion and retail business which included BCBG, BCBGeneration, bebe, Hervé Léger, Joe’s Jeans and Juicy Couture. Prior to GBG, Anne served as the SVP of Human Resources for BCBGMAXAZRIA Group, and has also served in various human resource roles with Smile Brands and Cadence Design Systems.
In 2000, Guitar Center acquired mail order and e-commerce retailer Musician's Friend for $50 million, and claimed the merged company was the world's largest seller of musical instruments. Musician's Friend became a wholly owned subsidiary, with its headquarters remaining in Medford, Oregon. In 2005, Guitar Center Inc.
In the mid-2000s, the chain got infected with a common retail malaise: massive debt. In 2007, it got bought by the private equity firm Bain Capital, which borrowed heavily for the deal and saddled Guitar Center with the debt that by 2020 reached $1.3 billion.
Our local music stores sell basses, amps, drums, keyboards, mics, recording equipment and more. From playing in the garage with friends to performing your first show, with over 305+ stores across the country, it's easy to find a Guitar Center near you when you're ready to rock out.
Guitar Center, with over 300 stores, emerged from bankruptcy in December 2020 with a filing blamed on COVID-19-related store closures and a looming debt maturity tied to a leveraged buyout led by Bain Capital.
The lawsuit alleges the following violations against Guitar Center: not paying all overtime wages; failing to calculate the regular rate of pay properly, for purposes of paying overtime; not paying at least minimum wages for all hours worked (relating to hours worked off-the-clock);
The company announced that Gabriel Dalporto has been named CEO, effective immediately. He replaces Ron Japinga, who has served in the role since August 2016. No reason was given for his departure. Japinga will also no longer serve as a member of the board.
The average Guitar Center executive compensation is $215,441 a year. The median estimated compensation for executives at Guitar Center including base salary and bonus is $206,293, or $99 per hour. At Guitar Center, the most compensated executive makes $652,000, annually, and the lowest compensated makes $65,000.
Total US guitar sales dropped over 50% from 1.5 million units yearly in the 2000s down to around 600,000 as of 2020. However, the past few years showed a leveling off of declines, and 2021 even saw a slight uptick likely driven by pandemic factors.
Before his 2007 debut solo album, “Sirens of the Ditch,” Isbell made a name for himself as a guitarist, singer and songwriter with politically minded Southern rock band Drive-By Truckers. This summer, he released his eighth solo album, the well-received “Weathervanes.”
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