Betty Bennett, Founder of Apogee Electronics: Whenever you find your passion, it's not really work anymore.

I've been using Apogee converters in my studio since I bought my first AD 500 analog to digital converter in the early '90s. I've found all their gear to sound fantastic, work reliably, and inspire confidence in demanding studio clients. Via Tape Op I've come to know Betty Bennett, Apogee's founder; something I never expected to happen back when I bought that first AD 500. Betty is an incredibly smart and nice person, and I always enjoying chatting with her. As Apogee approaches a 40th anniversary in 2025, I thought it was a good time to learn more about Betty’s journey into the audio industry, and how Apogee Electronics got started and evolved into the present day

How did you get started in this business? You were living in Kalamazoo, MI?

I was studying business and computer science in 1978; learning to program in BASIC. It was right after the Fortran and COBOL era, and I’m not even sure why I took to it – no one in my family had a background in technology. But I found it logical and intriguing. At the time, Michigan’s economy was struggling due to the gas crisis, high interest rates, and a tough real estate market, so I took a job offer from the chap who had started Systech [Systems & Technology in Music]. He had just started importing Soundcraft consoles into the U.S. Initially, I was the “all-purpose” office person. There were only five of us, so I managed phones, bookkeeping, customer service, shipping, and even learned to solder. The Soundcraft Series 1 consoles were shipped as kits to avoid import duties, so we had to assemble them in-house! We were located in an industrial building with the only other audio companies in Kalamazoo at the time: Gibson guitars and ProCo Sound. There was one professional studio in town called Cross Roads, and I remember being so impressed by the rather large MCI console and the analog tape machines. So, my start in the professional audio business was less than glamorous but I was hooked.

What came next?

I’d always dreamed of moving to California, and although I loved my job at Soundcraft I wanted to leave the Midwest and experience the West Coast. I made the decision and gave Soundcraft’s owners, Phil Dudderidge [Tape Op #121] and Graham Blyth, 90 days' notice. Soon after, they called me and said, “We don’t want to lose you, plus we’ve always wanted the company to be in either California or New York. Please take it with you.” So, at 22 years old, I closed the Michigan office on a Friday, drove cross-country with my cousin over the weekend, and opened the California office on Monday. No downtime. It felt like an adventure, and at that age, I didn’t think twice about it.

Did you finish school?

No, I’d planned to finish school in California, but when Soundcraft gave me the opportunity to run their U.S. division I went all in. I’d already found my passion and felt like I was getting an unparalleled education in real-time. I did enroll at UCLA for a while but never completed my degree. Looking back, I’m glad I followed my gut. Whenever you find your passion, it's not really work anymore. It's your life, and luckily it was in the music business. At that point, Soundcraft’s products focused on the live part of the industry, with touring bands, so it was exciting. I'd go out to shows, talk about gear, meet interesting people, and experience how our products were used. In addition, I was able to travel throughout the U.S. visiting dealers. I don’t think I could have dreamt of a better position.

How did you transition from Soundcraft to founding Apogee?

Soundcraft’s U.S. distribution hit a wall when Soundcraft Limited in London shifted to surface-mount technology. What wasn’t anticipated was how accurate the layout of the circuit board had to be, they started the production line up, and the leads from the components never made it into the holes in the circuit board. They had to halt production and re-layout every board This oversight caused a six-month production halt, and at the time I had 8 to 10 million dollars in back orders and a lot of unhappy customers. This, of course, caused a bit of a cash problem for Soundcraft. It was then that Phil and Graham asked me if I could sell the American division. I reached out to Harman, who had previously expressed interest in us building a mixer for them, and they were interested. The deal closed quickly. I remember signing papers late one Friday night and on Monday I had my first child. Soon after [December 1985], Apogee was founded with Bruce Jackson, an award-winning live sound engineer, and Christof Heidelberger, a brilliant engineer I had previously worked with at Soundcraft.

What were the initial goals for Apogee when you...