By Holly Fisher
Contributing Writer

Last week one North Charleston company made history—literally. Production Design Associates was the technical provider for six of the nine Presidential Inaugural balls in Washington, D.C., making sure President Bush was seen and heard by millions.

“It’s exciting to be there and raise the good flag of Charleston. To show [the country] we respect our history but we’re also high tech,” says Jerry Seay, PDA vice president and co-owner, in an interview a week before the big event.

As the overall technical provider for the events, PDA was responsible for lighting the stage, the room and the band as well as decorative lighting. In addition, the company provided audio support for President Bush’s speech and the band; PDA also handled the video production.

The company was quick to acknowledge its critical role in making the balls, and President Bush, a success. “The White House is very particular about the president, how he looks and sounds,” Seay says.

“One mistake and you’re history,” adds Jeff Nickles, company president and co-owner.

Fortunately, PDA has some experience working with the Bush Administration. They have worked with President Bush and his staff on more than 30 campaign events.

As the in-house A/V company for Embassy Suites, PDA first provided technical support for Bush’s visit to the North Charleston Embassy Suites hotel a few years ago. When Bush later visited The Citadel, his staff asked PDA to handle the technical aspects. And the work just grew from there. PDA provided sound and lighting for Bush’s visits to Greenville and Columbia as well as working on the 2004 G8 Summit near Savannah.

“The White House staff would just call us and offer jobs,” Nickles says.

The Bush administration liked “our work and our style. We have a Southern way of doing business,” says Nickles. “I think our locale and our mentality really helped us.

“I feel people like to do business with us because of our style,” he adds. “We don’t like the pushy, used-car [salesman approach]. We don’t need to add to the stress. We want to fade into the background; we don’t want to bother the client with the details.”

Nickles and Seay started PDA in 1991 in a garage on Highway 61. Childhood friends, they started out handling lighting and sound for their church when they were just in their teens. Three years ago, they built a 15,000-square-foot facility on Three Lakes Road in North Charleston.

When the 55th Presidential Inauguration plans were beginning, the White House asked PDA to bid on the projects, and snagging six of the nine balls is quite a feather in PDA’s cap. The balls were in the new Washington, D.C., Convention Center, and Seay says 10,000 to 20,000 people attend each event.

This job was important for PDA and for Charleston as a whole, the owners point out. They sent 30 to 40 employees to Washington and have been using Independence Air for their many trips to and from the capital.

“It’s a trickle-down effect,” Nickles says. “It’s nice that Charleston is getting a piece of the pie.”

Holly Fisher is a regular contributor to the Business Journal. E-mail her at editorial@crbj.com.

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