The Mississippi World Trade Center honored Hartley Peavey, founderand CEO of Peavey Electronics Corporation, with its Guy Tozzoli “PeaceThrough Trade” Distinguished Leadership Award at its annual meeting inJackson, Miss.
“This award has a special meaning,” said Liles Williams, formerMississippi World Trade Center president and current Board treasurer.”It was created to honor a company or leader who best demonstrates thegoals of the World Trade Center: promoting peace and stability throughinternational commerce. Hartley Peavey keeps raising the bar forinternational companies, and he is a constant role model forMississippi entrepreneurs.”
“I appreciate this recognition,” said Peavey, “but I only startedthis company. All of this certainly was not just my doing, so on behalfon everyone at Peavey Electronics, I thank you for this award. When Istarted this company 38 years ago, people said, ‘Hartley, you’recrazy.’ Maybe they were right. If someone told me we would be puttingaudio systems in Heathrow Airport’s new terminal in London or in theSydney Opera House, I would’ve thought they were crazy, too, but that’sexactly what we’ve done.”
Peavey and keynote speaker James Bagley, chairman and CEO of LamResearch Corporation, also addressed specific problems facingMississippi and the United States, including the growing trade deficitwith overseas nations and the exporting of American manufacturing jobs.”The challenge has been significant in the past, but it will be evengreater in the future,” said Peavey. “Today, our competitors are Chinaand Indonesia. We’re not just competing with companies, but withcountries. It’s a battle we can win. There’s an old song that goes,’You can make it if you try.’ Peavey Electronics is an example of thetruth of those words.”
For more, visit www.peavey.com.
