Cornel
Zimmer's organ building career began in the womb when his mother used to
hold keys while his father tuned organs in South Africa. As a matter of
fact, he is a fourth generation organ builder with a rich and
interesting familial history in the industry. Much has been written
about Cornel in the "About Us" section of this website so please check
that out when you get a chance.The first thing you notice about Cornel when you meet him is the enthusiasm he has for the art of organ building, the excitement in his voice about the technique of the craft and the dedication he has to making each and every customer happy. Never being satisfied with the status quo, he consistently works with his team to ensure that the techniques in construction and assembly are top notch and that the end result exceeds our original expectations for the instrument. His energy level has gained him the nickname of "turbofan" around the shop and he frequently can be found burning the midnight oil designing, building or testing the latest instrument. His skill and expertise serve as the robust foundation upon which the company is built and his strength in leadership drives us all to work at a level beyond our own expectations in many ways. Many times towards the end of production or installation, we all just sit back in awe of what we are able to achieve under his guidance, direction and encouragement. Let's just say that, at the end of the day, we are definitely worn out but also downright satisfied.
He has the same amount of ambition outside of work as well. His main hobby is boatbuilding of the wooden persuasion. His first "work" was a sailboat named "Dauntless" and most recently he has completed four cedar strip one man, double paddle canoes. He is currently working on a "skin on frame canoe" and is using the ancient art of Eskimo Indians to build this lightweight and highly efficient kayak. Is "Cornel Zimmer Canoe Builders" in the works? Well, we'll see. When he is not actually building boats, he and his wife, Anne, can be found on the coast of North and South Carolina canoeing the many rivers and waterways of the region. In addition to boatbuilding, Cornel has built radio-controlled airplanes and miniature train sets. He has taken up fly-fishing and is also an avid reader of various and sundry subjects from books about the mighty ships of wartime to historical books on organ building. All said and done, Cornel hopes to make a significant and long lasting contribution to the age-old organ building industry. His goal is not to be the biggest builder in town but one of the very best at the art of the process.