Dave Rogers, owner of Dave’s Guitar Shop in La Crosse, will speak as part of the Leadership at Noon Series Tuesday, Jan. 27 in the Reinhart Center Board Room.

Dave’s Guitar Shop opened on July 1, 1982 with an inventory of Rogers’ 17 guitars and has since grown into one of the largest and most reputable guitar shops in the U.S. The business is located in a 20,000 square-foot building and sells new, used, and vintage electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers, and accessories from manufacturers such as Fender, Gibson, Paul Reed Smith, Gretsch, and Rickenbacker. Fender and Paul Reed Smith also custom make models to Rogers’ specifications.

People travel great distances to shop at Dave’s Guitar Shop and to view Rogers’ incredible personal collection of over 350 guitars and amplifiers. Fifteen percent of the sales are local and 85 percent come from customers located all over the world. A very large percentage of sales take place via the telephone or business website. Customers of the business include Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Rick Nielsen, and other music legends.

The Leadership at Noon series features business leaders discussing the key values that contribute to successful business practices. The series will conclude for the academic year Tuesday, March 17 with Louise Hempstead, chief operating officer of Organic Valley. Based in La Farge, Organic Valley is America’s largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the nation’s leading organic brands.

All Leadership at Noon series events are held from noon–1 p.m. in the Reinhart Center and are free and open to the public. Audience members are welcome to bring their own lunch or purchase a boxed lunch for $5. The Leadership at Noon series is sponsored by the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership and the Dahl School of Business.