40 Under Forty 2019: Mike Ciprari
Photo | Erika Sidor
From the 20th anniversary of WBJ's 40 Under Forty edition are (from left) 2019 winner Mike Ciprari, 2010 alumni Andy Lacombe, 2019 winner Charlotte Bradrick, 2019 winner Eric D. Batista, and 2008 alumni Michael Covino at the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Visitor Center in Worcester.
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Mike Ciprari, 34
Co-founder
SJC Custom Drums, Southbridge
Residence: Dudley
Birthplace: Southbridge
What began has a hobby for Ciprari and his brother 19 years ago in their grandparents’ basement has become one of the Central Mass. music industry’s best kept secrets. The drum manufacturer worked with some of the industry’s best acts even before the company was featured on CNBC’s “The Profit” with investor Marcus Lemonis, who helped the friends-and-family company become even more of a household name among punk rockers. The list of musicians to have used SJC’s drum kits includes New Found Glory, Jimmy Eat World, Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, Slipknot, Twenty One Pilots, Green Day, and Imagine Dragons. Much of that networking and word-of-mouth outreach was done while Ciprari himself was on the road with punk band No Trigger. SJC was featured on “Raw Craft” with the late Anthony Bourdain in 2017. Last year, the company moved into a 60,000-square-foot space in Southbridge, with an abundance of manufacturing space and a showroom to display a large collection of drum kits used by the best punk rock drummers. Ciprari and the company have used that status among punk rockers to do some good, hosting workshops around the world for School of Rock students and collaborating with shoe company Vans on drum workshops to inspire young musicians. – Profile written by Zachary Comeau
Who is most responsible for your success? My family, specifically my mom and dad. Without them supporting me playing drums at the age of 9, none of this would have been possible.
Whose career do you most want to emulate? Steve Van Doren, owner of the skateboard shoe-and-apparel company Vans, one of the most creative business owners I've seen. The way he runs his company is inspiring to me.
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