Entrepreneurial spirit
since 1951.
Lt. Zane Peavey
1932-2021
A family history of visionaries.
Peavey Grain Companies
1874. Frank H. Peavey opens Peavey Grain in Minneapolis MN. Soon after, Frank invented the grain elevator we still see used today. Privately owning and operating 70% of grain elevators in the world, the company went public in 1973 and then became ConAgra Inc. 16% of the world’s wheat milling capacity is owned by ConAgra. Today, the only outdoor event center, and fountain park, located in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, is the “Peavey Plaza”, which stands to commemorate Frank Peavey. Renovated in 2020, the park is listed with the National Register of Historic Places.
Beatrice Foods Inc.
1894. Peavey in-law, George Haskell, founds Beatrice Creamery Company Consolidated, Inc. in Beatrice Nebraska. The creamery becomes the nation’s largest, relocates to become a major employer in Chicago, IL, and Topeka, Kansas. Beatrice soon became the largest food processing company in the world, with brands such as Hunts, Jolly Rancher, Krispy Kreme, Swiss Miss, Tropicana, Dannon Yogurt, Altoids, and Samsonite, among others. In an ironic twist, Peavey Grain Co. became ConAgra, and ConAgra purchased Beatrice foods over 100 years later in the 1990’s.
Peavey Paper Mills.
1932. WIlliam “Bill” Peavey founds Peavey Paper Mills in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. Specializing in toilet paper, Peavey quickly became the largest paper manufacturer in the United States and one of the largest employers in Wisconsin at the time. The company grew by acquisition in the Great Depression. His nephew, Lynn Peavey, of Kansas City, joined the firm in the late 1930’s. Lynn’s only son Zane Peavey, was the first baby picture to ever be featured on toilet paper packaging nationwide. Charmin continues the tradition today.
Peavey Advertising
1945. After working at Peavey Paper, Lynn Peavey starts out on his own, being the first to commercially market what is known today as the Zip-Lock bag. Lynn’s only son Zane, joined the company after serving in the U.S. Air Force in Osaka, Japan. Zane launches The Peavey Advertising Agency which eventually specialized in developing premium-based, incentive gift programs aimed at helping companies attract new customers. Zane mentored various young Ad execs in Kansas City at the time, some of which have gone on to found some of the nation’s largest Ad Agencies.
St. Lawrence Seaway
1955. Hubert Haskell Peavey, business owner and U.S. Congressman, had convinced president Roosevelt on the idea of building the St. Lawrence Seaway. Several years later, the seaway Peavey pitched, is the only system of locks, canals and channels that permit ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great Lakes. It’s recognized as one of the most challenging engineering feats in the 20th century. The project employed 22,000 and involved pouring over 6M cubic yards of concrete. The seaway is still operating today.
Motivation Services
1972. Zane Peavey pivoted the business from an ad agency, manufacturers representative and the sole midwest Sony distributor. He created Motivation Services, a full service incentive fulfillment company occupying a 140,000 sq. ft office distribution center in suburban Kansas City. The company quickly became a national leader of consumer frequent buyer programs. Fortune 100 clientele included Honda, Monsanto, Pepsi, Armstrong, and Folgers Coffee. Zane was a pioneer in the $70+ Billion incentive industry. With consumer retailers entering the market, Zane passed the Motivation Services baton to his son Buck.
Peavey Performance Systems
1993. Peavey Companies current Owner and Chairman, Buck Peavey, created Peavey Performance Systems on the backbone of father Zane Peavey’s incentive business, Motivation Services. Peavey Performance Systems continued to market consumer incentive systems, becoming the merchandise fulfillment center for the majority of the country’s largest incentive companies. In the early 1990’s, Buck steers the incentive company into the corporate Safety, Wellness, and Human Resources marketplaces, where it remains atop the market today.
The Jackpot Companies
1995. Buck Peavey, opens a division of Peavey Performance Systems, aimed at the Safety incentive market. The gamified incentive program, “Safety Jackpot”, reduced workplace accidents for companies by an average of 61% within just 6 months. The scratch-off gamecard program rapidly grew, becoming the most recognized safety incentive program in the world, generating several hundred million in revenues across thousands of clients, including Fortune 100 companies 3M, Apple, Sara Lee, Coca-Cola, FedEx, Dow, Marriott Hotels, Avis, etc… This spawned similar companies: Wellness Jackpot, Hotel Jackpot, and Performance Jackpot. All continue to thrive today under holding company, Peavey Companies, Inc.
Carpathia Marketing
2017. Buck Peavey, launches B2B event marketing company, Carpathia. The company, headquartered in Chicago, IL., delivers “Bucket-List Networking” events between buyers and suppliers in a variety of industries. Marketed as a more-effective alternative to tradeshows, the company specializes in world-class events that allow suppliers to engage, meet and bond with C-level decision makers. Suppliers and Buyers are matched up with a proprietary software system. Events are held in exotic locations and centered around informal one-on-one meetings and bonding activities such as diving with sting rays in Grand Cayman. Clientele includes Hilton Hotels, Phillips Lighting Corp, Dyson, Hunter Fan, Cambria, Moen, and Four Seasons.
1972 - Peavey building ground-breaking.
Lynn, Zane, and Buck Peavey