Guitar Center Appoints Rich Hoalst Executive Vice President and Chief Customer
Officer
Newly created position realigns marketing and eCommerce into one administrative teamWestlake Village, CA (August 17, 2022) – Guitar Center, the world’s largest musical instrument retailer,
announces the appointment of Rich Hoalst to the position Executive Vice President and Chief Customer
Officer. As a member of the Management Committee, Hoalst will report directly to Ron Japinga,
President and CEO. This newly created position represents an organizational realignment for Guitar
Center Inc., in which all marketing and eCommerce activities will be combined into one administrative
team. The appointment furthers Guitar Center’s ongoing endeavors toward assembling highly effective
executive teams while ensuring the market is receiving one unified message.
In his new role, Hoalst will oversee Guitar Center corporate marketing and public relations, CRM for all
brands company-wide, performance marketing, brand marketing and creative for Guitar Center andMusician’s Friend, eCommerce and contact center operations for Musician’s Friend and Guitar Center;and the refinement and maintenance of the seamless consumer journey for Guitar Center andMusician’s Friend.
Hoalst joins the company with more than 25 years’ experience as a global, multi-channel executive withan extensive background in retail merchandising and eCommerce across iconic brands. He brings ahighly successful track record of creating elevated retail experiences, both physical and digital, in waysthat serve consumers and drive financial performance. Most recently, Hoalst was Senior Vice President –Pharmacy, Drugstore, Beauty, General Merchandise, Health & Wellness, at H-E-B, a privately held
supermarket chain with stores throughout Texas and northeast Mexico. Here he reinvented the nonfood businesses and created a successful health & wellness strategy. Prior to H-E-B, Hoalst was Vice
President/General Manager, eCommerce, Nike, Inc., North America, where he was responsible for thefull digital commerce across all devices and apps for Nike, Jordan, Converse and Hurley. Earlier in hiscareer, he held positions with Kohls and Fred Meyer.
“I am incredibly excited to join such a great organization and learn from everyone to help continue tomove the business forward. I find great enjoyment in guiding organizations to the next level of growth,efficiency, and profitability,” said Hoalst. “Throughout my career, I have prided myself in leading teams
that work to serve the ever-changing needs of the customer, take risks, and pursue innovations and will
utilize this expertise further as we continue to grow Guitar Center.”“We are thrilled to add Rich to our executive team and combine the marketing and eCommerce
departments into one super task force with a unified message,” said Japinga. “Rich has the perspective
and deep experience to grow the brand and help our organization navigate the future and I look forward
to serving the industry and our customers together.”For more information, visit GuitarCenter.com or Guitar Center on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram andYouTube.
###Photo file: RichHoalst.JPG
Photo caption: Rich Hoalst, Guitar Center Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer
About Guitar Center:Guitar Center is a leading retailer of musical instruments, lessons, repairs and rentals in the U.S. With
nearly 300 stores across the U.S. and one of the top direct sales websites in the industry, Guitar Centerhas helped people make music for more than 50 years. Guitar Center also provides customers withvarious musician-based services, including Guitar Center Lessons, where musicians of all ages and skill
levels can learn to play a variety of instruments in many music genres; GC Repairs, an on-site
maintenance and repairs service; and GC Rentals, a program offering easy rentals of instruments andother sound reinforcement gear. Additionally, Guitar Center’s sister brands include Music & Arts, which
operates more than 200 stores specializing in band & orchestral instruments for sale and rental, serving
teachers, band directors, college professors and students, and Musician’s Friend, a leading direct
marketer of musical instruments in the United States. For more information about Guitar Center, please
visit www.guitarcenter.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:Clyne Media | pr@clynemedia.com
Guitar Center | media@guitarcenter.com
Edelman | GuitarCenter@edelman.com