Peter Hendrickson of Tour Tech East Joins Parnelli Board of Advisors

The governing body of the Parnelli Awards announces 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 says. “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, and founded Tour Tech as a lighting company. 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 bigger tours like Rod Stewart, Def Leppard, and Iron Maiden turned to him to supply gear for their concerts. “That’s when we went from being a bar-type supplier to a regional supplier,” he told FOH in the 2009 September issue.

Today it is one of the largest live event companies in Canada, spreading its talents south, having opened an office in Bangor, Maine, in 2001. Tour Tech received a Parnelli Hometown Hero – Audio Award in 2008.

Hendrickson says he appreciates what the Parnellis mean to the industry. He recalls the most recent Parnellis in Orlando, when he invited Bob Schacherl, currently of Vari*Lites, and one of the founders of High End Systems, to be a guest at his table. “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,” says 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.”