2008 EXCELLENCE AWARD RECIPIENT

Peavey Electronics
Meridian, Mississippi

Hartley Peavey founded Peavey® Electronics Corporation in 1965, using the
attic space above his father’s Meridian, Mississippi, music store as his first base
of operations. Now housed in 33 active facilities across the United States and
the United Kingdom, Hartley has grown his one-man company into one of the
world's largest manufacturers of musical instruments and professional sound
equipment.

Peavey is one of the largest, most diversified, independently owned suppliers of musical instruments and professional sound equipment in the world.

Peavey has earned more than 130 patents and produces more than 2,000 products, which are distributed throughout the United States and to more than 130 other countries. Peavey and its brands and affiliates can be found on concert stages and in thousands of stadiums, theme parks, airports and other venues around the world.

As Peavey grew from a one-man guitar-amp operation into the pioneer
behind computerized audio/communications systems in the world’s largest entertainment and transportation facilities, Hartley became a driving force in the technology that would change how we hear music and audio.

The finer points are detailed at the U.S. Patent Office, but the professional audio arenaalone has seen a flurry of such innovations, including the first power amplifiers to offer 400 watts per channel—which set the precedent for major concert touring systems—and microphones that utilize NASA-developed diamond-coated diaphragms to bolster
strength and response.

Peavey then brought the music industry into the 21st century 25 years early by employing computers on the production line. Adapting the CNC routing and copy lathe methods used in furniture and gun making, Hartley was able to produce the first computer-assisted
manufactured musical instruments. Once guitarists felt the luxury of a perfectly straight neck, his competition had to adapt, too. As a result, Peavey bridged the vintage and modern eras in instrument making.

Then there’s the coup de grâce, MediaMatrix. With MediaMatrix, Peavey brought to market the first audio system that could be configured—and reconfigured at will—all on a computer.

World-renowned musicians from every musical genre use Peavey instruments and sound equipment, from rockers 3 Doors Down and Nickelback to country stars Hank Williams Jr., Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw. Peavey and its four additional brands—MediaMatrix,
Architectural Acoustics, PVDJ and Crest Audio—can be found behind major concert tours, in venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Hollywood Palace and New York’s Apollo Theater and in most theme parks.

Peavey and its divisions also serve as a major audio communications conduit for industries across the board, and can be found in government buildings, airports, stadiums and more all over the world.