Chuck Surack

Chuck Surack is an American entrepreneur, businessman, philanthropist, and musician, best known as the founder of Sweetwater Sound, a leading retailer of musical instruments and professional audio equipment.

Surack was born in Waverly, Ohio, his family later relocating to Fort Wayne, Indiana. He attended Wayne High School and played saxophone in the school's marching band. He was also active in the Boy Scouts. Following high school, Surack toured with a band as a saxophone player and keyboardist. In 1979 Surack decided to stop touring, and returned to his hometown of Fort Wayne, creating a mobile 4-track recording studio housed in a Volkswagen Bus. This studio would eventually become Sweetwater Sound. Surack still plays saxophone and keyboard as part of his band, Prime Time.

Surack has cited his father, Jim, a chemical engineer and airplane pilot, as a major influence. Surack is married, and has two stepsons and a daughter, Adderly (whose name was influenced by the name of saxophonist Cannonball Adderley).

When Surack stopped touring with his band he returned to his home town of Fort Wayne, Indiana and converted his Volkswagen Bus into a mobile 4-track recording studio. He later established a recording studio in his home and named it Sweetwater Sound. In 1985, he purchased a Kurzweil K250 for use in the studio and reverse engineered it in order to develop and use sounds of his own design, establishing Surack as an expert within the K250 community. Sweetwater Sound was eventually selling K250 sound libraries and became established as a Kurzweil K250 reseller. Being part of the small professional K250 community allowed Surack to develop relationships and work with artists such as Kenny Rogers and Stevie Wonder. Sweetwater began selling more and more pro audio equipment, and eventually Sweetwater's retail business surpassed its recording studio business. In 2013, Sweetwater was ranked third among music products retailers in the U.S. and 7th worldwide. Surack remains President and CEO of Sweetwater Sound, Inc..

In February 2010, Surack submitted a proposal to convert an abandoned building on Jefferson Boulevard in Fort Wayne into a luxury car dealership. The Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission agreed to transfer the property to Surack in exchange for Surack's financial commitment to improve the property to open and operate the dealership. The car dealership, SweetCars, opened in December, 2011.

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