In the 90s, major record labels set out to kill off vinyl to make a fortune re-selling music on CDs. In the ’00s, vinyl started to make a comeback especially among indie rockers and fans. But by then, most vinyl pressing plants had shuttered.
In 2009, retired Cleveland plastics manufacturer Vince Slusarz took his savings and bought equipment from a New Jersey company that went out of business. He had it shipped it back to Cleveland and set it up in a former factory space in Asiatown’s Tyler Village where today it’s one of the few such pressing plants in the country, a go-to place for the manufacturing of vinyl records and packaging, including uique collectibles.
Now Slusarz is passing the torch.
In a press release, he writes, “There are a few certainties in life. Just as everyone has a limited amount of time on this planet, so does a business. A private company will, at some point, go out of business or ideally, be sold. Not selling (or not having a good exit strategy) can potentially leave the business in a precarious financial and managerial situation should something happen to original shareholder(s).”
No, Gotta Groove isn’t going out of business or leaving town after a sale to a third-party. Instead he’s transitioning leadership of the business to its current president Matt Earley and current vice president of operations, his son Vince aka JR.
“Matt, as most of you know, has been with us since June of 2009 as our head of sales and marketing,” says Slusarz. “JR started out as a press operator in 2009 — like all of us in those early days, he also worked in quality assurance and packaging. Within a few years he was helping us establish our second shift and, a few years later, took over production scheduling and running operations during my absence while obtaining his M.B.A. in the evenings.”
He adds, “I feel blessed that we have two experienced individuals guiding the company, and doubly blessed by our strong staff led by Tim Thornton, Heath Gmucs and Chris Smith. I will retain a small portion of the company ownership and will remain on the company’s board of directors. And I am not going anywhere —the day-to-day implementation of the transition will take several months, and I will subsequently remain involved as needed.”
For more information about Gotta Groove, go here.