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Clair Global launches archives website to showcase pro audio and live events history
Clair Global - a Lititz, Pennsylvania-based technology company that specializes in live event production services, integrated permanent solutions and pro audio product manufacturing - celebrated sixty years in business in 2026. For the past three years, it has been actively and professionally preserving the history of its people, projects and products of the now worldwide brand group.
To commemorate this milestone, a new Clair Global Archives website has launched, giving audiences - for the first time - a dedicated space to find insights into the company’s humble beginnings and significant transformation. “On the surface, sixty years doesn’t sound like a long time, but just think about the advances in sound reinforcement from The Beatles’ Shea Stadium concert in 1965 to Live Aid in 1985”, says Clair Global Archivist Joe Stolarick. “That’s massive progress packed into just twenty years.”
As an archivist, Stolarick can be found cataloging materials, conducting interviews, giving tours around the premises, or researching and distilling sharable information. His current large-scale project is converting a wing of Clair’s former headquarters into the Archives’ physical repository, alongside the new website. “We have over 8,000 sq ft across two levels that will house offices, displays, a small library, a meeting room, and a processing/storage area”, he says. “This is long-term work; the goal is for this history to endure in perpetuity.”
Over the last six decades, Clair expanded into a large and complex operation, with dozens of global locations and multiple service offerings. “We also don’t want to lose the early achievements of companies that are now part of the Clair Global group, such as Showco, dB Sound, MD Systems, and Concert Sound”, Stolarick notes. “When you peel back the layers, you discover there was an immense amount of respect among these companies, even while in direct competition.”
Archivists typically preserve primary sources - unique, original materials, that help to tell a story. “Archives exist to be used, so when acquiring outside materials, we prioritize those without restrictions”, Stolarick explains. “It is also important to ensure we’re willing to dedicate the space and resources needed to properly care for historical materials, hence the new physical space.”
Appropriate preservation is crucial: “Some materials, particularly textiles and film, require special handling to ensure that they are not compromised”, Stolarick says. “A core function of archival work is preservation. Embedding the program ensures that this history will endure. I credit the Clair family, especially Katy Clair, with recognizing this and having the vision to integrate the Archives into the company, securing its care and accessibility for the future.”
He continues: “My goal has been to build something sustainable that can be passed down to future generations. We have everything from equipment and business papers to engineering drawings and tour swag, from Gene Clair’s grade school report cards to 12AM horn prototypes, not to mention entire S-4 and Showco Prism systems - with rigging! Then, there’s digital materials, which is a whole other complex challenge. Fortunately, a lot of this equipment was built to be durable.”
While the physical space housing these items is underway, for now, the Clair story so far can be found online. “I draw from both facts and inspiration”, Stolarick concludes. “At the end of the day, this is really a story about hardworking people who are incredibly proud of what they’ve accomplished. Sure, there are plenty of colorful stories from the shop and the road, but, as with anything in this industry, what ultimately matters most is the preservation of relationships.”
Pictured: Joe Stolarick examining a 35 mm slide of SAE amplifiers in use, circa 1970; and standing in front of a console designed by Bruce Jackson, most often associated with Elvis Presley’s tours between 1971-1977. (Photos: Clair Global)
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