Who is the menards guy

The mail comes to the chain's Eau Claire, Wis. Surprising fact No. I say surprising because Timmy, the little star of the notorious old Long Chevrolet spots "Extra! But no. 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. Menard Inc. Since then, he has appeared in literally thousands of different commercials, sometimes several new ones a week.

They are filmed Fridays in the chain's flagship store and always begin and end with Szmanda--dressed as a store clerk and posing with a sale item--booming something on the order of "Menards is your clear choice for home-improvement savings! Shouldn't you be sick and hobbling around? Others have not acquired the taste. They aired up to 60, times per week in nine states that were home to Menards stores at the time.

He was the personification of Menards until he left the role in to care for his ailing wife, but he appeared periodically representing the chain after that. Ray Szmanda worked in radio and television as a staff announcer from to , according to his website, www.

In , he became a self-employed freelance announcer. He started the Trans-American School of Broadcasting in Wausau in , operating the school until A version of the school still remains as the Madison Media Institute in Madison, with a branch location in Minneapolis.

And The Menards Guy is no exception. Check out one of their favorite clips. This was while Szmanda was still working for the company in full force. The Menards Guy is the chain's only spokesman and has been for 20 years. But for some reason--he says he has no idea why--in the past two years or so he's become a bit of a cult figure, a pop icon to whom viewers write fan letters and request autographed photos.

The mail comes to the chain's Eau Claire, Wis. Ray was known to carry around a briefcase full of head shots because so many people would ask for his autograph. Volume One scored one. Women taking the lead in business and the community in the Chippewa Valley Presented by Northwestern Bank. Have questions? Ray had plenty of monkey jokes for the crew. Dewey St.