He worked for radio and television stations as a staff announcer from 1951 to 1958, when he began to freelance. From 1959 to 1978, he operated the Trans-American School of Broadcasting in his hometown of Wausau, Wisconsin.
His career with Menards began in 1976, where he was a fixture of the ads until his retirement in 1998. He did, however, make occasional ads with the company starting in 1999, such as Embers America. Szmanda also appeared in the 1970s science fiction movie The Alpha Incident and hosted the Wausau version of High Quiz Bowl. He also served as co-anchor at KDFW-TV in Dallas, Texas from 1975 to 1978.
Death
Szmanda died on May 6, 2018, at age 91, of pneumonia, heart problems and complications from a fall.[2]
