MISSION our
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 our annual progress.
Our commitment to being a socially responsible company remains unchanged. We believe responsibility extends across three essential areas: our Employees, our Communities, and our Environment. These principles continue to guide our decisions and shape our culture.”
a letter from
THOMAS RIPSAM
Dear Friends, Partners, and Community,
As we reflect on 2025, we do so with both humility and gratitude. The year brought meaningful challenges — from market uncertainty and supply disruptions to rising operational costs. Nevertheless, we made important progress in strengthening our foundation and reinforcing our leadership position within our industry. Most importantly, we did so together.
Our commitment to being a socially responsible company remains unchanged. We believe responsibility extends across three essential areas: our Employees, our Communities, and our Environment. These principles continue to guide our decisions and shape our culture.
Our people are the heart of our company. Across teams and locations, their craftsmanship, collaboration, and pride carried us through a complex year. We continued to invest in professional growth, innovation, operational improvements, and leadership development — ensuring that we are building not just great instruments, but a strong and resilient organization for the future.
Beyond our walls, we remained actively engaged in the communities we are part of. Through volunteer efforts such as Day of Caring, support of the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, and ongoing charitable initiatives, our teams demonstrated that impact is not only measured in products shipped, but in lives supported.
Music has always been a bridge — bringing people together across backgrounds and perspectives — and we are proud to contribute to that shared connection.
We also made progress on the environmental side, hosting our first Sustainability Summit, launching the CEO-11, which includes FSC-certified tonewoods, and repurposing falloff materials by transforming them into cutting boards and music stands. Our recycling efforts also remained strong, including 43.6 tons of cardboard and 114 tons of wood scrap. These efforts reflect our continued commitment to reducing waste and operating with greater environmental responsibility.
As we look ahead, we remain focused on crafting instruments that inspire, supporting artists and music lovers worldwide, and helping to unleash the artist within. To our loyal fans, partners, and friends: thank you for your trust and belief in what we do. Together, we continue to create more than music — we create lasting impact.
All the best,
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.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM
Martin's wellness program incentivizes employees to participate in wellness activities by reducing their healthcare premiums by an average of $480 annually. Additionally, Martin offers a variety of health plans, including a Health Savings Account (HSA) supported by company contributions.
WORKER HEALTH AND SAFETY
Employee health and safety remains our top priority. Our internal safety committee meets monthly to proactively address safety concerns and address workplace risks. We further support employee health and well-being by offering free on-site flu vaccinations and company-funded biometric screenings.
PLAYER BENEFITS
GUITAR LESSONS
Martin encourages employees to learn to play the guitar by reimbursing them for guitar lessons.
ARTIST SUPPORT
We support our artist-employees by actively promoting their gigs to the rest of the company.
EMPLOYEE DISCOUNTS
All Martin employees enjoy a significant discount on two guitars per year, one of which can be shared with a friend or family member.
CAREER GROWTH
COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION
EDUCATION REIMBURSEMENT
We provide employees up to $4,000 annually for classes and $750 annually for books.
We proactively review and benchmark our compensation and benefits to remain competitive and support the attraction and retention of top talent.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
In 2025, we delivered several companywide training programs and offered additional leadership and development programs for our frontline leaders and managers.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
Martin’s Continuous Improvement Program encourages employees across the organization to lead projects that strengthen our performance and operational effectiveness. This program recognizes excellence through offering rewards that celebrate measurable results and reinforce a culture of accountability.
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 2025.
FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTIONS
Established in 1996, the foundation supports Martin Guitar’s engagement with nonprofit music, arts, education, environmental action, and human service organizations.
103 TOTAL GRANTS AWARDED
$594,750
TOTAL GRANT MONEY
EDUCATION & ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SERVICES
ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES
MARTIN DONATIONS COMMITTEE
The Martin Donations Committee is a dedicated group of Martin employees who meet quarterly to determine which local and national charities the company will donate money to. These donations are in addition to the funds donated through the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation. In 2025, the Donations Committee awarded $180,734 across dozens of charitable organizations.
EMPLOYEE DONATIONS
Each year, we match up to $250 per employee for any local or national charity that is close to their heart. In 2025, we collected via coworker donations and our company matching donation program $32,800 for organizations that included the American Cancer Society, Second Harvest Food Bank, United Way, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and ASPCA.
$180,734 TOTAL DONATIONS $32,800 IN CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS
GUITAR DONATIONS
Throughout the year, we donate guitars to support organizations that provide much-
ArtsQuest Foundation
Established to support and grow ArtsQuest’s endowment, the Foundation helps secure the future of free and affordable arts, cultural, and educational programming across the Lehigh Valley. Through planned giving, major gifts, and philanthropic partnerships, the Foundation empowers generations to come with the transformative power of creativity. By investing in the ArtsQuest Foundation, donors help protect the legacy of signature events like Musikfest, expand arts education for youth and seniors, and strengthen the region’s creative economy for years to come.
Guitar Center Music Foundation
The Guitar Center Music Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) organization. Through instrument grants and donations, they help ensure schools and music education programs get the resources they need to keep music alive and accessible. They believe in a world in which music is cherished and respected for the immense value it brings to humanity, where every person who seeks to pursue music has the means to do so. Their mission is to give everyone the power to create and express themselves through music. Since 2005, they have supported hundreds of music education and therapy programs and reached over 300,000 people.
Save the Music Foundation
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 education.
$35,000+ INSTRUMENTS DONATIONS
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
UNITED WAY'S DAY OF CARING AT THE GRESS MOUNTAIN RANCH
On Thursday, September 18, a group of Martin employees assembled to volunteer at The Gress Mountain Ranch as part of United Way’s Day of Caring. Our team rolled up their sleeves and took on a variety of projects — from cleaning and organizing to outdoor maintenance and hands-on animal care — to support the ranch and its nearly 100 rescued animals. Every effort made a difference, and the Gress family shared how grateful they were for the hard work, dedication, and team spirit our volunteers demonstrated.
This event was more than just a day of service; it was a reminder of the positive impact we can have when we come together as a community. We are proud of our employees for representing Martin with such heart and commitment.
MAKE MUSIC DAY
In 1982, Jack Lang and his staff at the Ministry of Culture dreamed up an idea for a new kind of musical holiday. They imagined a day where free music would be everywhere, all around each city: street corners, parks, rooftops, gardens, and storefronts. Four decades later, the holiday has spread throughout the world and is now celebrated in more than 2,000 cities across dozens of countries.
To honor Make Music Day, we hosted an open mic in our Sycamore Street lobby, featuring Martin employees and special guests from our Backstage loyalty program and Holy Family School.
Martin employees sponsored 71 children and donated 9 pallets of gifts plus two bicycles
THE SALVATION ARMY ANGEL TREE
The Salvation Army Angel Tree program provides new clothing and toys to millions of children in need during the Christmas season. Donors "adopt" children by selecting tags—featuring age, gender, and gift wishes—from trees at malls, businesses, or online, then returning unwrapped gifts to designated locations.
In 2025, Martin employees sponsored 71 children and donated 9 pallets of gifts plus two bicycles, making the holiday much brighter for struggling families.
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. Ever since, we have collaborated with numerous environmental organizations in our effort to be good stewards of the planet—because at Martin, every day is Earth Day.
EVENTS
SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT
Martin Guitar hosted a landmark event that set a new tone for the future of music and manufacturing. On October 9, 2025, more than one hundred artists, industry leaders, educators, and sustainability advocates gathered at our solar-powered Commerce Lane facility, for the first-ever Martin Sustainability Summit.
The theme, “Setting the Tone: Sustainability in Music & Manufacturing,” guided a full day of keynotes, panels, live performances, and handson experiences focused on one shared mission: building a greener music industry—together.
COLLABORATIONS
In 2025, Martin joined forces with Polar Bears International (PBI) to raise awareness of the challenges polar bears face and to promote the special Martin D Biosphere III guitar featuring a polar bear mom-and-cub painting. Through this campaign, Martin made a generous donation to the organization, whose mission is to inspire people to care about the Arctic, its future, and its connection to our global climate.
As a leading science-based organization with staff including polar bear scientists and partnerships that span the circumpolar Arctic, they focus on advancing crucial research and coexistence strategies to protect the future of polar bears and the Arctic sea ice they depend on.
To learn more about their incredible work, visit www.polarbearsinternational.org.
SUSTAINABLE INSTRUMENTS
D BIOSPHERE® III
The D Biosphere III is the fourth guitar we’ve introduced in celebration of Earth Day. Crafted entirely from FSC-certified woods, this model is a perfect example of Martin’s commitment to sustainability.
At its heart is a captivating work of art by Robert Goetzl, depicting a tender moment between a polar bear mother and her cub, set against a backdrop of icy blues and a warm, glowing sky. It’s a scene of beauty and fragility, echoing the uncertain future these majestic animals face.
This model is a tribute to Polar Bears International, the nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of polar bears and the Arctic sea ice they depend on. C. F. Martin & Co. made a donation to support its vital work, helping to address both short- and long-term threats to these incredible animals and ensure they continue to roam the sea ice for generations to come.
CEO-11
The Martin CEO-11 is a striking, limitededition acoustic-electric that blends artistry and craftsmanship in a way only Martin can. Designed by President and CEO Thomas Ripsam, this Grand Auditorium (M) model features a figured white oak multipiece back and sides paired with an FSCcertified European spruce top, offering a rich, dynamic sound that’s both powerful and warm. The eye-catching New Horizons blue burst top and dark mahogany-colored sides create a look that’s as bold as the sound it creates.
GPE & GPCE INCEPTION™
MAPLE
Martin launched two new Inception models, the non-cutaway GPE Inception Maple and the refreshed GPCE Inception Maple.
Combining nature and technology, these unique handcrafted guitars feature skeletonized scalloped bracing and sonic channels inside the body for increased resonance and superior tone.
They are 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.
000 JR E JEFF TWEEDY
The Martin 000 Jr E Jeff Tweedy is a signature model built in collaboration with the Wilco frontman—designed for balance, comfort, and honest expression.
It features FSC-certified (license code FSC-C008304) solid sapele construction for warm, punchy tone. A satin Tweedy Burst top, black binding, and Foden-style inlays reflect Jeff’s understated style, while the Performing Artist neck makes it easy to play for hours.
Built-in Martin E1 electronics with a tuner make it ready for the stage or studio. This guitar offers fans and songwriters an approachable way to plug in and create—anytime, anywhere.
00DB JEFF TWEEDY
The Martin 00DB Jeff Tweedy is back—an inspiring signature model with a voice as honest and soulful as the artist behind it.
Crafted from FSC-certified (license code FSC-C008304) solid mahogany and scalloped European spruce X-bracing, it produces a dry, focused tone ideal for fingerpicking or strumming. Finished in a custom Tweedy Burst and detailed with faux tortoise binding and Foden-style inlays, it reflects Jeff’s understated style.
With a signed label and hardshell case, this guitar honors the legacy of the Wilco frontman— and offers a beautifully built platform for your own honest, expressive songwriting.
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
We changed the exterior material on all gig bags and softshell cases in both Nazareth and Mexico to materials made from recycled plastics.
SOME HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
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 started using wood falloff to make cutting boards and music stands.
We replaced printed product materials with a QR code link that is laseretched onto repurposed wood falloff.
Nearly 40% of our 49 Continuous Improvement Projects in 2025 had a sustainability benefit or component. Our team members focused on reducing waste, eliminating excessive transportation, and using less paper to track items in their operations.
WHAT RECYCLE? do we
43.6 TONS OF CARDBOARD
4.7
19.4 TONS OF SCRAP METAL
0.44
TONS OF ELECTRONIC WASTE
2.3 TONS OF STRETCH WRAP/BAGS
114
40 TONS OF SINGLE STREAM TONS OF WOOD SCRAP TONS OF CONCRETE
a word fromCHRIS MARTIN
Does sustainability matter? I think so. I hope you do, too.
Yes, I'm an aging baby boomer and a late-blooming child of the '60s. So that's where I'm coming from.
I believe we should do what we can to save the earth. After all, isn’t every day Earth Day? Shouldn't we all do what we can do, as individuals and as businesses, to save it?
My company is dedicated to sustainability. As it should be and has been for generations. I wish I could speak for others. Unfortunately, politics isn't helping to unite people around this important discussion.
But I am hoping that we can all agree that this precious earth of ours is ours to protect and exploit sustainably, with passion and compassion for our children's future.
Yes, maybe someday some folks will be living on Mars. And have fun with that. In the meantime, let's try and do what we can to take care of the home we have now.
Sincerely,
C. F. Martin IV Chairman ofthe Board