C. F. Martin & Co. remains forever committed to being a socially responsible organization, and we want to share that commitment with the world. To that end, we have developed this annual impact report, which details some of our efforts to care for our employees, our community, and the environment. This report serves as a framework to advance these efforts and provide an update on annual progress. Table
Dear Friends, Partners, and Community,
In 2024, we celebrated another record year for the company, a result of our relentless focus on helping Martin players around the world Unleash their Inner Artist and our progress on various strategic priorities. One of these priorities is to be a socially responsible company, which, to us, means acting responsibly toward our Employees, Communities, and Environment.
At Martin Guitar, social responsibility is deeply embedded in our culture and the way we conduct business. It engages all our employees and partners, influencing every aspect of our company. It is with great pride that I share our 2024 Annual Impact Report, reflecting on a year of achievements, progress, and meaningful contributions.
Regarding our employees, beyond offering competitive compensation, we continue to provide programs focused on health and wellness, professional development, training and educational support, and employee rewards and recognition. As a company rooted in music, we encourage our employees to learn an instrument and enhance their playing skills.
now, we have been an active supporter of United Way, and last year, we increased our company participation in the annual campaign by 100 percent.
We remain strongly committed to our planet and actively seek opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint, minimize waste through reducing, reusing, and recycling materials, and support responsible sourcing and giving back. Examples include the introduction of the GPCE Inception™ Maple to further expand our line of sustainable guitars, obtaining LEED certification for our Commerce Lane Distribution Center, and planting 1,000 trees with the Wildlands Conservancy in Pennsylvania.
But the journey doesn’t stop here. As we look ahead, we remain focused on Unleashing the Artist Within, crafting the finest guitars, ukuleles, and strings for artists and passionate music enthusiasts around the world, and creating an even greater impact as a socially responsible company.
Thank you for your continued support, passion, and belief in what we do. Together, we create more than music—we create impact.
All the Best, “We remain strongly committed to our planet and actively seek opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint, minimize waste through reducing, reusing, and recycling materials, and support responsible sourcing and giving back.”
We actively and visibly participate in the communities we are part of by donating funds to various causes through the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation, Martin Guitar Company, and individual contributions. We also dedicate our time and resources to supporting initiatives and organizations that strengthen our communities. For many years
Thomas Ripsam President and CEO
For nearly two centuries, the one constant that has made C. F. Martin & Co. special is its people. Without the dedicated employees who show up every day and take pride in making the best acoustic guitars and strings in the world, we would not be thriving today. And we know this will be true for centuries to come. So, it is no surprise that nurturing our valued employees is at the top of our priority list. Here, we share a few programs in place to ensure our coworkers’ well-being.
Martin’s wellness program incentivizes employees to participate in wellness activities by reducing their healthcare premiums by 31-79% for an average annual premium reduction of $480.
$480 AVERAGE ANNUAL HEALTHCARE PREMIUM SAVINGS
Our internal safety committee meets monthly to address safety concerns and potential safety hazards.
We continue to provide onsite flu vaccinations free to our coworkers and fund biometric screenings for our coworkers.
Martin encourages employees to learn to play the guitar by reimbursing them for guitar lessons.
We support our artist employees by actively promoting their gigs to the rest of the company.
All Martin employees enjoy a significant discount on two guitars per year, one of which can be shared with a friend or family member.
We provide employees up to $4,000 annually for classes and $750 annually for books.
In 2024, we executed companywide Workplace Harassment and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion trainings.
We regularly review against market our compensation rates and packages.
Martin’s Continuous Improvement Program encourages employees from all areas of the organization to develop projects that improve upon our processes. Participants can win a group trip to New York City to see a Broadway play and enjoy a delicious lunch.
At C. F. Martin & Co., we know that we would not be successful without the tremendous support of our customers and the many organizations we partner with to produce our instruments and strings. We are also incredibly grateful to all the musicians across the globe who put their trust in our instruments to bring joy to the world through their music. With this gratitude, we feel a deep sense of commitment to giving back to our local community and the greater music community. Here, we share a few organizations that we supported in 2024.
Established in 1996, the foundation supports Martin Guitar’s engagement with nonprofit music, arts, education, environmental action, and human service organizations.
EDUCATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMUNITY SERVICES ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES
93
TOTAL GRANTS AWARDED
$596,500*
TOTAL GRANT MONEY
*Includes an additional $100,000 donation to United Way
The Martin Donations Committee is a dedicated group of Martin employees who meet quarterly to determine which local and national charities to which the company will donate money. These donations are in addition to the funds donated through the Martin Charitable Foundation. In 2024, the Donations Committee awarded $268,505 across dozens of charitable organizations.
Each year, we match up to $250 per employee for any local or national charity that is close to their heart. In 2024, we collected via coworker donations and our company matching donation program over $33,000 for organizations that included the American Cancer Society, Second Harvest Food Bank, United Way, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and ASPCA.
$268,505*
TOTAL DONATIONS
*Includes an additional $100,000 donation to United Way
$33,000* IN CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS
*Total does not include Chris Martin's personal and generous donations to United Way and other charities throughout the year.
Throughout the year, we donate guitars to support organizations that provide much-needed environmental awareness education and provide music education and tools to aspiring musicians who may not otherwise have the opportunity. In 2024, we donated over $32,000 in instruments.
DONATED OVER $32,000 IN INSTRUMENTS
Guitars for Glory is a nonprofit organization formed by friends who are passionate about their faith and music. Music is an amazing blessing that we often take for granted. There are many communities around the world who do not have access to the instruments we can so easily get our hands on. Guitars for Glory's sole desire is to put guitars and instruments in the hands of churches, schools, missionaries, and orphanages. Their hope is to enhance their musical experience and build up worship leaders within the community through the giving guitars, and musical training.
The Nazareth Center for the Arts offers an active schedule throughout the year that includes live music performances spanning a wide range of genres, art exhibitions and receptions in their gallery, poetry readings, storytelling, documentary film series, open mic nights, theater workshops, writing sessions, classes, and special events for all ages and interests.
Save the Music Foundation’s mission is to help students, schools, and communities reach their full potential through the power of making music. As one of the leading music foundations in the United States, they support their partner communities by donating instruments and music technology, providing support services for teachers, and advocating for music eduction.
Each year, Martin employees participate in United Way’s Day of Caring. In 2024, there were two separate events.
The Grist Mill Park in Hellertown, PA, is a multi-use public space that includes athletic fields, stream fishing, pond fishing, and a historic Grist Mill site used by the Hellertown Historical Society to host community events. The raceway canal that feeds water to the Grist Mill borders the entire length of the park. It had become overgrown with small trees and brush that detracted from the park’s appearance and the historical preservation of the Grist Mill. Martin employees worked as a team to trim back the brush along the canal and restore it to its natural beauty.
gracedale.org
Martin employees helped residents of Gracedale Nursing Home in our hometown of Nazareth, PA, celebrate the change of seasons at their Fall Harvest Festival on September 19th. They started the day making fall-themed crafts that residents could take with them to the afternoon festival. After working their crafting muscles, they helped decorate for the festival. In the afternoon, Martin employees and residents spent time together chatting, dancing, and enjoying tasty treats.
Protecting the environment is of utmost importance to C. F. Martin & Co. Whether it is supporting reforestation projects, using alternative tonewoods, minimizing waste, or saving energy throughout our facilities, we keep sustainability at the forefront of every decision we make. We were the first guitar manufacturer to implement an environmental policy in 1990, achieving Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) Chain-of-Custody certification (License Code FSC-C008304). Ever since, we have collaborated with numerous environmental organizations because we strive to be good stewards of the planet and because, at Martin, every day is Earth Day.
We provided financial support to a Republic of Congo hospital that serves the indigenous population, where we source FSCcertified ebony, sipo, and sapele wood. The 2024 funds were used to hire translators for the indigenous people who speak a variety of languages so that they can better communicate with the doctors.
We provided financial support for Central American reforestation of cocobolo and rosewood through Hearne Hardwoods and Diamond Tropical Hardwoods.
We provided financial support for the reforestation of Dalbergia in Costa Rica through Diamond Teak Hardwoods.
In addition to providing financial support, Martin employees helped the Wildlands Conservancy plant 325 trees along the Saucon Creek, which will stabilize the banks of the creek, protect water quality, provide habitat for wildlife, and limit flood impacts on the site and downstream. Some of the species that were planted are keystone species that support hundreds of PA-native insect species. Others will provide large clusters of flowers and fruits to beautify the park for decades to come.
The DSS Biosphere II is the third model in our Earth Day series showcasing another stunning work of art from acclaimed artist Robert Goetzl.
This edition takes us to the waters off the coast of Hawaii, and is a tribute to the Keiki Kohola Project – Caring for Calves in Maui Waters, a nonprofit that promotes the protection of humpback whale mother and calf pairs during their time in Hawaiian waters.
This model is FSC® certified (license code FSC-C008304), 100% plastic free, and is adorned with the Preferred by Nature Hummingbird Seal.
We launched our first Inception model, whose primary materials are sustainably sourced in North America.
Combining nature and technology, this unique handcrafted acousticelectric features skeletonized scalloped bracing and sonic channels inside the body for increased resonance and superior tone.
The GPCE Inception Maple is made from a combination of sustainable and domestically abundant tonewoods, including an FSC®certified European spruce top, maple sides, and an eye-catching three-piece back of maple and black walnut, providing a clear, projective, and balanced tone.
We received LEED Certification for our Commerce Lane distribution and storage facility.
We changed from using nylon 3D-printed composite parts on SC models to injection-molded, 100% renewable, and biodegradable parts.
We changed the exterior material on all gig bags and softshell cases in both Nazareth and Mexico to materials made from recycled plastics.
We started using artificially propagated mahogany for some Nazareth instruments.
We started using wood falloff to create blocks and necks for instruments.
We implemented reusable shopping bags in our 1833 Shop retail store.
We launched sailing vessel shipments to our distributor in France.
We partnered with U-Turn Audio to create a turntable and also developed a guitar stand, both made from reclaimed falloff.
We replaced printed product materials with a QR code link that is laser etched onto repurposed wood falloff.
Fourteen of the company's 44 Continuous Improvement Projects aligned with our sustainability priorities in 2024. Half of these sustainability inclined projects were completed in our Navojoa factory. Our team members focused on reducing waste, eliminating excessive transportation, and using less paper to track items in their operations. Representatives from the project teams enjoyed an overnight trip to nearby Alamos to recognize their contributions.
47.4 TONS OF CARDBOARD
14.9 TONS OF SCRAP METAL
1.2 TONS OF ELECTRONIC WASTE
2.3 TONS OF STRETCH WRAP/BAGS
2 CUBIC YARDS PER WEEK SINGLE STREAM
“I hope you agree with me that giving is good. And please give when you can.”
After my mom remarried, we moved to the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, when my stepdad got transferred there for his job as a stockbroker. I remember coming home from school one day with a form I could fill out. We had a presentation earlier in the day in the auditorium about the “Community Chest.”
This was a long-standing tradition in the Cleveland area—an organization dedicated to giving to those in need. I showed my mom the paper and asked what I should do. I didn’t have any money. She reminded me of my allowance. “Oh yeah, that thing that I don’t deserve because I was too lazy.” She suggested I donate part of my allowance to the Community Chest. I did and proudly came home the next day with a red feather pin in my lapel. Look it up if you are curious.
The Cleveland Community Chest set the standard for giving intelligently nationwide. Back when America didn’t have the support systems for the needy like we do now. We can’t take that federal, state, and local governmental support for granted.
Fast-forward to today. I am just finishing up my responsibilities as honorary chairman of United
Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. This is an annual event, and I’m so glad to have this opportunity to ask others to give to those in need.
My grandfather, C. F. Martin III, was very generous with his time and treasure. He inspired me to follow in his footsteps. When I first became CEO, business was terrible. But we persevered. Eventually, the acoustic guitar became hip again. Thank you, MTV Unplugged!
In 1996, we formed the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation. Our purpose is to provide support for nonprofit service organizations that support the needy where we live and work. We also support nonprofits that promote the benefits of playing the guitar nationally.
I hope you agree with me that giving is good. And please give when you can.
Sincerely,
C. F. Martin IV Chairman ofthe Board
