Marlton, NJ – JANUARY 13, 2011: NARM, the music business association, announced today that it will honor multimedia entertainment retailing visionary John Marmaduke with the organization’s coveted Presidential Award for Sustained Executive Achievement. Marmaduke is the Chairman of the Board, President & CEO of Hastings Entertainment. The company has 147 stores in 20 states, as well as the web site gohastings.com. He will receive the Award at the 2011 NARM Convention in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 12.

“John has been a true leader in music and entertainment retailing, as well as a great supporter of NARM for four decades,” said NARM President Jim Donio. “His insights and actions not only led his business and NARM into new frontiers, but also helped to challenge and shape the retail community. John was one of the foremost executives to embrace diversification, bringing multiple entertainment and product lines into his stores and growing that brand into the superstore that Hastings has become today. He has also been a tried-and-true advocate of NARM, becoming, in 1982, the youngest retail executive to ever hold the position of Chairman of the Board.”

Hastings actually began in 1961 with the founding of its parent company, Western Merchandisers, a book and music wholesaler founded by Marmaduke’s father, Sam.  In 1968, Hastings Books & Music opened its first store to test market merchandising products and concepts for Western. Maramaduke joined Western in 1969 and moved through the ranks, then joined Hastings Books & Records as Vice President in 1973.  He has been President & Chief Executive Officer of Hastings since July 1976.  Under his direction, Hastings experienced strong growth, acquiring seven regional music chains and opening 75 stores in its first 25 years of business. In addition to his role at Hastings, Marmaduke became President & CEO of Western Merchandisers in 1982 and continued in this position, through Walmart’s acquisition of the company in 1991, until 1994.

In the 1980s, Hastings added video rental, and during the 1990s added used product, a large trends department and Hardback Coffee Cafes.  In 1999, the company went public with its stock on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange.  Most recently, Hastings added comic books and expanded Manga/Graphic Novels.

Marmaduke was a co-founder and founding Board member of the Video Software Dealers Association. Now the Entertainment Merchant Association, he serves as Secretary of the Board.  He has received the American Jewish Committee Humanitarian Award in 1993, the Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 1998, the 2008 West Texas A&M University’s “Pinnacle Award,” and the “Golden Vision Award” for Leadership in Amarillo/Canyon, Texas in 2008.

NARM has honored a wide range of industry leaders and organizations with the Presidential Award, including: Jim Urie, Robert Higgins, Clive Davis, Jack Eugster, Eric Paulson, Don Cornelius, Casey Kasem, Russ Solomon, Paul Smith, Henry Droz, Ahmet & Nesuhi Ertegun, Dick Clark, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) and the Country Music Association (CMA), among others.