Two Yamahas One Passion

In the early morning hours of Friday, March 26th, a devastating EF4 tornado struck the town of Newnan, Georgia, home to our Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Company (YMMC) factory and many of our employees and their families. One of the more severely damaged structures was Newnan High School, and particularly devastating was the fact that the Newnan High School Band lost virtually everything in the destruction.

According to Dr. Joshua Boyd, the Director of Bands for the high school, “I knew the kids needed music and band, now more than ever. My goal was to try and get the Marching Band back up and running by the fall to help our kids deal with the emotional roller coaster that was caused by the tornado.”

Over the next few weeks, the staff at YMMC worked together in unison with a team from YCA (Yamaha Corporation of America) to develop a plan to assist Dr. Boyd and his band to get back on their feet and ready to go for the fall opening of school and the marching season. “When I heard about the devastating destruction of the tornado in the town where YMMC was located, I immediately asked what we could do to help.” said David Jewell, Partnerships and Alliances Manager for YCA. “When we found out about the destruction of the entire Band complex we were more than happy to help them secure instruments for the fall marching season.”

The new instruments were delivered in person this week to the delight of the students and faculty of Newnan High School by members of YCA and YMMC.

“Yamaha didn’t just help us acquire all of the marching brass, low reeds, and marching drums that we needed.” said Dr. Boyd. “They worked a shipping miracle to get them here on time, one that involved the instrument division getting their hands on inventory from places all over the country, and taking care of the shipping and receiving such that our new equipment arrived together at the YMMC plant here in Newnan. Every time we take the field, or play a concert, Yamaha is with us #NewnanStrong and they are forever “Cougar Family.”

“The smiles on the students faces truly gave me a sense rather than a logic of how “Two Yamahas, One Passion” can be such a strong emotional bond between our two companies and the experiences and the memories that we are providing,” said YMMC President Takahiro Imanishi.

To watch the touching video of this story, please click here.