www.HartfordBusiness.com • February 11, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 3
Newsmakers
EDITORIAL
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BUSINESS
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Jim Hennessey | Owner, The Music People
By Sean Teehan
steehan@hartfordbusiness.com
A
t 83 years old, Jim Hennessey is still in
the office every day at The Music People,
the Berlin-based music accessory and
professional audio equipment company he
started four decades ago.
But before he was engineering sound for rock
shows, he was engineer-
ing logistics for helicopters
at Kaman Aircraft. As luck
would have it, the company's
owner, Charlie Kaman, also
owned Ovation Guitars.
After a few years working
days as a logistical engineer
at Kaman and nights attend-
ing art school, Hennessey
began working at Ovation
full time, doing artwork, advertising and artist
relations.
Working with artists from Kat Stevens to Em-
mylou Harris, Hennessey learned about their audio
needs, which informed him in designing products
when he founded The Music People in 1979.
As the company celebrates its 40th anniversary,
Hennessey said the Connecticut music scene's
strength is in its diversity of venues — from
churches to casinos.
The music industry and technology that artists
use seem to be always changing. How do you
make sure your business and products remain
relevant?
It is always changing, but so is the world —
and that can be bad or good. In 2008, the reces-
sion hurt the country, but our company was still
on a growth path.
We did this by making sure we are always
meeting the needs of the customers. And we do
this by making sure that our accessories and
products can be purchased by musicians in any
economic climate.
What has been the proudest moment of your
career?
My proudest moment is that I started a com-
pany and ran it for 40 years successfully with
only a high school education. All of my friends
were going to college, so I set a goal that I had
four years to get up to the same level that they
were at when they came out.
My second proudest moment is when my chil-
dren, Sharon and John Hennessey, wanted to join
the business. I took my daughter to California to a
trade show and when we got back she signed up. My
son, John, worked on college breaks at the company
and when he graduated he came on full time.
Do different types of music require different
kinds of audio equipment for optimal sound?
Sure, different venues and different spaces re-
quire different kinds of sound systems. For exam-
ple, a night club would have a different setup than a
small- or mid-sized church.
In addition to manufacturing innovative musical
accessories, we also have a strong pro-audio distri-
bution branch, TMP-Pro, which today distributes
over 200 audio brands.
VERBATIM
Mighty ambitions
"One of my highest priorities is to grow research at UConn. That means making
strategic investments in faculty and facilities with the goal of doubling research here
over the next seven to 10 years."
Thomas C. Katsouleas , UConn's newly appointed president, on his goals to
ramp-up research and the economic-development role of the state's flagship
university when he takes office Aug. 1.
Jim Hennessey
s i m s b u r y b a n k . c o m
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