Keeping students playing music makes Jamie Ruetz happy. He repairs, sells and rents instruments of the violin variety to support school orchestra programs in Sarasota-Manatee. “I work with families of students to reach a financial solution that works for them if they would like to own an instrument,” Ruetz says. “The school system does a good job of getting instruments into the hands of students at the schools themselves.” Ruetz plays saxophone, double bass, banjo and electric guitar, and has performed with the Sarasota Pops Orchestra and Strings Con Brio. He went to college for mechanical engineering and initially pursued an engineering career in the automotive industry. He embarked on his current business venture in 2014 when it became clear that the demand for this type of work was exceeding his expectations. 

JAMIE RUETZ TINKERING WITH REPAIRS ON A VIOLIN

“I discovered that there was a need for this type of service in our area, and I sought training in order to fill that need. What started as a moonlighting business quickly grew into a full-time business, and I left my day job to build this company,” Ruetz says, adding that he also works with private clients outside of the school system. “Seven years later, the company is thriving and I’m looking toward future expansion projects.” Ruetz also designs, manufactures and sells tools for use by other professionals in his industry. This portion of his business has a global reach through an established distribution network, and the Triton brand has become well-known in the violin lutherie market.

TRITON MUSIC, TRITONMUSIC.NET; 941-677-8150.

“The most rewarding part of this business comes from knowing that I’m helping students to stay interested in music, albeit mostly unbeknownst to them,” Ruetz says. “This happens through regular maintenance and proper setup of the instruments. The easier an instrument is to play, the more likely that student will stick with playing music—at least I like to think so.”