Royer Labs has announced the retirement of president and co-founder Rick Perotta, succeeded by John Jennings, also a co-founder and who has served for 26 years as vice president of sales and marketing.
Jennings established and maintained the company’s dealer/distributor network and has directed Royer’s overall marketing and branding strategies from the beginning. In the company’s early days he attended numerous recording sessions, introducing producers, engineers and artists to Royer ribbon microphones and photographing them in action.
Perrotta co-designed many of the products with chief engineer David Royer. He created Royer’s overall hand-built-in-the-USA production methodologies, formulated the company’s original business structure, and for 26 years he oversaw its day-to-day business operations. In “retirement” Perrotta will continue to lend his expertise in a technical and design capacity.
Jennings has resided in Nashville since 2013 and will continue to work from the office he calls Royer East. He says that he plans on putting more new microphone products into the pipeline with a focus on the company’s hand-built approach.
Perotta states, “These 26 years have been one of the most rewarding periods of my life. From our start in my backyard guesthouse to our presence as an industry leader in high-end microphones and accessories, it’s been an incredible experience that I am very proud of. While I may not be in the office on a regular basis going forward, I will still be involved with the company and the wonderful people that constitute Royer Labs. And as I pass the baton—or should I say microphone—to John Jennings, I have every confidence the company will continue to thrive.”
Jennings adds, “I’ve always been proud of what Royer Labs brings to the pro audio community. Becoming Royer’s president now is an honor. Every day, I work with high quality people who bring their A game — that’s the Royer way. I’ll miss having Rick here but we’ve been partners for so long, and our management team is so good, that stepping into this position is an uncomplicated, natural progression. We have some unique new designs underway and the next few years at Royer are going to be an exciting time to hold down this seat.”
Meanwhile, the VP of sales & marketing position is being taken over by industry veteran Dave Bryce, another seasoned sales and marketing professional.
