Today we’d like to introduce you to Neil Grover.
Neil, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In 1979, while playing in the percussion section of the Boston Symphony, I noticed that the orchestra owned an old triangle that rang with an unusually beautiful sparking sonority when struck. I was so taken with the sound of this instrument that I was driven to understand the principles behind the sound it produced. My curiosity led me to MIT where I enlisted (rather cajoled) the help of students in the Acoustics & Vibration lab. Leveraging the brain trust at MIT, I set out to reproduce the old triangle, strictly to own one like it myself.
I brought the secret MIT formula to a blacksmith who used to work at the Quincy Shipyard, and, a week later I returned to him, was handed a triangle, struck it and ahhhh…it rang with a sumptuous sonorous similarity!
Mistakenly thinking that my foray into triangle making was over, I was asked by my colleagues in the Boston Symphony percussion section to create more so that they too could own one. Making a few for friends morphed into fielding calls from percussionists in other orchestras which in turn lead to a fortuitous phone call from one of the leading percussion retailers. The phone rang, “Is this Neil Grover?”, the voice on the other end asked. Replying “Yes it’s me”, I heard, “I want to order a dozen of your new triangles, how much are they?” I replied, “I am not in the triangle busi…”, and before I could finish my sentence he barked, “You are now, send me twelve!”. An unintentional business launching if there ever was one!
Diving in head first, I followed triangles with tambourines, mallets, woodblocks, snare drums, and other small percussion products. I developed and tested each product personally, ensuring a high level of quality control that remains unparalleled in the industry. In 1992 the company incorporated and moved to an industrial space north of Boston. The company quickly outgrew its work-space and, in 1994, moved to a significantly larger manufacturing complex. To meet the growing worldwide demands for Grover Pro products, the company invested in highly customized machinery and tooling. As the company grew, I assembled a dedicated staff of percussion specialists to ensure that my personal commitment to percussion was embodied within the company’s infrastructure.
In 2006 the Discovery Channel’s “How It’s Made” filmed two segments at Grover Pro Percussion. The popularity of the show exposed our products to millions of viewers around the globe. (I happened to be performing in Norway when I first viewed the episode!)
Today, Grover Pro Percussion headquarters is in Woburn, MA, adjacent to America’s Technology Highway. The company employs a dedicated team of percussion specialists, production experts, and seasoned business managers. Our products are known throughout the world as among the finest percussion musical instruments ever made!
Has it been a smooth road?
It has been a roller coaster ride! I like to think that I learned by making every mistake possible, but only once. Fortunately, for someone like me who does not possess a business background, I have been blessed to have enlisted a group of dedicated business advisers, not to mention my brother (a retired M&Ms executive) and my father (a seasoned business manager) to help me “ride out the storms”.
Today, the challenges presented to a small American manufacturer like us, (not to mention one in a volatile industry like music), are enormous. Despite this, as musicians, we are used to improvising and “playing around the changes”. Percussionists are problem solvers by nature, and, as a highly disciplined musician, I am comfortable putting in the time to master the task at hand.
Buckling my seat-belt, along the way I have learned to view problems as challenges and failures as necessary learning experiences. I am proud to say that I have earned my MBA from the “Learning By Doing” school.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Grover Pro Percussion – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are one of the world’s leaders in percussion manufacturing. Our products are used by practically every major symphony orchestra around the world. When you go to see movies like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, etc., you are hearing our instruments being played by top Hollywood studio players. Listen to people like Taylor Swift or Jason Aldean? You’re hearing our tambourines being played. We also make instruments for the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard Bands.
Everyone here at Grover Pro walks out of work knowing that we have brought a musical voice to artists who in turn make beautiful music of all genres. It’s nice to know that we make products that people enjoy and that will still be ringing joy when all of us are long gone.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I came to Boston to study music with the timpanist of the Boston Symphony. Not surprisingly, I fell in love with a city rich in culture, history, innovation and diversity. Boston has been home to me for 43 years and I still get excited about finding something I didn’t know about our city! Add to that the fact that I can be at the shore in less than an hour, or get to the White Mtns in two hours, and it becomes crystal clear why anyone would want to live here!
What I like least about our city is the “mass transit” system. It is old, antiquated and unreliable. A world-class city like Boston deserves a better system…anyone have Elon Musk’s phone number?
Contact Info:
- Address: 22 Prospect St., Unit 7 Woburn, MA 01801
- Website: GroverPro.com & GroverCustom.com
- Phone: 781.935.6200
- Email: info@groverpro.com
- Instagram: groverpro
- Facebook: GroverProPercussion
- Twitter: GroverProPerc
Image Credit:
Patrick Sanders
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