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| Visions & Revisions |
Cymbals of Success
06/01/2005
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In the world of percussion, Zildjian cymbals are the gold standard. The list
of artists whose drum kits include Zildjian products is a veritable who’s who of
global music, featuring everyone from jazz great Louie Bellson to rock legend
Mick Fleetwood and contemporary musicians like Linkin Park’s Rob Bourdon. Beyond
the celebrity of its clientele, however, the Avedis Zildjian Co. of Norwell,
Mass., stands out in another way: Having operated continuously for 382 years, it
is America’s oldest family owned business. Worth features editor Douglas
McWhirter talked to Craigie Zildjian, the company’s CEO,
and her sister Debbie Zildjian, the vice president of human resources, about the
enterprise that bears their name. As the first women to run the company, they
offer a unique perspective on succession, business passion and the
responsibilities that come with a centuries-old family legacy.
How have you managed to keep the Avedis Zildjian Co. in the family for
so long?
Craigie: Our family ran this business for over three centuries in
Constantinople. European businesses had primogeniture, which made succession
very simple and clear. When my grandfather came to America in 1929, he
incorporated the business here, and now we are three generations in the United
States. The company today is very much based on our heritage. We have inherited
a business that is 382 years old, and that means a lot.
Debbie: We grew up
talking about the family business. It was part of the way we lived. We always
heard about the history from my grandfather, talking about his family in
Constantinople. Every week the family got together and talked about the
business, so it was ingrained in us. It was part of our life. We try to talk to
our kids about the business as well. Our family has always grown up saying, “It
is not your birthright to be brought into the business. It is a privilege, and
you have to have a passion for the business and you have to contribute to it and
pay your dues.” My father was always very big on that. You have to have a good
work ethic.
Yet growing up you did not really consider a career in the company?
Debbie: It was kind of strange, because even though we never had the
expectation of a career in the business, we grew up in the business. We were
always talking about the artists and the customers. We would have them to our
home. I remember one time we had the whole Maynard Ferguson band at the house,
and Buddy Rich was there once on my birthday. Whether or not it was a conscious
decision to make it a career, we were still participating in the
business.
Craigie: I think that’s critical. There is this involvement. It is
not a [separate matter of] “here’s the family, here’s the business.” There is a
huge overlap.
You joined the company at a time when it was unusual for women to lead family
businesses.
Craigie: It was unusual in that day. There was no precedent for women going
into the business, so Debbie and I actually thought we wouldn’t have the option.
But my grandfather, who was very forward thinking, invited me into the business
in 1976. Nowadays that sounds pretty simple, but back then that was a radical
decision—particularly in a business like this where percussion was viewed as a
primarily male instrument. Now you see women playing drums, so that’s a big
change. It was up to my grandfather to set the tone. He said, “We’ve always
given stock out to the male members, but I’m going to start gifting stock to the
females.” That was the first level. My father and grandfather always wanted us
to work summers here, so we knew people in the industry. It was kind of like
being home.
Debbie: I have a master’s degree in political science, and I was
very much into the women’s movement. It was the early ’70s and those were the
kinds of things everyone was talking about. This was the first time that women
were supposed to take advantage of all these opportunities. We would talk
politics at home, too, and my father was very open to all that.
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