1961 was a pivotal year in American history. John F. Kennedy had just been inaugurated, the Peace Corps was founded, the space race was beginning to take off and in the national pastime of baseball, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris vied for Babe Ruth’s home run record. And famous people from all walks of life were born including Barack Obama, Scott Baio, Michael J. Fox, George Clooney, and Wayne Gretsky.

History

When Bert Kurtz founded Salesmaster in 1961, it bore little resemblance to today’s entity. Essentially, it was formed in East Meadow, New York as a sales agency with installation supplies sold on the side. Through a combination of vision, smart financial management, and hard work, the company flourished.

As Salesmaster grew, it attracted the talented and the capable with Ray Izatt joining fresh from the service in 1971 and Bert’s son, Steve, bringing his financial and management talents on board in 1977.

The organization progressed rapidly and continually, adding outside sales, pioneering innovative marketing programs, and bringing the best lines in the industry under the Salesmaster umbrella. And, most recently, Salesmaster opened its New England SuperCenter in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The company is now run by Steve Kurtz (President), Ray Izatt (Vice President, Sales), Mark Watkins (Vice President, MIS), and Tony Giannattasio (Vice President, Finance).

The organization has not only continued its family orientation and philosophy internally but has also extended that mindset to include customers and vendors. The vision, the importance placed on customer support, and the emphasis on hiring the best people has only grown stronger in the years since Bert founded the company. The management team is fully committed to maintaining these guiding principles in the future.