Leblanc, Inc. is a musical instrument manufacturer based in
Kenosha, WisconsinKenosha is a city in and the county seat of Kenosha County, United States. The city motto is "Great Town - Great People - Great Lake". With an estimated 2006 population of 96,240, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. The city lies on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, south of...
.
The company was purchased on 1 August 2004 by
Steinway Musical Instrument CompanySteinway & Sons, also known as Steinway, is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded in 1853 in New York City, by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg . The company's growth led to the opening of a factory and employee village in what is now Astoria, Queens, followed...
, which now operates Leblanc as a division of its
Conn-SelmerConn-Selmer, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of concert band, marching band, and orchestral instruments. It is a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. and was formed after Steinway bought musical instrument manufacturers The Selmer Company and C.G. Conn...
subsidiary.
Leblanc inc. employs approximately 300 workers at three sites in
WisconsinWisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...
(two in
KenoshaKenosha is a city in and the county seat of Kenosha County, United States. The city motto is "Great Town - Great People - Great Lake". With an estimated 2006 population of 96,240, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. The city lies on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, south of...
and one in
ElkhornElkhorn is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,305 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Walworth County.-Geography:Elkhorn is located at ....
) and about 40 workers in
La Couture-Boussey La Couture-Boussey is a commune in the Eure department in northern France....
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Léon Leblanc (1900-2000) and Vito Pascucci (1922-2003) founded the G.
Leblanc, Inc. is a musical instrument manufacturer based in
Kenosha, WisconsinKenosha is a city in and the county seat of Kenosha County, United States. The city motto is "Great Town - Great People - Great Lake". With an estimated 2006 population of 96,240, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. The city lies on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, south of...
.
The company was purchased on 1 August 2004 by
Steinway Musical Instrument CompanySteinway & Sons, also known as Steinway, is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded in 1853 in New York City, by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg . The company's growth led to the opening of a factory and employee village in what is now Astoria, Queens, followed...
, which now operates Leblanc as a division of its
Conn-SelmerConn-Selmer, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of concert band, marching band, and orchestral instruments. It is a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. and was formed after Steinway bought musical instrument manufacturers The Selmer Company and C.G. Conn...
subsidiary.
Leblanc inc. employs approximately 300 workers at three sites in
WisconsinWisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...
(two in
KenoshaKenosha is a city in and the county seat of Kenosha County, United States. The city motto is "Great Town - Great People - Great Lake". With an estimated 2006 population of 96,240, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. The city lies on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, south of...
and one in
ElkhornElkhorn is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,305 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Walworth County.-Geography:Elkhorn is located at ....
) and about 40 workers in
La Couture-Boussey La Couture-Boussey is a commune in the Eure department in northern France....
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
History
Léon Leblanc (1900-2000) and Vito Pascucci (1922-2003) founded the G. Leblanc Corporation in
Kenosha, WisconsinKenosha is a city in and the county seat of Kenosha County, United States. The city motto is "Great Town - Great People - Great Lake". With an estimated 2006 population of 96,240, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. The city lies on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, south of...
in 1946. The American company was set up to import woodwind instruments made in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
by G. Leblanc Cie.
G. Leblanc Cie. was a French company founded by Georges Leblanc late in the 19th century,in La Couture Boussey and in 1904 had acquired Noblet, the oldest instrument manufacturer in France.
The American Leblanc firm went on to manufacture student instruments under the Vito brand, named after founder Vito Pascucci.
Acquisition of other instrument companies and their brands
Leblanc broadened its product line further with the acquisition of several other companies: The
Frank Holton CompanyHolton is a division of Leblanc, Incorporated , and is Leblanc's trumpet, trombone, horn, and euphonium line. Holton was founded in 1896 by Frank Holton, a first trombonist under John Phillip Sousa, and was purchased by Leblanc in 1964. Holton produces horns under the labels of Holton, Farkas,...
(manufacturer of
brassBrass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin. Despite this distinction, some types of brasses are called bronzes. Brass is a...
instruments) in 1964; the Woodwind Company (manufacturer of woodwind
mouthpiecesThe mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument is that part of the instrument which is placed partly in the player's mouth. Single-reed instruments, capped double-reed instruments, and fipple flutes have mouthpieces while exposed double-reed instruments and open flutes do not.-Single-reed instruments:On...
) in 1968; and the
Martin Band Instrument CompanyThe Martin Band Instrument Company was a musical instrument manufacturer in Elkhart, Indiana.-John Henry Martin and the first Martin company:This company was actually the reappearance of a previous company. John Henry Martin The Martin Band Instrument Company was a musical instrument manufacturer...
(manufacturer of brass instruments and saxophones) in 1971.
Since 1981 Leblanc has been the exclusive marketer and distributor of
YanagisawaYanagisawa Wind Instruments is a Japanese woodwind company known for its range of student, intermediate and professional grade saxophones. Along with Yamaha they are one of the leading manufacturers of saxophones in Japan....
saxophones in the United States and Canada.
In 1989 the American Leblanc firm acquired majority interest in G. Leblanc Cie. and took over its management. 2004 saw the firm sold to Conn-Selmer, a division of Steinway and Sons, by its Chairman, President and CEO, Leon Pascucci, son of founder, Vito.