 If you think we simply selected Mary Peavey for our Formidable Females column because of her work at Peavey for the past 10 years, you couldn’t be further from the mark. This is the last editorial page of our NAMM issue and we have to step up our game.
Peavey became formidable way before joining the company and she does much more than serve as the company’s president. She was raised in Starkville, Miss., and graduated from Mississippi State University (MSU). She then left the Magnolia State for some time to study at Harvard. Well, she didn’t just study there; she was named president of the Harvard Women’s Forum. And if that weren’t enough, Peavey became one of the first women to complete the Owner/President Management Program in the Harvard Business School’s Executive Education division.
Peavey followed that up with a successful career in commercial real estate. During that time, she founded her own company, served on boards of directors in the healthcare and banking industries, and became an advocate for the National Arts Council.
To say Peavey is ambitious would be the understatement of this young year. And now the moment you’ve been waiting for: Peavey left the real estate company she served for more than 20 years in Texas to move back to Mississippi. She became president of Peavey Electronics Corp. The sixth-generation Mississippian married Hartley Peavey, CEO of the company. “I’ve always been so excited about whatever I took on, whether it was my former business or the music industry,” she said. “I really had not planned to work at Peavey. But I realized how passionate Hartley was in his business. He truly works 24/7 at his job. He asked me to come work for Peavey. I’ve never regretted it. Hartley has gotten up every morning, for the past 44 years, looking to the future. The future of new products. The future of what would make a better sound or performance. The results of that are 180 patents worldwide.”
We’re sure you know about Peavey Electronics and its many brands, including Crest Audio, Trace Elliot, and MediaMatrix. So let’s tell you about things you might not know. To start, here’s another understatement. The Ivy League graduate is continuing her unwavering support for a host of charities. Let’s put it this way: life is not boring for Peavey when she leaves the company’s Meridian, Miss., headquarters. She is a huge backer of afterschool programs and assisted in a history-making effort, working to make Mississippi the first state to offer the “Afterschool is Key” car tag.
During that same year, 2006, she debuted the “Peavey Afterschool Not Idle,” a singing competition for students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade. The program’s intent is to engage the community in afterschool advocacy, while encouraging children to develop and pursue their talents. Peavey’s talents on the project led to the company winning a 2007 Community Economic Development Award from the Mississippi Economic Council. Attached to that award was a $7,500 grant for afterschool programs in Lauderdale County. Subsequently, she was named to the board of directors for the national Afterschool Alliance, based in Washington, D.C. “Finding an inspiring afterschool program is a great passion of mine,” Peavey said. “The Afterschool Alliance is the leading advocacy group. We work closely with Congress. I believe $1.2 billion last year went to 21st Century Community Learning Centers. But still, because of the economic recession, we are unable to meet the needs of many working families. A quality afterschool program keeps children safe. And it certainly helps working families. These programs allow children to develop their own talents. That really appeals to me. I will never stop working for that cause.”
Continued Peavey: “I also want to applaud NAMM for their afterschool efforts. Joe Lamond (president and CEO of NAMM) has helped us a great deal. He has worked tirelessly to find opportunities whereby children can get involved in music. I can’t say ‘thank you’ enough to NAMM.”
Recently, Peavey teamed up with the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to bring arts and music to Meridian and Lauderdale Country schools. The Kennedy Center program instructs teachers about utilizing the arts as a teaching tool in their classrooms.
Oh, and there’s one more thing. Peavey played a large role in producing “Mississippi: Celebrating a 50-Year Grammy Legacy” in 2007, and a second Grammy event in 2008. It was the first Recording Academy-sanctioned event that took place in Mississippi. The celebration includes the Peavey Awards, named for Hartley Peavey, and honors the state’s numerous Grammy winners and those who played a role in developing and advancing Mississippi’s music heritage.
Peavey, of course, does have a busy job, as well. So how could one person take on so many responsibilities? How can you possibly have enough time in the day? “I don’t know,” she joked. “Somehow, it just happens. There are days when you say, ‘Oh gosh, how am I going to get everything done?’ But it’s just such a pleasure to do a lot of things I do. Yes, some things are tedious. But the reward is so wonderful. Hartley and I always seemingly have the energy to keep going. That’s because of the passion for this industry, its products, and the people.”
With all Peavey does, one has to wonder if she ever has any free time. If so, what are her hobbies? “We have a home in Florida we visit on the weekends,” Peavey said of her and her husband. “I have a wonderful garden I work on there, and Hartley enjoys attending flea markets. He also has a shop there where some of the innovations are born. I’d also say I cook a little bit. But Hartley would emphasize the words ‘a little bit.’ Florida is our place to recharge.”
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