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Issue 8
Forward Thinker: Alberto Kreimerman
Sometimes a simple phrase can define the life of a person. In a joking manner but with all the seriousness in the world, Alberto Kreimerman says, “There are businessmen who have music as their hobby, however, I’m a musician who has as a hobby being a businessman.” As simple as that sounds, it explains the success his business has had. Established in 1982, Hermes Music has been one of the leading names in the music industry. His principle in starting his business was giving musicians what he would have liked to have had from musical instruments stores: good service, good prices, and above all, respect. That’s how Hermes Music, being a single small store in McAllen, TX with only one employee, became the most important distributor in all of Latin America for lighting, audio, and musical instruments. It is now a group of businesses strategically set through out Latin America that give work to more than 300 families. As he says, all of it was done for a simple reason, “because we love music,” phrase that has now become the driving force behind his business.
Being an entrepreneur and philanthropist, since the beginnings of his business, a part of the earnings from Hermes Music were always put into what is called the Project of Love. In that manner, what began as a small group of Hermes Music employees going through the most impoverish areas of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico turned into a project that gives out more than 100,000 toys a year. The Project of Love gives out clothing, food, and medical equipment to the most poverty-stricken indigenous communities in Mexico. It also grants music school scholarships at Hermes Music Education Center in Guadalajara and San Luis Potosi. The project also helps may foundations carry out their missions, like Eva Longoria’s Padres Contra El Cancer and Eva’s Heroes, Mana’s Selva Negra, Mexico’s DIF, Shakira’s Pies Descalzos, Dulce Camino, and many other well known and start-up foundations in need of a helping hand. That’s why many famous artists have become part of the Project of Love, like the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Tony Parker, Eva Longoria, Maná, Margarita Zavala de Calderon, Tatiana, Chabelo, Gloria Trevi, Incoable, Reyli, Camila, Ramon Ayala, and many more.
As a way of awakening conscience through the use of music, Alberto Kreimerman also produces the TV show “Porque Amamos La Musica” and its English twin brother “Because We Love Music,” directed by Juan Alvarado in their own studios in Downtown McAllen. In the TV show, you will see the human and spiritual part of the artist as a means to give a positive example to others; it also shows what goes on behind the scenes at the artist’s concerts. A few of the artists that have appeared on the show have been B.B. King, Carlos Santana, America, Alan Parsons Project, Blood Sweat and Tears, Return To Forever, Credence Clearwater Revival, Maná, Eva Longoria, Alberto Cortez, Armando Manzanero, Vicente Fernandez, Franco de Vita, Alejandro Sanz, and many others.
For many years, the Project of Love was done almost in secret without looking for publicity or recognition of any kind. It was until it became clear that the only way of having the project transcend beyond the success of Hermes or of Alberto Kreimerman, Hermes Music Foundation had to be established. The foundation keeps doing all the same projects that were carried out before, but now, many larger projects have been possible through collaboration with other organizations, such as with CLAYPA performing cleft lip and palate operations in Chiapas, Mexico. Another big project his foundation has is the donation of hundreds of thousands of toys in Mexico as well as in the U.S. The foundation has a project that is done every year during Christmas time, toy giveaways in McAllen in collaboration with the McAllen Police Department, the donation of all the toys for Ramon Ayala’s posada in Hidalgo, and many other toy giveaways throughout the Rio Grande Valley.
The Project of Love has motivated many people and made them join in on the gift of giving, as he says “when a project is real, without an ego in between, the giver and receiver disappear and all that is left is the love which unites them.” That’s why the Project of Love keeps growing and reaching the lives of many people. As Alberto said, “love and hate are both contagious, when one person throws a stone the rest will follow, and when someone shares love that can also be transmitted to other people, that’s why we need to give love in order to create awareness in the world.” That is Alberto’s mission with the Project of Love, to create awareness, “we don’t need more hospitals, more weapons, more violence, all we need is love which will avoid the need for those things.” The message of the project of love is to give and share, because “while we fight to have more material things we forget about the basic need humans have, which is probably the meaning of our existence to love and be loved.” That’s how a musician was able to make his dream come true, to create a musical instruments store for musicians by musicians, and for the success of the business to become the helping hand in the lives of thousands of families in need. Perhaps it is acts like these that will change the world bit by bit and motivate others to make of their own lives a project of love.
Michael January
