Farmingdale CEO Wins Entrepreneur Award

Jim D'Addario, CEO of the Farmingdale-based guitar strings manufacturer , was recently named the Ernst & Young New York Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 in the Distribution, Manufacturing and Construction category.

According to Ernst & Young, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in areas like innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. D’Addario was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a gala event at the Marriott Marquis in June.

“It’s an honor to be selected as a winner of this esteemed award,” said D’Addario. “It is a testament to the hard work of everyone at D’Addario & Company, and we are grateful for the recognition from such a prestigious organization.”

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards Program celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Past winners of this award include Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Arthur M. Blank of AMB Group, LLC (Home Depot, Atlanta Falcons) and Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc.

As a New York award winner, D’Addario is now eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 National Award. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year National Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on Nov. 12, 2011.

The D’Addario family's string-making dates back to 1680 when Donato D’Addario was born into the trade in Salle, Italy. After immigrating to the U.S.A. in 1905 Charles D’Addario began first importing strings from his family in Italy and eventually began manufacturing in a home workshop in Astoria, Queens.

The present company was founded in 1973 and began manufacturing guitar strings. Through a series of acquisitions the company expanded to become the world’s largest manufacturer of musical instrument accessories.

Headquartered in Farmingdale, D’Addario products are sold in more than 120 countries and are the preferred choice of professional musicians worldwide including Dave Matthews, Daryl Jones (The Rolling Stones) and Lenny Kravitz.