Amplifiers
Steve Peer has a very interesting take on the 1971 fire that destroyed the Crown International factory in Elkhart, Indiana. Steve just joined the company a few months before the Thanksgiving Day fire but was told the factory started in two chicken coops. Over the years the factory was expanded a...
Clay Barclay was associated with Crown International in Elkhart, Indiana for more than 40 years. As a kid, he took radios apart to see how they worked and has been fascinated with audio his entire life. He is a brain surgeon by trade but always worked in the field of electronics with the goal of...
Larry Shank joined Crown International in 1985 with a computer background. He had the goal of bringing computer technology to the product line. With the help of Dick Hyser, the inventor of the technology behind the TEF analyzer, Larry was able to assist and became the Sales Manager for TEF. Among...
Don Eger earned his degree in electric engineering and began working for Crown International in 1964. A few years later he became a draftsman in the Engineering Department and by 1977 he was the Product Development Manager helping the company create some of their innovative amplifiers and...
Jim Marks always enjoyed ham radio and often sought opportunities to learn more about audio equipment. He was working as a radio station engineer for Progressive Broadcasting when he heard of an opening at Crown International. He joined the company in 1970 as a service repair technician and his...
Dave Stuber was just out of high school in 1968 when he was hired to work as a technician in the tape recorder production of Crown International. The Elkhart, Indiana based audio company continued to pay Dave and even gave him raises when he was drafted to serve in the army during the Vietnam War. ...
Brenda Mortimer worked for Crown International in Elkhart, Indiana for 36 wonderful years. Her mother and aunt both worked in the factory, so Brenda grew up understanding and appreciating the family centric culture in the company. She began in 1981 as a wire cutter but soon advanced, becoming a...
Jim Beattie went to his local audio dealer in Columbus, Ohio in 1971 seeking high-end gear. The dealer invited Jim to tour the Crown International factory with him following week in Elkhart. Jim was approached to fill a job position while there and joined the company that year, 1971, and retired in...
Tom Szerencse worked his way up to an Engineering Group Manager overseeing Crown International’s design prototyping efforts. In the mid 80’s his team worked with the Marketing department to define new products that would solve customer requirements. Then later he moved to manufacturing as a...
Mary Miller interviewed for a factory job with the founder of Crown International, Clarence Moore. Mary recalled that day in 1966 as the interview was long, but it gave her a chance to understand the company and its values. She left for a year but returned in 1968 and stayed until her retirement in...