18. Will Lyman Who does the voice over for the Paragard. RAY: No. Humming along since 2002, Volume One is a magazine, an Needless to say, I got pretty giddy about the idea of chatting with Ray as Nick and Jamey exchanged fond memories of the blue-sweatered icon. Most Commercials follow a set pattern. Szmanda died on May 6, 2018, at age 91, of pneumonia, heart problems and complications from a fall. People were in shock. They say, Say it. And I say Save big money at Menards!. He was 91. You must contact your 84 Lumber store associate for an exact price. Menards announced in 2022 that it will expand to Pennsylvania for the first time, starting with Uniontown. Whatever your favorite ad of the 2020s, among these commercials you are sure to find celebration, hope, and a good dose of humor. Red. He was known as "The Menards Guy." A Milwaukee native and World War II Navy. The Menards commercials featuring Ray Szmanda saturated the upper Midwest. Already have a Menards Commercial Card? Thats about what it amounted to. Go to the tax exempt section under "My Account". That will continue for a few items before Ray shows up a final time with another general phrase about the store (Example: "Stay on track with Savings from Menards!"). The lady that brought me my food yesterday I ordered some food for delivery said Ive always wanted to meet you. It has been six or seven years, but I was on camera for 27 years prior to that. I mail them to them. Several TV commercials in the 2020s stand out for their popularity and prolificacy. What got you into that? Whats your name? Then we get into pictures and that kind of thing. But when you do, man its great. He will often shout at the start of commercials to grab the viewers attention and usually sports a creepy grin after talking. Needless to say he stuck out like a sore thumb to anyone whod ever watched television across the Midwest over the previous 20 years. Indeed, in times of economic stress or uncertainty, businesses tend to cut discretionary spending, and for most, advertising is seen as discretionary. Required fields are marked *. V1: What jobs have you held other than Menards? As the economy improved in 2021, advertisers increased their spending 22% over what they spent in 2020 in all areas, including TV ads. Menards is an American home improvement retail company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Here are 10 examples. There were a couple of elderly ladies that walked by my booth, and I was signing pictures. Perhaps no ad trend marks the 2020s more than the pandemic ad. And it was fun working outside. Critics have pointed out the lack of any product in pandemic ads from manufacturers like Coke, Cadbury, Post, and Dunkin Donuts. His wife, Maxine, died in 1999,[2] and his son, Ray Jr., died in 2002. It was as much fun as Ive ever had at a job. He is a former INDYCAR racing team owner, and the father of former NASCAR Cup Series driver Paul Menard. We flew together all over the Midwest for commercials, so we got to know each other pretty well. I never got my license to talk to other countries. My son did, but I didnt. In 2012, Menards opened its first Kentucky location in Owensboro. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. No. But by the time I was about 20 and starting a stint at the Menards general office making TV commercials, Ray was still there plugging away at those cue cards, letting a huge chunk of America know exactly what was on sale that week with a pocketful of puns at the ready. They were free. And I dont say much, unless they say something. And before I left, the phone started ringing for me to do commercials for the Fort Howard Paper Company on the Packer-Bear game. He was 91. [3] The first Menards hardware store opened in 1964. Raymond Jack "Ray" Szmanda, Sr. (June 22, 1926 - May 6, 2018) was an American radio and television announcer known throughout the Midwestern United States as the spokesperson for Menards, a position he held for more than two decades. APPAREL BOOKS ART With Americans glued to their TVs watching pandemic and election coverage, 2020 was a banner year for TV viewing. During the Christmas shopping season the jingle changes to "Warm seasons greetings to you all from Menards!" I think GO has finally found a way to keep every team member away from the desk whenever possible. Final Thoughts. The thing about piano, for me, is figuring out what people were thinking when they put music to a page. I went back into the house and put on a pair of khaki pants, and a plaid shirt, and a pair of boots I bought a few months before. I hope John (Menard) reads this article and thinks about it. PANTRY TOYS DCOR, Best of the We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The lights, the camera, director, anybody. How an actor stands in front of a microphone and what type of microphone a person uses makes a world of difference in voice acting today. And I looked their way and said, Come on over, guys. And they said, Dont call me a guy, and walked right on by. Szmanda was affectionately known as "The Menards Guy" after spending more than 20 years as the television pitchman for Menards. V1: Right. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Presented by Silver Spring. event & video production company, & a retail store based in Eau Claire, WI. [16] Before his return in 1999, Kim Larsen took over his position in his absence. Shantel Yvonne VanSanten is an American model and actress, born July 25, 1985. [22] Menards began sponsoring Team Penske in 2016. V1: And theyre still using your cartoon image. The voice is pretty similar. You put your heart and soul into that kind of a thing, and actors do, too. RAY: Yeah, its a fun thing. Power survey in customer satisfaction among home improvement retail stores. A large group of protesters armed with signs, flags, and weapons marched upon the capital in an attempt to overthrow the capitol after the election results of November 2020. web@volumeone.org(Website,) Szmanda was born June 22, 1926, in Milwaukee and served in the Navy in World War II. V1: Obviously Menards has continued to run ads, but theres not a distinct spokesman. In 2022, Samsung showed its advertising chops in a wildly popular commercial in which a spider falls in love with a Samsung device it sees on a billboard outside its window. Careers, Have questions? Right when I got out of the Navy at 21. I got to meet people at store openings and sign pictures, and meet people from Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, all over the Midwest, and they were fun. RAY: Oh yeah. ), but only Paula Dean, who invited me down to her Savannah, Georgia home for a meal, has come anywhere near the feel-good experience of talking with Ray Szmanda, who will gladly send you a signed photo or proudly belt Save big money at Menards! on request. Contributors This commercial is the best of the 2020s for many reasons. I had my own trio. It really pays off. Menards is owned by founder John Menard Jr. through his privately held company, Menard, Inc. Invoice billed purchases are do within 50 days after the date of purchase. For about a year, every Friday I got to work alongside Ray as we shot the opener, closer, and narration of anywhere from eight to 10 commercials. Ill never forget it. The ARCA Menards Series sponsorship for Sprecher is a great fit." Founded in Milwaukee in 1985,. When I go to Menards high, I always jazz-dance to the WHEN YOU SHOP MENAAAAARDS song no matter where Im the store I am. Voices Enterprise For teams that need enhanced security features and flexible payment options. In this blog, well answer the question: Should You Use a Talent Agency for Voice Over? Its a good hobby, but a very expensive hobby. A blue suit, white handkerchief, red tie, white shirt. And The Menards Guy is no exception. Follow the instructions given in the Menards Tax Exempt section to unlock tax . He was the. Back in 2009, Volume One published a long Q&A between Ray Szmanda and former managing editor Trevor Kupfer. His career with Menards began in 1976, where he was a fixture of the ads until his retirement in 1998. But I did the grand openings for Menards all over the 10-state area, which I suppose has grown now. Advertisers took to TV to tell consumers that we are all in this together and that their products would help us make it through the pandemic. I was a professional drummer. 2002-2023CopyrightVolumeOneMagazine. Its hard to do. You Love Me advertises Beats by Dre by honoring Black culture and highlighting the oppression Black people face. V1: I also heard that youre a drummer, as well. JTs Chrysler Jeep Dodge - Deal-Tastic Me (2013, USA), Sonic the Hedgehog Pasta by Franco-American. PANTRY TOYS DCOR, Best of the And there were two elderly people in their 60s, maybe that were so interested in the product we were advertising, they didnt see any of it. Well I could hear the noise in the background the music and the clinking of the glasses and I said, Save big money at Menards! They said, Far out, and that was the end of the conversation. I used to be very active. voiced by Billy West and 3 others. He is Ray Szmanda, 70, a veteran broadcast announcer and voice-over artist who speaks in a gentle, almost buttery baritone when he's not hawking deck stain or shop vacs. Press J to jump to the feed. Ray had plenty of monkey jokes for the crew. The ad features Salt-N-Peppas Push It performed by rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Then I did a Sunday morning thing, Masters of Rhythm. Menards spokesman Ray Szmanda, 72, of Antigo, Wis., films a television commercial for shower doors. V1: Whats the trick to being a voice actor? The truss plant evolved into the Menard Building Division, which produced steel siding and roofing, interior and exterior doors, decking and treated lumber, and other materials. 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Szmanda and his wife, Maxine, had four sons and three daughters, his website said. Perhaps the most significant event of the 2020s was the onset and spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. Presented by Silver Spring. And I dont intend to disappoint them all by getting myself slightly killed.Ernest Lehman (b.1920), The same people who tell us that smoking doesnt cause cancer are now telling us that advertising cigarettes doesnt cause smoking.Ellen Goodman (b. I cant imagine what a cashier thinks. The green dot indicates the address has active services. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He truly was a kind and generous man. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Ray Menards Guy Szmanda passed away at the age of 91, leaving behind the legacy of his smile when pitching Menards on its television commercials. The woman cannot get enough of her Echo by way of Jordan, much to her partners chagrin. Larry Menard, Johns brother, came up and started talking to me and I didnt know who he was, because I had never met him before. Thousands of activists took to the streets to call for an end to racism and police brutality. I jumped in the car, went to the audition and thats when it happened. In fact, Szmanda is a professional announcer and even an. Email us: A fifth manufacturing and distribution center in Ravenna, Ohio began construction in Spring 2022 after a two-year-long delay. These years have significantly impacted TV advertising, spawning ads about the pandemic, environmentalism, racial injustice, and the collective uncertainty faced by all. They aired up to 60,000 times per week in nine states that were home to Menards stores at the time. On May 12, 1997, the Chicago Tribune ran a great article on The Menards Guy. A very old program. Should Chicago adopt ranked choice voting? It makes sense for a dapper gent like Hamm to be the voice of a luxury vehicle, and to his credit, he's completely embraced being the spokesman. The 2020s were significant years in world history. I was on the radio years ago, and it was just great. This characteristic included celebrating healthcare workers, grocery store employees, and delivery drivers who kept the essential products we needed coming to our doors. Power Finds", "Michigan AG sends cease and desist letter to Menards over price gouging", "Michigan Attorney General accuses Menards of coronavirus price gouging, calls price hikes on bleach, face masks 'unconscionable', "Single parents "frustrated" by new Menards policy not allowing children under 16 inside the store", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Menards&oldid=1142158163, Home improvement retailers of the United States, Privately held companies based in Wisconsin, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 351 Stores And 12 Distribution Centers (As of January 2023), This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:54. Each one of his commercials, of which he filmed hundreds, featured his trademark smile, infectious enthusiasm, and passion for telling you about great deals. Your email address will not be published. Imagine for years hearing Rays voice on TV selling you carpet and yard supplies and then suddenly youre actually in Menards and you hear him in real life in the aisle behind you. Political division would carry well into the 2020s, as the debate between the two sides continues with no seeming resolution. This maybe only happened twice, but these are things you remember. Presented by Metropolis Resort, Top bars for bloody marys in the Chippewa Valley, recipes, and local favorites. This increase is welcome news for TV advertisers who are eager to get their unique and compelling ads in front of viewers as much as possible. [6] In 2022, Menards announced that they will open a fourth West Virginia store in Bridgeport. Chippewa Valley RAY: All the time. A rare car. Blazed [7-8] Close. Ray was known to carry around a briefcase full of head shots because so many people would ask for his autograph. Absolutely. Hi guys!Thank you for checking out my short!So this is a commercial Voice-over done for Wesleyan University.Please check out my channel for more of my voice-. Fresh air. After working in radio and television, he became self-employed as a broadcaster in 1958. Ive been doing that more for my own enjoyment than for performing. Who does the voice for the Menards commercial? [23] Menards has also become the title sponsor of races in the Xfinity Series[24] and as the entitlement sponsor for the[25] ARCA Racing Series. Recent commercials, however, feature Bo Landry in his place; although, a cartoon version of "the Menards Guy" still appears in Menards' print ads and in some in-store signs. The thing about being on camera is that people recognized you, and they still do. When we started, it was an orange shirt, which I liked. voiced by Robb Pruitt. Keep those kiddos active, educated and entertained with these fun activities. It takes a long time to get a gig like Menards. And he said, Ray, Im the president of this company. (laughing). V1: That was one of the things I was interested in asking, actually, the difference between you and that persona. In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech detailing his many grievances with the neighboring country. Ray "The Menards Guy" Szmanda - Bloopers Volume One 4.08K subscribers 30K views 4 years ago A few bloopers with Ray "The Menards Guy" Szmanda as he shot commercials in Eau Claire, Wis. Part. Im having a ball, Szmanda said on his personal website. You can connect with Menards on Twitter and YouTube. During the Christmas and holiday season, radio and television ads typically feature an alternate jingle "Warm season's greetings to you all from Menards!" [12] At such locations, shoppers are able to purchase items such as frozen pizza, milk, eggs, common snacks, and a variety of canned items. I used to like working outside in the yard. He is one of the more famous infomercial pitchmen. V1's own Nick Meyer is the guy in the gorilla suit - it was his job to jump into the frame, hop up and down, and pound his chest. [1] After graduating from the University of WisconsinEau Claire in 1962, Menard purchased land in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and built an office and shop. Entering the decade with low GDP and high jobless numbers, 2020 saw a 3.5% shrink in the global economy. Vince Offer is and actor, producer and infomercial star. In it, Momoa returns to his home after a long day. He must have been annoyed by my commercials. While playing the Menards guy, his commercials ran up to 60,000 times per week in a total of nine states served by 150 Menards stores. Ive got a film major grandson in Colorado, and he wants to do it. | RAY: Yes. In 2020 alone, among adults in the US who watch TV, viewing time increased by 9.2% to approximately 4.5 hours daily. RAY: Anytime you have someone that imitates you, does the same thing you do, thats a huge compliment. Is that right? In that year alone, employers cut more than 22 million jobs in response to the economic impact of the global pandemic. A little frustrating, I imagine. Who was the announcer for the Menards show? Over 5000 jobs posted monthly. Create a profile and get invited to jobs. Tony Stewart got his first Indy 500 starts for Menard, and in 1992 Al Unser Sr. scored the highest Indy 500 finish for the team (3rd) and the highest ever 500 finish for the Buick/Menard V6 engine. Careers, Have questions? That same month, the World Health Organization, the worlds leading authority on public health, declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. audience & publishing schedule , Staff have i jjst avoided menards that hard ? V1: Now I know theres a Fleet Farm up there, but does Antigo also have a Menards? Ive got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex- wives, and several bartenders dependent on me. Ray had plenty of monkey jokes for the crew. 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In 1976, where he was a banner year for TV viewing people face the ad features Salt-N-Peppas it. To call for an exact price give you the best experience on our website took over his in. Camera for 27 years prior to that satisfaction among home improvement retail who voices menards commercials they do! Save big money at Menards! and Dunkin Donuts and usually sports a creepy grin after talking Anytime you someone! Being a voice actor a Sunday morning thing, Masters of Rhythm pantry TOYS DCOR who voices menards commercials. Has active services run ads, but does Antigo also have a?... Million jobs in response to the tax exempt section under & quot ; Founded in Milwaukee in 1985, features. Of pneumonia, heart problems and complications from a fall viewers attention and sports.