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. Ray Szmanda He has also produced and starred in the films Underground Comedy Movie and The Inappropriate Comedy with. Ray Szmanda appears as the Menards guy on one of its commercials (YouTube.com). Spanish commercials are accompanied with a mariachi mix of the banjo accompaniment. VanSanten was born in Luverne, Minnesota. Presented by Silver Spring. When do I receive my Menards commercial invoice? For other uses, see, An example of the older exterior of the Menards store in, "Bloomberg Billionaires Index - John Menard Jr", "Meet The Best Hardware Store In the Nation, And The Midwestern Billionaire Who Built It: John Menard Jr", "Menards is building centers in Iowa, Ohio instead of Eau Claire", "Home improvement store Menards opens Morgantown (West Virginia) location; 207,000 square feet", "Menards Bridgeport, West Virginia build shows signs of life", "Menards shows signs of life in Parkersburg", "Major investment planned in Ravenna in 2022", "Ravenna planners OK Menards' $52 million project", "More details emerge about Menards coming to Fayette County", "The Marketing 100: Menards: John Menard", "Seasoned Menards guy is hard to wear out", "The "Save Big Money at Menards" Jingle: A History", "Menards to Continue Partnership with RCR XFINITY Programs - Richard Childress Racing", "Crafton, Menards extend ThorSport partnership", "Menards doubles sponsorship deal with Penske, Pagenaud for 2017", "Menards to continue IndyCar sponsorship with Team Penske", "XFINITY Series race results for Menards 250 at Michigan", "ARCA and Menards Announce Partenership Expansion", "NASCAR's Matt Crafton Enters May 15 Menards 200 - ARCA Racing", https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-truck-series-news/75161-matt-crafton-and-menards-mark-a-historic-20-year-partnership, "Home Improvement Retailers Fight Inflation with Stand-Out Customer Service, J.D. RAY: Oh yeah. The Menards commercials featuring Ray Szmanda saturated the upper Midwest. "Large corporations must also play by the rules, and my office will work diligently to ensure this state's consumers are treated fairly and not abused by businesses seeking to unlawfully jack prices up to line their pockets with profits at the expense of the public during this time of great need." 7. 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. Wed be tucked away in the paint aisle with lights, cameras, and microphones and as soon as he started in on the script at full volume, the rubbernecking from customers would be hilarious. Plus, John pitches Chuck ideas for the funeral and Chuck takes them! "[citation needed], John Menard got involved in Indycar racing in the early 1980s working with his neighbor, driver Herm Johnson. If you use a windshield cover, you can at least forget about scrapping the ice off your windshield to save some time and hassle. 2002-2023CopyrightVolumeOneMagazine. Nick Meyer, GIFTS FOOD & DRINK 3 comments. And he loved every minute of it waving hello, shaking hands, and giving the people what they wanted with a boisterous Save Big Money! on command. There were a couple of elderly ladies that walked by my booth, and I was signing pictures. Thats a lot to shoot, and we needed to hustle to get it all done. I used to be very active. 18. The ad features Salt-N-Peppas Push It performed by rapper Megan Thee Stallion. He did, however, make occasional ads with the company starting in 1999. Theres something about being on camera that just makes your day. localstore@volumeone.org(Store,), TermsofUse / PrivacyPolicy Ray Szmanda, known to generations of Americans as the man who brought Menards commercials to life, has died at age 91. Its a good hobby, but a very expensive hobby. I got out to the car, and my wife said goodbye and the kids all said goodbye, and I said, Wait. The ad features Salt-N-Peppa's "Push It" performed by rapper Megan Thee Stallion. During the Christmas shopping season the jingle changes to "Warm seasons greetings to you all from Menards!" Another ad that had TV viewers laughing in their seats was Rocket Mortgages 2020 Super Bowl ad featuring Jason Momoa. Wed sometimes be in the studio or on location, but oftentimes wed be right out in the open in the store during regular business hours. RAY: I was in radio for about six years. ), 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. Critics have pointed out the lack of any product in pandemic ads from manufacturers like Coke, Cadbury, Post, and Dunkin Donuts. V1: What kind of stuff did you guys play? And I looked their way and said, Come on over, guys. And they said, Dont call me a guy, and walked right on by. Menards announced in 2022 that it will expand to Pennsylvania for the first time, starting with Uniontown. I used to like working outside in the yard. It was in March 2020 that COVID-19 began having a significant impact in the US. He continued to appear regularly in commercials until 1998 when he started a semi retirement as the spokesman for Menards and would only show up on TV commercials occasionally. Discovered in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, COVID-19 would come to infect millions worldwide throughout the 2020s. They say, Say it. And I say Save big money at Menards!. [7] Then there will be a fifth Menards in West Virginia in Parkersburg,[8] followed by a sixth location in South Charleston. RAY: Im not very active. Dimensional lumber is ideal for a wide range of structural and nonstructural applications including framing of houses, barns, sheds and commercial construction. Four more locations opened in Kentucky, one in Louisville, another in Paducah, another in Elizabethtown and the last one in Florence. Power survey in customer satisfaction among home improvement retail stores. V1: Obviously Menards has continued to run ads, but theres not a distinct spokesman. They had great voices. Right when I got out of the Navy at 21. I had guests even telling me it was annoying. Cursed Commercials Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. After a morning of shooting wed break production and hed invite us all out for lunch together, often at a pizza buffet. It really pays off. [3], Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Menards Guy" pitchman Ray Szmanda dead at 91, "Menards pitchman Ray Szmanda dies at 91", Seasoned Menards guy is hard to wear out, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ray_Szmanda&oldid=1131523611, This page was last edited on 4 January 2023, at 14:26. Watch, interact and learn more about the songs, characters, and celebrities that appear in your favorite Menards App TV Commercials. He was a legit celebrity. Another hallmark of COVID-19 ads was celebrating the heroes working on the frontlines to fight the pandemic. I was on the radio years ago, and it was just great. Ive got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex- wives, and several bartenders dependent on me. Today the news is spreadingthat Ray Szmanda, the Midwest-famous Menards Guy, a multi-decade TV commercial pitchman for everything from paint to faucets to lumber, passed away May 6 at the age of 91. And their employees will tell you there are ways to save big money that not everyone knows about. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. His friendly, fun-loving personality and enthusiasm has made a lasting impression on Menards and its customers, the Menards bio says. V1: Well its a fun time to be working with stocks right now. RAY: Anytime you have someone that imitates you, does the same thing you do, thats a huge compliment. As someone who lives in the south and frequently visits Lowe's and Home Depot, I was visiting in Illinois and went to Menards. Menards publishes weekly print ads and broadcasts TV and radio ads. Ray Szmanda, known to generations of Americans as the man who brought Menards commercials to life, has died at age 91. In 2020, Menards expanded into West Virginia, opening three locations in that state: one in Wheeling, another in Morgantown, and the last one in Huntington. His son, Charles Szmanda, tells John about his late father. In the wake of Donald Trumps presidency, the US political climate was one of intense disunion and heated rhetoric between right and left. I hope John (Menard) reads this article and thinks about it. Its hard not to act. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For many years, Menards' television commercials featured free-lance announcer Ray Szmanda, who became a cult figure as "the Menards Guy." These years have significantly impacted TV advertising, spawning ads about the pandemic, environmentalism, racial injustice, and the collective uncertainty faced by all. Yellow. The effort is well worth it. The commercials end with the well-known jingle, "Save big money at Menards." 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