Don't let his shy personality fool you, this guy is loads of fun and very knowledgeable. Aaron Barker was kind of born into a world of lighting and theater people. When he officially started working for his dad at GTS in 2006, he already knew a great deal from growing up in the industry. When Performance Audio purchased GTS in 2014, Aaron came with and since then has become a crucial part of our team as our Lighting Manager. He oversees the lighting rentals for all shows big and small. If you haven't met Aaron before, he is located in our back warehouse with our rental departments.

Aaron has over 11 years of experience and has learned most of his skills from on-site education and training. He has worked alongside many talented lighting engineers and designers that have taught him the tricks of the trade.

One of his craziest memories was working for a rock band and the guitarist climbed the stack of subs and jumped onto the stage. He landed funny and unfortunately broke his leg; but you know what they say, the show must go on. Stage crew brought him a chair and he finished the set before leaving for the ER.

When he isn't working in our warehouse or on a show Aaron enjoys spending time with his family. They go camping, shooting, fishing and off-roading. Aaron is also an avid pillow fort builder and loves watching old cartoons from within his forts with his daughter, Bella. He and his wife Sherina got married shortly after he began working for PA, and it has been so fun to watch their family grow.

Make sure to say hi to Aaron next time you see him.

Meet Brad...

Brad Whipple was hired as an Account Executive and System Designer for our Installation Department in December of 2015. He specializes in Large Venue AV Systems and has been working in this field for over nine years. Brad graduated from the University of Phoenix and has a BS in Business Administration. He is also Infocomm CTS and Extron Pro AV Certified.

Brad has enjoyed his time here at Performance Audio and has loved the transition from his last job. Brad is a hard worker and has been very beneficial to our install team. He holds a high level of professionalism and we are happy to have him.

When asked about working at Performance Audio, Brad said, "I've felt like I fit right in at Performance Audio. From management to installers, everyone has been great to work with and I've enjoyed getting to know everyone over the last year and half."

In his spare time he likes to camp and hike, restore old trucks and even dabbles in woodworking. Brad married his beautiful wife Eliza one year ago and looks forward to starting a family.

Meet Brayden;

Brayden Nicholes began working for us in January of 2011 in our repair department. His dad, Rich, had been with us for a while so most of our staff had met Brayden over the years. It seemed like a natural fit for a new hire.

Brayden went on to become JBL Certified and he can recone and fix most speakers. He is a valuable asset in our repair department. He works upstairs and with his soft, calm personality you may not even realize he is even in the office.

In his spare time Brayden seeks thrills from long boarding and biking to camping and hiking. He and his dad have gone on many adventures to get their adrenaline pumping.

Brayden has been a fun addition to our company and we are glad he has stuck around for the last six years.

Meet Brett;

Brett Morgan began working for us as an Engineer in 2001. He would work hours in our shop along with shows that we would contract him to do. He became a full time employee in 2007 but we feel like he has been here forever. Brett has been a staple in our Rental Department and does great work as an Audio Engineer. With over 18 years of experience, he definitely knows what he is doing behind a audio console.

While working for us, Brett was the Front of House Engineer on tour from 2000-2004 for Royal Bliss, and then Air Supply from 2004-2007. He was the Monitor Engineer for Lindsay Stirling from 2014-2015. It was following his tour with Lindsay that he began working mostly from the office in our Rental Department.

Brett has enjoyed his work over the years and has had some amazing opportunities and experiences because of the nature of his work. He has done audio in 48 States, more than 56 Countries and 6 Continents.

"I have done shows in bull rings in Mexico and performing arts centers in South Africa, stood on the Great Wall of China and sat at Red Square in Moscow. I have had lunch overlooking the Panama Canal and held a Koloa in Brisbane, visited the Kamakura Daibutsu in Tokyo and Christ the Redeemer in Rio. I drank a Guinness at the Factory in Dublin and spent afternoons in pubs older than this Country in Germany and England. I had hors d'oeuvres atop the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and once took a prop plane into Thunder Bay. I stood in the Colosseum in Rome and spent a night at an ancient fort in Norway. I have done gigs in Central Park, Golden Gate Park and Liberty Park. None of this would have been possible without Performance Audio."

In his spare time, Brett enjoys spending time with his wife Ashley (she works here too). They like to play video games, travel, try fun restaurants and also spend a great deal of time caring for a large aquarium in their house. Thanks for all you bring to our work family Brett!

Byron Beagley has been here longer than any other salesman at the front counter. If you have been into our store, you have probably seen him or been lucky enough to talk to him. He began working here in 1991 and has over 26 years of experience in the field. Byron specializes in microphones and live sound along with studio applications for musicians.

Byron graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelors of Music in Classical Flute Performance. He spent years working with local rock bands playing shows all over the Salt Lake Valley. In addition to the flute, Byron plays the electric guitar and those who have been lucky enough to hear him know he is a very talented singer.

In his spare time Byron enjoys playing and listening to music. He also has a great love for classic cinema. Byron really likes ranchin' and bushcraft, which is basically turning wilderness survival skills into a hobby. If you have ever spoken to Byron, you know he is a treasure trove of information. He knows a little bit about everything, and would be happy to share his knowledge with listening ears.

Byron is married to a lovely lady named Cathay, whom he proudly jokes is his only wife (we do live in Utah). Byron loves working on his farm and taking care of his 28 sheep and four cats. We have truly enjoyed all of the years spent with Byron and the wonderful memories he has given us. Thanks for being you Byron!

Meet Chip Sargent...

Chip grew up in Colorado where he developed a great love of nature and outdoor recreation. In 1985 he traveled to Utah for a ski trip, where he eventually ran out of money and decided to stay here for a while. Chip got a job as a research assistant at a local law firm and eventually started working at a piano bar called Harvey's. He began working full time as an assistant manager at Harvey's where he learned a thing or two about the bar business. Since then, Chip has worked at many bars in the valley and he still makes a pretty mean cocktail. He worked at the Zephyr for several years where he grew his love for live audio and music. He briefly worked with the local Stagehand Union before working at Performance Audio. Chip started out here as the summer help in the rental department, but he was brought on full time in 2002.

Chip loves working at Performance Audio where he is passionate about making things sound and look great. He enjoys that much of his job is hands on work and he loves when he gets the opportunity to take things apart and learn how they work. Chip has become a regular face in our rental and live sound department. He is a hard worker and very dedicated to what he does.

In 2001, Chip reacquainted with an old friend and they fell in love. Kirsty and Chip were married in 2006. They had their only child, Charlie, on Valentines Day 2008. Sadly Kirsty passed away from cancer in May of 2009. Leaving Chip, Charlie and all of her rescue animals behind. Kirsty was the love of his life and brought so much love into the lives of everyone around her. She is greatly missed.

Chip loves being a dad, and he truly is one of the best. In his spare time he spends every moment with Charlie. They are the best of buds. Chip and Charlie can usually be found at Lagoon or Boondocks. They also enjoy bowling and golfing together, although Chip does enjoy a round of 18 with adults every now and then. We sure love having Chip around, we can't imagine work without him.

His musical talents and interests are likely what set him down the path that led him here, but many don't even know about these talents. You see, Chris Fillmore is a man of mystery to many. Those who work with him will tell you he is a workaholic that likes the Utah Jazz and has an extensive collection of button up Performance Audio shirts. If you are lucky to know Chris on a personal level, you know that he is one of the best people around with many interests outside of work.

Chris grew up loving music and has always had a natural gift for it. He can play the piano, saxophone, violin, flute and drums. He also plays a mean nose-flute. During high school he was involved with the band and stage crew. It was around then that he started working at Pegasus Records. Chris began working at Performance Audio in 1989. He became a part owner in 2002. He is certified in Avid, Logic, Waves and is very knowledgeable at ProTools.

His favorite musical artist has always been Prince. In fact, his first record was Dirty Mind by Prince. His first concert was John Denver at Sundance. Chris also loves movies, his collection is somewhere between 4000-5000 movies and takes up an entire room.

Chris was born in American Fork and raised in Lehi, Utah. Growing up, his dad taught him to hunt and fish. Today he enjoys fly fishing on the Provo and Green rivers and you can find Chris at the gun club with his family on the weekend. He participates in trap tournaments every year, and has even shot a perfect 100! When he isn't at work or the gun club, he spends his time at home trying out new recipes on his smoker. Darrin and Chris have taken this up as a hobby and will swap recipes and ideas. Everyone enjoys Chris's food inventions.

When he was younger, he and his mom would go to Jazz games together. That was the beginning of Chris's love of the Jazz and his 30 years of season tickets. Chris has always been close with his family. He has four siblings and a gaggle of nieces and nephews that adore him. He enjoys traveling and has been to Panama and all over Europe, but his most favorite vacation was an Alaskan Cruise he took with his family. He also has a pet pug named Maya, but most people know her as Turds.

Chris is a major part of what makes Performance Audio what it is today. His technical knowledge and business savvy have helped him grow this company to where it is now.

This is Chris Perez.

At the age of 4, Chris strapped a tennis racket around his neck like a guitar and was hooked.

Trading in the tennis racket for a real guitar was soon to come. Chris plays many instruments such as the guitar, bass, drums and trumpet. In the last 20 years he has been in dozens of local bands including Salt Lake's own version of "KISS."



Chris has played in bands since the age of thirteen. He toured the US and Canada with a Youth Symphony for three years as a teen. Chris has worked as a guitar and drum tech for bands including The Black Eyed Peas, The Romantics, Ratt, Richard Marx and many more.

In 1998 Chris was working at Progressive Music. In 2003 they closed their doors and sold almost all of their Backline Equipment to Backbeats Drum & Backline, where Chris went over to manage their warehouse. Subsequently that equipment and Chris ended up here at Performance Audio in 2014.

Chris is familiar with our backline inventory, to say the least. He jokingly refers to the gear as his children, which makes him the perfect backline manager.

His top five favorite bands are:
1-The Beatles
2-The Smiths
3-Echo & The Bunnymen
4-The Cure
5-U2

"Yes, besides the Fab Four, my musical heart is in the 80's" -CP

Chris is a Sagitarius, favorite food is Italian and he likes long walks on the beach.

Dan Jensen is our resident technical expert. You may not even realize he is here because he works quietly behind the scenes (or behind the screens) of Performance Audio. Dan is our go-to guy when we need something fixed on our computers or something added to the website.

Dan has worked since he was twelve. He started with a paper route, eventually worked at Training Table and then for his family's store, Mad Mac. It was during his time at Mad Mac that Dan became interested in computer programming. A friend there gave him some pointers and from there he started teaching himself as much as he could about computers. Dan became a manager at Mad Mac where he met and eventually began a "bro-mance" with Chris Fillmore. Dan Jensen began working at Performance Audio in 2003 to help build the e-commerce side of the business. Dan has made our website what it is today along with designing our apps (available in the iTunes store).

Dan is married to his high school sweetheart, Pam. After high school they went their separate ways, but eventually fell in love again and got married. They have five kids from 2 to 16 years old. Dan is a wonderful husband and father, he lights up every time he talks about his family. In his spare time he enjoys movies, technology and spending time in the great outdoors. He currently has two dogs, but has always loved animals. He has had dogs, cats, ferrets, rats, hamsters, chinchillas, snakes, frogs, lizards, bats, insects and birds. Every year he raises Monarch butterflies from caterpillars with his kids.

Dan loves working at Performance Audio because he gets to do something that makes him happy every day. He feels like his co-workers are part of his extended family and although he is an introvert, Dan loves working with his friends. We are all pretty fond of him too. Thanks for all you do Dan!

Meet Dan Buehner;

When Dan came to work for us in April of 2013, he immediately fit into our Performance Audio family. Dan left his job at his family run business and took our shipping clerk position. This was a great way for him to get his foot in the door and he proved what a hard worker he is very quickly. With years as a musician and experience in recording, it wasn't long before Dan was answering questions and making sales at the front counter. He moved to a desk up front soon after and although he did a great job in our warehouse, we like the presence he brings to our storefront.

Dan and his wife are part of a band called The Hollering Pines. They play locally, but have traveled to festivals all over to perform and even recorded an album in Nashville. Dan released a solo album in 2015 under the name Daniel Young. Dan has played with his band and been featured as solo act at the Red Butte Summer Concert Series. Dan is a talented musician and vocalist and we are always excited to see what he will do next.

One of Dan's favorite gig stories is the time his band was hired for a wedding. They played for a near empty crowd for two hours. As they were cleaning up, the mother of the bride appeared and asked how much she owed them. Dan told her it would be $1000 for the band and sound system. The mother laughed and said, "No really, how much do I owe you?" Apparently the bride had never discussed the price with her mother. They did get paid for the gig, but the mother was less than thrilled with her diva daughter.

In his spare time Dan enjoys playing music and playing basketball. You can also find him at local record stores looking for vinyl to add to his collection. Dan is married to a beautiful woman named Kiki and they have a dog named Wren. We are so happy Dan puts up with our shenanigans because he truly is a great employee and friend. Say hi to Dan next time you are in.

Darrin Porter was born with a love of music and a work ethic unlike most. It is likely that these natural gifts are what got him where he is today.

Darrin has been interested in music from a very young age. At only five years old, he saved his money and bought his first record. It was Band On the Run by Paul McCartney & The Wings. This was the start of his wide collection of music. Abba's Greatest Hits was his first cassette purchase. When he was nine, his dad took him to a church dance. Mesmerized by the DJ and the music, Darrin knew then that he wanted to be a DJ.

He has always worked hard for the things he wanted. Earning money by doing odd jobs and he even began a paper route at nine years old. A majority of the money he earned was spent purchasing equipment and music. Within a few years, he had enough equipment to start his own business. He just needed business cards and a name.

'Dr. Music' had his first DJ gig at Kaysville Jr. High School. His parents had to drive him since he was only 14 at the time. This began his 34-year career in the industry. When he was 16, he started working at a record store and later moved on to manage the distribution warehouse of a chain of record stores. He met his best friend Chris Fillmore while they were working in a record store. Darrin began shopping at Performance Audio in 1987 and Chris started working there in 1989.

Darrin has continued his DJ business over the years and it has been a major part of his life. Darrin even met the love of his life at a DJ gig. Heather was there dancing and he couldn't help but notice her. He even shared a dance with her at one point in the evening. (They just had to cut it short so he could start the next song..) They have been together ever since.

As they settled down and had kids, Darrin worked other jobs during the day. He worked for record stores and became a home-hospice nurse. It wasn't until 1998 that Darrin joined Performance Audio. He quit his job as a nurse, took a pay cut and started a new job. Heather was pregnant with their 3rd child at the time. It was a risk, but he felt like it was the right thing to do.

Four years later, he became a part owner of Performance Audio when the former owner, Kevin Lewis, passed away and Chris and Darrin purchased the business. He and Chris continue to be best friends and business partners to this day.

Debbie Ramras is a friend to all at Performance Audio and although she works upstairs, her office door is always open for visitors. Debbie does our accounts payables and works directly with our vendors to make sure all of our bills are paid.

Debbie originally began working at Audio in June 2000 when the previous owner, Kevin, asked her to come work on the books while he underwent brain surgery. Debbie left her job at Elegant Illusions, a jewelry store downtown, and started right away. There wasn't space for her to have own desk at the old office, but it wasn't long until she was a permanent position here. She didn't have to wait long for her own space, in 2001 Performance Audio moved to our current location on West Temple and there was far more space in the new accounting office.

Debbie has a Bachelors Degree in Sociology from the University of Utah. She loves The U so much that she lives close to the stadium. Debbie has been married for over 30 years to her wonderful husband Jonathan. Debbie has two boys that are now men and one darling granddaughter, Amelia Bee. She loves miniature Australian shepherds and has one named Savannah. Debbie also has a pond in her yard with two Koi fish.

Debbie loves working in this industry and especially enjoys going to local concerts where she will say hi to our employees out on shows. She says one of her favorite memories of Performance Audio is when we used to have human bowling with employees in the parking lot. It was a good way to learn to trust your coworkers. When she isn't busy, Debbie enjoys updating 100-year-old houses. You can also find Debbie hiking and biking with her family.

Meet Deven Wilson...

Deven began working here in 2001 in our contracting department. He has continued to do great work in his department and is now one of our Lead Installers and Project Managers. Deven is especially good at solving audio installation problems. Working in the contracting department is a busy job for our guys and they all work tons of hours making sure that our installs are done accurately and finished on time.

Deven has a BSS in Architectural Media Systems. He is also ESPA certified, has finished the NSCA Technical Fundamentals of Audio and completed the Sennheiser Sound Academy.

When asked what his favorite work story is, Deven said the following. "We had to decommission and old audio console for one of our venders. We couldn't just throw it in the trash, we had to make sure it was no longer functional. We decided 'lets have some fun.' Some of the other guys and I from the company took it out to the west desert and shot it full of holes. We had a good time."

In his spare time, Deven loves to be with his family. He is married to a wonderful woman named DeeAnna and has three daughters; Tristen, Megan, and Alexa. He loves camping, 4-wheeling, shooting, hunting and cooking. In the summer he enjoys family vacations. They have been to lots of National Parks like Glacier, Yellowstone, Carlsbad, Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Zions and Yosemite.

Deven has been a pleasure to work with over the last 16 years. He is friendly to everyone and is always there to help a co-worker in need. Thanks for all you do, Deven!

If you have ever been to Performance Audio, it is likely that you have met Garn. He is one of the many important pieces that make our company run smoothly. He is the shipping manager and purchasing manager, but he can do just about any job around here.

Before working at Performance Audio, Garn owned his own business. It was a pet store called "Fins, Feathers, Fur." He loved working for himself and spending time around animals. After 9 years of running his own place, he sold his pet store. He didn't really know what he wanted to do after that. He started hanging out with his friends at Performance Audio soldering cables in the back. After three or so weeks of "volunteer work", the owner noticed him and asked the other employees what he was doing. They explained that he was bored after selling his store and just needed somewhere to hang out while his friends were there working. When a shipping position became available, Kevin asked Garn if he was interested. Garn started working here in 2001 as our shipping clerk.

Garn once worked for an acoustic show with Avril Lavigne. He took his daughter with him since she was a big fan. The two of them set the stage mics, stands and cables together. His daughter had a front row seat that night. After the show he got autographs on a CD and the mic that was used during the show. Garn had the CD and mic framed with pictures of the night and newspaper clippings. He was so glad to share this night with his daughter and this is still one of his favorite work memories.

In his spare time, Garn loves to be outside, he is an avid fisher and loves camping. He loves going on weekend trips with his buddies. Garn has quite the green thumb and if you visit his house, you will see that. His house is filled with beautiful plants and his yard is meticulously landscaped. He also has a dog named Buddy that will be thrilled to see you when you get there.

Harley has been in working in the industry for 5 years. Harley was trained at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. His specialty is recording and he has the certifications to prove it. He is certified in Waves, Autotune, Melodyne, Pro Tools and Logic Pro. Harley is a genuinely kind guy and every day working with him is a pleasure. Always happy to help, Harley gets things done with a smile.

One of Harley's favorite stories from working in the industry is a pretty good one. "In a session I was running the artist wanted a trumpet solo on a breakdown. The budget wouldn't allow a session player to come in and the virtual instruments weren't cutting it. So after a short period I decided I would try using my mouth to make trumpet sounds. The artist actually ended up keeping it!"

Like many of us in Utah, Harley's hobbies take place outside. He enjoys camping and Riding Motocross. Harley is married to Maegan and they enjoy long romantic walks around, well, just about anywhere.

Stop by sometime and say hi to Harley, he is happy to help you with any of your audio needs.

Meet Heather Porter.

The night her husband came home and said "Honey, I'm leaving my current stable job and taking a pay cut to work at Performance Audio," Heather Porter took a giant leap of faith in supporting him. Now almost 18 years later, that decision has forever changed her life. Back then, she never would have imagined that Darrin would one day own the company and they would run it with one of their best friends, Chris. "When I bet on Darrin, I always win!" she often says.

Although Heather considers herself very lucky these days, things haven't always been like that for her. She has had some incredible experiences in her life but has worked hard to overcome any obstacles in her way. Heather is no stranger to difficult situations but always seems to come out of adversity a stronger person. In fact, on her way to a doctor's appointment towards the end of her pregnancy, a drunk driver hit and seriously injured Heather. Darrin rushed to the hospital and proposed right there in the emergency room. She pulled through and two weeks later delivered a healthy baby.

Heather is a proud mother of three kids and a grandma to three babies. They are her pride and joy. If Heather wasn't employed at Performance Audio she would most likely be a full time grandma and spend every waking moment with her grand-babies She would also be broke from spoiling them! Heather loves dogs, she has two border collies that keep her very busy.

Before working at Performance Audio, Heather was a stay at home mom during the day and would often work for a local concert promoter at night. She worked for many artists that came into town and even worked for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Although she never worked for them, her favorite band is The Carpenters and she LOVES Neil Diamond.

Heather is the head of our accounting department and human resources here at Performance Audio. She started working here in 2006 and has been a vital part of our team since then. Some would even call her the mother of the "lost boys."

One of her favorite things about Performance Audio is that it is like a family. "I've had so many great experiences working with our employees and customers. I feel like so many of the people who work here are family. At my daughters wedding, I looked around and noticed that some of our best friends are the people I work with every day."

Meet Ivan;

Ivan Carrasco is the man behind many (if not all) of our Facebook & Instagram posts. So for those of you following us on a regular basis, you are seeing his hard work come to life on screen(s). Ivan is also responsible for taking most of the photos posted on our blog and featured on our social media platforms. We like to think of him as our resident photographer, but that isn't his only special skill. Ivan was hired in 2011 because of his ability to speak Spanish and English fluently to help our varied customer base. At the time he knew almost nothing about audio, but he has come a long way.

Ivan is one of our salesmen that work along the front counter. He is a friendly guy who is always willing to help a customer or take on a project for the company. We have all grown to love him over the years, and it just wouldn't seem like Performance Audio without him. One of Ivan's favorite things about working here is that he gets to spend time in every department, sometimes off-site, to photograph the things we do. He enjoys getting to spend time interacting with coworkers outside of his own department and his photography skills enables him to do this.

He has pursued photography as a creative outlet for over 3 years and has become very talented. He enjoys shooting landscapes and cityscapes outside of work and merchandise within our store, but he truly shines at taking photos of people. We are grateful that he uses his gift to showcase what goes on around our shop and even employees lives.

Ivan's parents immigrated to the United States before Ivan was born, they did everything they could for their children to make sure they had the best opportunities to succeed in life. Ivan is very grateful for their sacrifices and where those sacrifices have brought him in life. Ivan especially understands those sacrifices now that he has two children of his own. Ivan is very family oriented and in his spare time he is always with his family and extended family. He and his wife work very hard to provide everything they can for their children, including a HUGE Great Pyrenees dog. The family adopted the puppy after moving into a bigger home for their young and growing family. This was their first family pet and although she has turned their lives upside down, Ivan loves having a dog for his kids.

Make sure you say hi to Ivan next time you are in the shop, or like one of his photos on Facebook or Instagram.

Jake is one of the nicest people around, but you may have already known that if you have ever met him. He is incredibly smart, talented and has a work ethic unlike most people.

Jake became interested in the audio industry after participating in a church production as a young boy. He started working as a sound technician in junior high and spent high school behind the scenes of many musicals and plays. He continues to mix live and studio sound for FOG (Fat Old Guys).

Jake has worked very hard to get where he is today. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater with an emphasis in Sound from BYU. He also has a music-recording certificate from BYU. Jake is QSC Q-Sys Level 2 certified, BSS Level 2 certified, Dante certified and has Extron Control Professional certification.

He began working for Performance Audio in 2002 and after taking a break to continue his education he returned to us in 2012 as the head of the Install Department. Jake is now our System Design and Integration Manager. He has worked very hard to turn the installation department into what it is today.

Jake enjoys spending what little spare time he has with his family. He is married with two boys and a girl on the way. He is very tech savvy and is always trying out the newest software and apps. Jake loves cooking and enjoys trying new recipes on his smoker. He comes from a large family and they will tell you that Jake knows how to feed a crowd!

We are lucky to have a guy like Jake on our team!

Meet John Andersen;

With over 21 years of experience, John is a talented sound engineer. John specializes in large format audio systems and console rentals. He began working for Performance Audio in 1999 and is currently the Showbiz/Rental Manager.

John comes from a family of ten kids; five boys and five girls. His parents felt that every child should be involved in music and be able to play the piano. John grew up taking piano and violin lessons. Later on he became a bass player in a band. He says that his skills have "rusted," but if you've heard him play the piano, you know that he is being modest. As a rebellious teen John secretly purchased a Walkman and the tapes Chicago- 17, and Survivor- Vital Signs. When he was eventually busted, his music and Walkman were confiscated by his parents. That didn't stop his love of music. In college he was at a party and fell over a stage monitor. He became friends with the band as they built their PA and he eventually began providing equipment and services to other bands. He continues to enjoy live sound at his job today.

John was raised to work hard starting at a young age. He remembers working on the family pistachio farm as soon as he was big enough to hold a shovel. His first official job was as a bagger at Safeway as a teenager. He eventually began working at local bars and clubs such as The Zephyr, Club DV8, Cisero's, The Westerner and many others. John has also toured with Air Supply, BB King and thousands of one-off performances with a variety of national acts. One of the best shows John has ever worked was the Utah Symphony featuring Art Garfunkel at Deer Valley.

He is always quick to think in an emergency, probably from his years of experience. He seems to know exactly what to do when a sound system isn't operating at a show. Once a monitor caught fire during one of his gigs at The Bar and Grill. He pushed through the crowd to get to it and rushed out of the venue with the speaker as it filled the house with smoke!

In his spare time John enjoys spending his time with his three kids and his wife. His two little ones keep him on his toes, but he loves the time he spends playing with and chasing them. John loves to read when he gets a chance. His favorite authors include Tom Clancy, Stephen King, Ian Fleming and John Grisham. Some of his favorite bands include U2, Sting and Journey.

So if you see John in the office or on a gig feel free to say hello.

Meet Jonathan Myers.

Jonathan Myers works in our backline department. With over 23 years of experience, he is definitely an expert in the field of music. He has been such a pleasure to work with, we are all lucky to have him in the Performance Audio family.

Jonathan has been a performer and writer with many local bands over the years. He worked in instrument retail for almost eight years and has four years of experience in studio engineering. With his natural talent, experience and love of music, he pursued an education in music. Jonathan graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelors of Music in 2006. He began working for BackBeats in 2007. In December of 2014, Performance Audio acquired BackBeats and he came along with it. We are so happy that he stayed with us through the transition.

His favorite part of his job is the opportunity to meet some of his favorite musicians and composers over the years. His favorite show was "The Wayne Shorter tribute concert at the Red Butte Concert Series where I had the chance to meet and see Wayne Shorter, John Patitucci, Brian Blade, Esperanza Spalding, Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, and Joey Baron." It was a great experience and he was able to meet one of his all time favorites. Jonathan also enjoys working the Twilight Series in Pioneer Park and the ASCAP Music Cafe during Sundance. He is grateful that his career has given him so many opportunities to work with talented writers, musicians and production teams.

In his spare time Jonathan enjoys skiing, camping and fishing. He also likes cooking, movies, literature and art. Jonathan loves animals and currently has his cat, Milton.

Meet Nate Brown,

Nate came to us in April of 2015 and was hired because of his extensive background and knowledge of the industry. Nate has proved to be a great addition to our sales staff, brining wit and sarcasm wherever he goes. It should also be noted that he listed his job title as "Resident Rain Cloud," which may or may not be true, but made us laugh nonetheless.

His resume is filled with certifications and training that anyone would be proud of, and we are happy to have his skill set available to our customers. Nate studied Master Recording at The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences. He is certified as a Tier 5 Pro Tools Operator/Troubleshooter. Nate is also certified in the following; Smaart 6 software, Apple Logic Pro, and is proficient on the Otari MTR and Studer 2" tape machines. He is also proficient with a variety of consoles.

Nate has worked at The Pass Studios, along with the legendary East West Studios in Los Angeles, CA. After coming back to Utah, he built his own studio in Salt Lake City. He currently owns and operates his local studio when he isn't busy here in the shop.

One of Nate's favorite memories working in the industry was when he had the opportunity to work with the TV Show "How I Met Your Mother." He recorded Neil Patrick Harris singing a musical number for the show. Neil stood in the booth for over three hours until he and the producer were satisfied. Although the show is long over, it was a great memory for Nate.

In his spare time, Nate enjoys hiking, snowboarding and traveling. With so much experience it is no surprise that he also enjoys playing the drums, guitar and singing. Nate loves animals, but especially dogs. He has a fat, black dog named Curly.

Next time you are looking for someone to help you with your recording questions or have a witty conversation with, stop by and say hi to Nate.

In elementary school Randy was asked to participate in the Christmas Pageant by his teacher. Although he was nervous, he was more scared that if he turned down the part he might not be allowed to go on to 7th grade. He remembers being so nervous as he sang his part, but somehow pulled it off. His teacher wanted him to join the choir, but a funny thing happened in the summer before junior high. Randy's voice changed and he was unable to carry a tune. They transferred him to a speech class where he met the school's drama teacher. It didn't take long for him to realize that he loved being behind the scenes, not on the stage. In high school he agreed to take the part of a Munchkin of Oz in the school play as long as he could work on technical theatre during class time.

Randy graduated from Weber High School and continued his education at Weber State University where he received his Bachelor of Science in Theatre. While attending WSU, Randy received the very prestigious M. Thatcher Allred Award. He went on to get his Masters of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Theatre and Film from BYU. As a young family, they moved to North Carolina where Randy taught at Pembroke State University.

In 1993, Randy became the National Sales Manager for GTS. By 1999 Randy was the Vice President of GTS and in 2004 he became part owner. In February of 2014, Performance Audio purchased the company and moved them into our building. Randy and his two oldest sons came to work at Performance Audio bringing their knowledge and skills with them. It took a lot of twists and turns to get where he is today, but we truly enjoy having Randy on our team.

Randy loves working at Performance Audio. Here he has been able to design a variety of systems used in technical theater and he has had the opportunity to work with people in all aspects of entertainment. He passed his love of technical theatre on to two of his sons; Aaron and Jonathan both work here too!

Randy has been married to the love of his life, Christy, for 30 years. Randy has nothing but respect and admiration for his wife. He said it is her hard work and sacrifices that allow him to do what he loves every day. Together they have four children. Elizabeth, Aaron, Jonathan and Christopher are Randy's pride and joy. He also has four grandchildren and truly enjoys being a grandpa.

Meet Rich Nicholes

If you've ever dropped into Performance and been greeted with a "Hey dude", or "What's up man", you've just met Rich.

After graduating South High School (one of the last classes) in 1986, Rich started working at a local night club and officially started DJ'ing New Years of 86/87. By the end of '87, he started a mobile DJ company. Rich had a number of "full time" jobs, but by 1994 he was a partner in a hardwood flooring company. In that same year his DJ business experienced enough growth, he made a decision to sell off his share in the flooring company and pursue DJ'ing full time. Rich ran A Topspin Company/Rich Nicholes Entertainment for 12 more years in a full time capacity. As a DJ/EmCee, Rich has performed in multiple states and has been recognized in Mobile Beat magazine, a national trade publication. At one point he had the opportunity to perform in front of 15,000 people at USANA's international annual convention.

Being a mobile DJ, Rich encountered multiple room configurations. He did not realize that where you set up in a room can be just as important as having quality equipment. After spending money on good equipment, he went a step further and started to learn as much as he could about sound and how to get the most out of his equipment.

In January of 2008 Rich decided to make a career change and reached out to Performance Audio. It took 6 months before an opportunity opened and Rich started working in the install department. Within 6 months he was transferred to the sales floor, where he works today. Rich is the in house DJ specialist and has also been an integral part of our lighting team.

Rich has been married for 29 years, has two boys, and two dogs.

Rich can be described as intense, an adrenaline junkie. He has done everything from Wakeboard to Sky diving, from Downhill Mountain Biking to OCR (obstacle course race). Rich has been in athletic training for 5 years now, focusing on World's Toughest Mudder, a 24 hour obstacle course race. He has competed in this competition on two prior occasions, but has fallen short of his 50 mile goal. His longest race yet is 45 miles, with over 180 obstacles. This November he hopes to best his previous finishes and reach 50 miles.

In addition to the craziness of OCR, Rich is actively competing in 1/2 & full Marathons, and 5k, 10k, & 15k trail races. When not racing you can often find Rich in the back country somewhere either fishing, hiking, mountain biking, or simply just chilling out.

Rich has recently moved to a part time schedule. You can find him in the store on Mondays & Tuesdays. Because of his passion for racing and experience in DJ/EmCeeing, he is currently sharing his work schedule as an EmCee for Ragnar Trail Race Series.

What started as a job to get through college became a career for Ryan Schilder. He began working here in April of 1998 and stuck around after graduating. We like to think that he enjoys his time here and that's what has kept him around for so long. (We are pretty fond of him too.)

Ryan works in our repair department. He specializes in fixing microphones, mixers and powered speakers, but has been known to take on anything he thinks he can fix. He is JBL Mechanical and Electrical Warranty certified. Ryan is very intelligent and it takes very little time to figure that out when talking to him. He has a Bachelors of Science in Economics from the University of Utah.

In his spare time, Ryan loves to be out on the lake. He sails on the Great Salt Lake as often as he can. He is a member of the GSL Emergency Response Team and is also EMT & WEMT certified. Ryan also enjoys SCUBA diving and long distance shooting.

Scott Simons is our in house custom cable expert. He has been working for us since 2000 and has a wide array of knowledge in the industry. If custom cables are what you're after, he's your guy.

Terry Thomas has been around Performance Audio for quite some time now. He has always worked in our rental department and has been a big part of our Performance Audio family.

Terry lived in Park City for almost 20 years. During that time he did plenty of production work for local films, he booked bands, wrote songs, worked on studio recording and of course he went skiing, a lot. This fun period in his life earned him the moniker "Mayor of Main Street" in some circles. Terry has always loved music, entertainment and live events, so a job in the industry seemed like a good fit. Terry was friends with Kevin Lewis and had become familiar with Performance Audio and its employees at concerts and events. When Kevin offered him a job in the rental department it was an easy 'yes'. Terry started working here in 1992 and has been a major part of our rental team ever since.

Terry Graduated with Paralegal, and Business Management Degrees. He also has certification from Shure, Lectrosonics and Sennheiser. He specializes in wireless systems but with a long career in the industry, he knows quite a bit about all things sound.

Outside of work, Terry is very involved in his community. He is part of the Community Council and on the Board of Directors for multiple community organizations. When he isn't working or volunteering for his community, Terry enjoys spending time outside in the mountains and deserts of Utah.

Terry is married to the love of his life, Kelly. She is a wonderful woman and the mother of his two youngest children; Kaleb and James. He has older children with their own kids and loves seeing his grand children. Terry also loves golden retrievers. He has had Takoda for years and recently bred him so he could keep one of the puppies, Theo.

"I consider it a privilege to enjoy working and learning at Performance Audio for over 25 years. I am lucky and blessed to have developed numerous quality relationships with co-workers and many customers. Thank you!" -Terry

When Tiffany started here in 2007, she had no idea that she would one day be the sales manager. She was brought on as our receptionist but quickly became one of the hardest working employees we have. No job is too big or too small for Tiffany and when she sees something that needs to be done, you may as well consider it done. She has cleaned, organized, scrubbed, painted, and even climbed trees to trim branches. You can see why she earned the nickname "tool-time."

Tiffany has been not just a great employee, but a friend to many of her coworkers. If she isn't spending her spare time with her family, you can bet she is with her friends from work. One of Tiffany's favorite memories of working at Performance Audio is when we used to play "human bowling" in the parking lot. This involves wheel boards, 2-liter bottles with water, gaff tape and it was a whole bunch of fun (or a liability, as HR has called it). Everyone wanted to participate in the fun and games, from the owners to the warehouse employees. When asked what the best part of working at Performance Audio is she said, "I love that we are a family, all the way down to the crazy uncle. I love that we fight like siblings, but we also care about each other and their families."

Tiffany enjoys spending her spare time with her family and loves going on adventures with them. They like to go camping and hiking, but you can also find them at Starbucks or Target on weekends. Her husband Colton makes everyone smile when he comes to visit her at work. They have a daughter named Sophie. She is a firecracker just like her mom, and adds so much to our office when she visits (sass included). Tiffany is very close with her extended family and we have all grown to know and love them, her brother Tyler even works here!

Tiffany has a soft spot for animals and has been known to bring home the saddest of pets to nurture back to health. She has taken in feral kittens and an old dog named Grandpa Joe that needed somewhere to spend his last days. She currently has a cat named Stickers Meow and a dog named Aries. She is great at baking and makes the best chocolate cupcakes on earth. She loves summer concerts, especially when Brandi Carlile comes to town. We love all of her quirks and enjoy having her around, thanks for all you do Tiffany.

Meet Todd:

Todd came to us with the acquisition of BackBeats in 2014. Since then we have loved getting to know Todd and couldn't be happier that he is part of our family.

Todd works as a backline technician in our warehouse. He can also be found at concerts and shows throughout the valley where our backline is being used. With over 10 years of experience, Todd has also played guitar in local bands. He is a humble guy and will tell you that he has only "touched a guitar" but the truth is Todd is a talented musician with a broad knowledge of music and instruments.

When asked, Todd claims that his hobbies include chewing gum and staring at walls, but we know he does more than that. Todd loves listening to vinyl and watching horror movies.

Todd enjoys his job and said, "The thing I love most about this job is exploring all of the gear that we purchase. It allows me to plug in, learn and get a feel for the gear we rent. I also love the staff here. Everyone is so nice." The truth is, Todd is the nicest guy around and we are glad that he feels the same way about his coworkers.