The Premier Group was formed in 1996. The company has grown exponentially and is now the parent of several growing protégés:
- Premier Productions - promoting Christian concerts nationwide!
- Premier Christian Cruises - offering innovative Christian cruise vacations with contemporary Christian artists, and nationally known speakers and comedians!
- Premier Festivals - providing an incredible live festival experience with top Christian artists and speakers!
- Camp Electric - introducing the FIRST interactive worship and rock music camp!
- Premier Foundation - aiming to further God's kingdom by raising money for charity and continuing the work of Premier for generations to come.
The goal of The Premier Group has remained the same over the past decade. That goal is to make a significant difference for Jesus Christ in the lives of as many people as possible!
Owners
In previous career paths, Gary Gentry worked for 22 years as a school psychologist and 12 years as a minister of music. He founded a promotions company in South Carolina and then combined efforts with Roy Morgan in 1996. The two words that best describe Gary are “energetic and intense.” He has been married to Deborah for 38 years and they have two children, and four grandchildren. Through contemporary Christian music he enjoys “the opportunity to impact lives for Christ through the medium of music.”
Married to Kathy Morgan, Roy founded Premier with Gary Gentry in 1996 by combining their two respective companies into one. Over the past 16 years, they've promoted more than 2,400 events reaching more than 8 million people. "Standing beside a stage and watching an artist or speaker connect with thousands of attendees is the most fulfilling part of our work. This one memory is duplicated at every event we do."
A few years ago, Shane Quick owned and operated his own promotions company. Then he accepted an offer to join Premier as owner and vice president of the concert division. He is "dedicated to seeing Premier Productions grow in reaching the masses with the greatest message the world has ever known - Jesus," he said. He and his wife Kim have one son, Ethan.
Office Staff
Josh Chambless, originally from Greensboro NC, joined Premier Productions in October 2011, after working as a Road Manager and Audio Engineer for Christian Music Artists in Nashville. Seeking to travel less and spend more time together, Josh and his wife Ashley now live in Birmingham, AL. Josh is responsible for handling all of the nitty-gritty details that go into making a show happen. When not building a spreadsheet or organizing things, Josh loves baseball (go Yankees!), and aspires to one day complete a pilot's license.
With Premier since 2008, Krista stays busy as Shane Quick’s personal assistant, office manager for Premier’s Cullman, AL office, and serving as ticketing coordinator for Premier’s many concerts, festivals and other events. She has 2 children, Alex (9) and Adrianne (6) who keep her busy after hours. With so many plates in the air, Krista says “There is never a dull moment in our office!”
A contract writer for Premier since 2004, Melody Hennessee joined the company as Marketing Assistant at the end of January 2011. Graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill, she worked as a newspaper reporter, feature writer and columnist full-time before deciding to stay home with her children. She and her husband Dace have been married 24 years. They have a daughter, Jordan, 15, and a son, Kenan, 11. "I am so glad to be working for a company that is all about God, and all about bringing people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - through music."
An integral part of Premier Productions, Robyn Klass has been with the company from the beginning. She began working with Roy Morgan’s promotion company part time in 1995, while still in college. She came on full time in 1997 and married Mitch Klass in 2002. The couple have a daughter named Ashlyn, who was born in October 2010. “I have been so blessed to work for a company whose mission is to reach others for Christ.”
A seasoned concert veteran, working her way from volunteering for her first Petra concert in the mid 1980's to Premier concert volunteer, then Local Coordinator to Regional Concert Director, Shannon Habas now serves as Media Relations Director, buying all forms of media. Shannon has worked as a professional clown since she was a "tween", and in 1997, she opened her own clown business, Premier Clowns Unlimited, and still performs regularly. She is also very active with Women's Ministries in her church and serves as a DivorceCare Facilitator as well as does motivational speaking after surviving an abusive marriage and life threatening tumors in 1994. She married Sean Habas in 2001 and she says he is a gift from God! In her spare time she loves to go to the gym, read, scrapbook, play with her cat, Aspen, hike and ride motorcycles!
Vonda Byerly loves crunching numbers. As bookkeeper with Premier since May 2006, she enjoys "being part of a Christian organization that truly cares about seeing lives changed," she said. "God is put first here and it shows throughout our daily operations." Vonda has been married to Brent Byerly for 21 years; they have two children and two dogs. Ace is their boxer mix, who thinks he's a "lap dog." Lady is a collie mix whose favorite hobby is playing with the children. "My favorite part of the day is early morning before the rest of my family wakes up," she said. "I'm able to have my quiet time before the day gets started."
Street Team Directors
Bobby Sullivan has been the Street Team Director for Reading, PA for three years - ever since Winter Jam started coming to the area. He has been on board since the start. He has a concert ministry in the Scranton, PA area and serves as promoter representative for several organizations, as well as show coordinator for many Christian music events in North East, PA.
Chrysta has been involved with Premier for five years in some capacity or another. In 2007 she began an internship with Premier and has grown to love the ministry that comes from our events more and more. Presently, Chrysta lives in Greenville, SC and enjoys traveling, singing, events, shopping, and spending time with friends, especially movie and game nights. When asked about Premier's impact she explains, "Premier provides the best possible elements in this business: consistently sharing Christ with thousands of people, executing professional promotions and productions, and seeing the need to continue to strive for excellence in every aspect of what we do for the greater purpose of glorifying Christ."
Cindy Bryant has been married for almost 19 years. She has 1 hairy 18 year old cat and loves contemporary Christian music! She is very active in her church, community, and with volunteerism. She also loves hanging out with friends, family, playing games, fishing, hiking, and shopping.
Estell Keshock is a Pastor at Calvary Chapel Worship Center in New Port Richey, Florida. She is also the Founder of SOS (Shedding Our Silence) and is the Dean at SOD (School of Disciples). Her heart is to reach out to the lost, broken, abandoned and abused people. She believes that music is one of the keys that opens the door for people to meet Jesus in a powerful way.
Haley Wherry has been working with students for more than 17 years. As a Youth Pastor and Campus Ministry Coordinator, he has helped hundreds of students put their faith into action on the campuses of their schools. He serves as a Regional Consultant for First Priority Blue Ridge. First Priority exists to unite the local Church to reach the campus for Christ. He is married to Kelly and has two teenagers – Brock (17) and Barrett (15).
Holly Fisher was first introduced to "music volunteering" back in 1988 when Steven Curtis Chapman played at her church. She was hooked from then on. Holly love's helping in anyway she can. She love's the people and the locations. In the end it's always amazing to her to see thousands of people fill arenas, stadiums or civic centers all to worhip the Lord Jesus Christ!
I am married to a wonderful man named Darren and have two children Jared and Emily. We all love being a part of the music ministry together.
Pastor Ines Cordero has worked for more than six year promoting and working at Christian events in the Orlando, FL area. She owns Plug Into Concerts & Promotions and produces events in the Spanish-speaking community. She also works with Rock the Sound. Married for 16 years, Ines and her husband have 4 children. "We all absolutely love working with events, not only because of the excitement of the music but most importantly to be able to see so many lives transformed by God's music. Serving is our passion!"
James Foster lives in a small community just outside Biloxi, MS who works as a video producer and multimedia designer for the USAF as well as running his own production company AEF Media. Recently he began working with Rich Christiano and Scott Reed of Five and Two pictures out of Hollywood. He is working to promote Christian movies all over the country. James is married and has one daughter (Addison)! James is also the founder and creator of a faith based social network called The Churchyard, which is used as a tool to connect ministries, churches, organizations, and people all over the world while sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. He is a networker, designer, and a computer geek who wants to evangelize the world through the power of media!
Jamie Brown has been volunteering w/christian concerts since 1993 (1st one was w/Rich Mullins!) A couple years later, she was asked to start coordinating them & has been learning & having fun doing so ever since! She's a country girl that has learned to like almost all kinds of music because of this wonderful ministry she's been a part of & looks forward to the new experiences yet to come!!
Find Jamie on LinkedIn or Reach Out Concert Volunteers on facebook to get connected! http://www.facebook.com/reachoutconcertvolunteerswichita
Jamie graduated from Northeastern State University with a Business degree majoring in Hospitality and Tourism Management. In her free time she loves to hike, watch movies, and hang out with her family and friends. She has a black lab, Jet, who takes up a lot of her free time but, she said, "He's worth it so I don't complain!"
Jessie is the Promotions Director at 91.5 WCIC in Peoria. She's been attending and loving Christian concerts since she was five. She also loves all things related to travel, sports, musical theater, and chocolate.
"Music is my life," a comment in the lyrics of a Steve Taylor song (early 80's) rang true in Jim's life as a young teen. "Music had been very influential in my life and was a big part of my coming to know Jesus," he said. Born in Santa Barbara, CA, he moved north to Washington State and lived in a small town far from any concert venue, so he was eager to find out about and spread the word of any concert going on that his friends and I could get to. This was the beginning of his street team efforts. Now many years later his wife, Paula, four of our five children, and two of our five grandchildren live in Des Moines, IA (corn, not potatoes). "Music is still a big influence in my life, and my desire is to help share the Good News found in Christian music with the world."
Kelly is a native Cincinnatian and has lived there all her life. She is a young widow with 5 children, ages 10-19. "They are the most amazing kids you will ever meet," she said. "I love being a part of the Premier family. It is such a blessing to see God work through music to touch people's lives."
Kim is a promoter representative for several organizations in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. She loves Christian music, and has a knack for networking and a passion to serve. She is thankful for the opportunity to represent Premier Productions and Premier Festivals in Kansas City. "I am having a blast and the folks at Premier are amazing," she said.
She is the co-founder and Director of Shine Family Ministries, a not for profit Christian pre-school/Daycare. She enjoys spending time with her husband, kids and grandkids.
"God has blessed me with a terrific family," she said. "They are my favorite pastime."
Leeann lives in the small town of Brownsville, Tennessee but lived most of her life in Memphis. She and her husband Raymond have been married for nearly 31 years. They have two adult children, Thomas is 24 and a senior at Middle Tennessee State University and Anna is 20 and is living her dream of working at a veterinary clinic in Collierville, Tennessee. They are members of Fellowship Bible Church in Jackson, TN. She enjoys working with middle school students because she say that they keep her young. "I am so very grateful for this opportunity to serve as Street Team Director for the West Tennessee Area. I am the biggest Christian music fan ever and feel that helping make these shows possible is my way of giving back to the artists and many people it takes to put on a concert."
Lori Kennedy has loved music all of her life, but instead of following her dreams, found herself climbing the corporate ladder to become a Vice President of a large Atlanta based homebuilding company. Little did she know that this time in corporate America was preparing her for the God given destiny of being in full-time ministry. Alpha Omega Ministries (www.lorikennedy.com) exists to glorify God through music, speaking testimonials, and events targeted specifically to heal women and raise youth leadership. Lori’s management experience prepared her to organize and lead teams for incredible Premier Productions events. She has been married 20 years and has two teen-aged sons.
Marisa Lykins worked in Christian Radio for 13 years at Love89.1FM in Knoxville TN - as receptionist, Donor Relations, Volunteer Director, and finally moving into Promotions and as morning cohost (7 years) and adding midday host for the last 2 years she was there. Wife, mom, women's ministry leader at her church, and community volunteer, she began working on the Street Team about 5 years ago and continues to love helping others in her community find ways to serve.
"Working at Premier Productions has been a total blast," said Mark Lord. Mark has served at his home Church, Gateway Community Church, Houston TX for over 10 years on the Arts Ministry Team and music has always played a special part. He has been married for 21 years. HIs wife is the Choir Director and two 16-year-old daughters serve in Children's Ministry at Gateway. His favorite Bible verse is Romans 5:2. "I feel like God has placed me here at Premier Productions for a reason and I am so excited!"
Melinda has served with Premier Productions since 2004 when she had the pleasure of meeting the Premier staff aboard the maiden voyage of the K-LOVE Friends & Family Music Cruise. She is passionate about serving Christ through serving others and partnering with Premier in making the Christ-centered events Premier promotes a time of refreshing for all who attend. "Music ministry changed my life, and I count it an honor to be a part of something that has had such a profound impact on me and my relationship with the Lord." Melinda believes that a life not lived in service to others is no life at all and enjoys rallying volunteers together with the common goal of glorifying Him at each and every event.
Sheila Miller is the proud parent of 4 wonderful children and is married to the love of her life, Bruce. The couple serves in many areas of their church and love to volunteer in their community. Sheila loves serving the Lord and promoting KingsFest. She says "it's a great way to do His work while having fun and meeting new people! I look forward to being a part of this incredible event each year!"
Sheri volunteers with Winter Jam, WJIE Radio Station, Southeast Christian Church in Children's Ministry, Middletown Family Festival Parade, The Kentucky Derby Festival and she coordinates volunteers for The KDF Pegasus Parade. She really enjoy's Christian Music and Concerts.
This is her favorite verse: "Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ." - Col. 3:23-24 MSG
Su (yes, that's without an "e") is blessed with 3 beautiful daughters, Brooke, Jo-Jo & Naomi(adopted from China). She has been married to Mike for 19 years and is a 7 year breast cancer survivor and living proof of God's healing power. She loves using her gifts and talents to advance God's kingdom. Besides working as the Administrative Coordinator/Promotions Manager for Michigan's largest Christian radio network, Smile FM, she also loves participating and volunteering in outreaches at her church. In her spare time (lol) she loves to go camping, paint, and always has a project going at home. Su is also a licensed cosmetologist.
Todd is a singer/songwriter who has been involved in Christian Music in some way, shape, or form for nearly 20 years. He is the former frontman and lead singer of the band "Shaker," who recorded two full length albums with Rick May (former drummer of DC Talk and tobyMac) and played with artists such as Skillet, Sixpence None The Richer, Rebecca St. James and more. When Todd is not putting together street teams or working events he can be found enjoying a good game of "I Spy" with his 6-year-old daughter Alexis and 4-year-old son Logan, both of whom share his love of music already and love going to Christian concerts!
Meet Vince Young, a retired Southern Baptist Minister, who is now a bus driver for PART Bus System, where he has a new "congregation!" He has been serving in the Christian Music Industry in various capacities since the mid 80’s. As a dedicated Street Team Director for Premier Productions for more than 10 years, he loves people and has a big servant's heart! He says he loves seeing God touch people through the music! Vince married his beautiful bride, helpmate, and best friend, Kathy in 1963. They are the proud parents of 3 children and their spouses, and crazy in love with their 3 grandchildren! When he is not working at a concert he loves Nascar and camping!
