LAS VEGAS – The governing body of the Parnelli Awards announced the addition to its Board of Advisors Peter Hendrickson of Tour Tech East, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. "It's a great honor to be the first Canadian on the board," Hendrickson said. "And I think it's good for the organization to welcome someone north of the border."
Hendrickson started as a freelance lighting designer in 1975 before founding Tour Tech as a lighting company in 1984. Over the years, he added sound, staging, power distribution and trucking to its base of business. It was all mostly local until the 1990s, when Tour Tech East started providing gear for bigger tours like those for Rod Stewart, Def Leppard and Iron Maiden. "That's when we went from being a bar-type supplier to a regional supplier," Hendrickson noted.
Today, Tour Tech East is one of the largest live event companies in Canada. The company has expanded south of the border, too, having opened an office in Bangor, Maine, in 2001. Tour Tech East was also voted the Parnelli Hometown Hero Sound Company of the Year in 2008.
Hendrickson says he appreciates what the Parnelli Awards mean to the industry. As a regional finalist for the 2009 Parnelli Hometown Hero Sound Company of the Year, he attended the 2009 Parnelli Awards program in Orlando in November, and shared a table with Bob Schacherl, vice president of sales at Philips Vari-Lite, who was one of the founders of High End Systems. "He had never been, and commented that he was surprised at what a high-profile event it was. The quality of people in the room, the great laughs, and the great videos – there really isn't anything else like it out there. There isn't another event that is about the behind-the-scenes people who become who they are through sweat equity and great sacrifices.
"The Parnellis are about being recognized by your peers, and again, I'm honored to be on the board and look forward to contributing."
"Peter is a great addition to our Parnelli Board of Directors, and his selection is very much in keeping with our desire to continue to expand and stay a vital part of our industry," said Terry Lowe, Parnelli Executive Director and publisher of PLSN and FOH. "The Parnellis enters its second decade with a broader, more diverse, board, and Peter's input going forward will contribute to building on our past successes."
For more information, please visit www.parnelliawards.com.
