In Memoriam: Pete Herrmann

	Pete Herrmann

Pete Herrmann, CEO, co-founder, and owner of Motion Laboratories, passed away on September 19.

As a statement released by Motion Labs notes:

"Pete's life belonged on the pages of a memoir. Born in the Bronx, he was a working-class kid steered toward vocational studies by guidance counselors who seemed more concerned with his family's financial circumstances than his intellectual potential.

"His education instead came from an old German welder who took the young steamfitter under his wing, teaching him the trade and a lesson Pete would repeat for decades: 'Pete, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.'

"An industrial accident sent his life in another direction. A drummer with a love of music, Pete became a front-of-house sound engineer and started Shrug Sound in 1986. As his family grew, the long nights and weekends became less appealing.

"Before long, the long-haired sound guy with a white van full of equipment became involved with his warehouse neighbors, the future Motion Laboratories.

"There, the engineer in Pete found a home.

"Pete was a visionary with an engineer's mind. He helped shape Motion Laboratories from its early days, leading their expansion from chain hoist control into portable power distribution, manufacturing, and stage automation. His belief that knowledge should be shared also led to a learning center for the industry. In time, Pete became for young engineers what that German welder had once been for him: a mentor.

"But a resume could never explain Pete. In remembering the man behind those accomplishments.

"Pete filled the walls of this company with ideas, arguments, and stories. Now, we are left listening for his voice.

"We will miss that smile and those signature beanies perched haphazardly on his head. We will miss debating the proper toppings for raw oysters, his excitement at our successes, his ideas when we were stumped, and knowing we could turn to him when life handed us the unexpected.

"But most of all, we will miss his stories. Tales of rock and roll and heavy metal, run-ins with the mob, and the colorful characters who wandered through his life. We will keep telling them, but definitely not as well as Pete did.

"He will be terribly missed by his family and by the family he created at Motion Labs."

A celebration of Herrman's life is being considered for a future date. Details will be shared as they become available.