Inc. magazine Profiles Music and Audio Innovator Hartley Peavey Inc. magazine profiles the global success story of music and audio innovator Hartley Peavey in its latest installment of "How I Did It," a feature series told by the people who live the real stories of America's biggest successes. Hartley Peavey is the founder, CEO and sole owner of Peavey Electronics Corporation, one of the world's largest manufacturers and suppliers of musical and professional audio equipment. In this edition of "How I Did It," Inc. details the organic success of the company Peavey built from the ground up into a technology leader that continues to drive the industry forward today. "Hartley Peavey dreamed of becoming a rock star," writes Inc..'s Kasey Wehrum. "Though he lacked the chops to become the next Chuck Berry, his name has been etched into the pantheon of rock 'n' roll history." Excerpts from Hartley Peavey's story, as told to Inc.: "When my band mates needed an amp or a PA system, I would build it. After I built all their gear, they sat me down and told me I was out of the band. That was the turning point. I had to look in the mirror and be totally honest with myself. I said, 'OK, you're not going to be a rock star. So what are you going to do with the rest of your life?'" "We introduced our first digitally controlled sound system, called MediaMatrix, in 1993. We had to go all over the country convincing people that computers were reliable enough to control their sound systems. Today, it's in use just about everywhere -- the U.S. Capitol building, the parliament house in China, and in airports and stadiums all over the world." "One thing about Peavey is that we owe the bank nothing ... I go out on the factory floor and I see a resistor on the [floor], I pick it up. That's a penny to me." "There are some things that I would change, but not many. Would I have given it all up to become a rock star? Absolutely." 
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