Arts attirtaimient

Political
Ally

Meet David Grossman, the West Bloomfield
resident who's helping George W Bush set
the stage for next week's national convention.

BILL CARROLL

Special to the Jewish News

White House staff member once told
David Grossman: "There are two kinds
of companies we do business with --
one that does a great job, where every-
thing goes off without a hitch and we hire them
back, or one that screws up the job and never does
work for the White House again."
Obviously, Pegasus Theatrical in Southfield,
owned by Grossman, is in the former category,
because the firm has done work for three presi-
dents, many other national and state political can-
didates and currently is devoting a lot of time and
resources to Republican presidential candidate
George W. Bush.
When Gov. Bush and his family arrive in
Philadelphia this weekend to prepare for the GOP
National Convention, which begins Monday,
Grossman and his staff will be there. His company
will set up the sound systems, lighting and staging
for the Bush speeches and news conferences lead-
ing up to the convention itself.
By the time of the national election on Nov. 7,
Grossman, a staunch Republican, figures he will
have performed about 100 production jobs for
Bush's campaign, starting with the Iowa caucus
and New Hampshire primary. Immediately follow-
ing the convention, he'll undertake the production
end of the campaign's first train tour.
He's also done about 100 jobs for other GOP
candidates. They include Elizabeth Dole in her
brief presidential bid, Sen. Spencer Abraham and
Michigan Secretary of State Candace Miller, who
is not running for office this year but has her eye
on the governorship being relinquished in 2002 by
John Engler, another Pegasus customer.

hile the majority of Jews in America
have traditionally been Democrats,
the 38-year-old Grossman is a mem-
ber of a group of young Jewish peo-
ple bucking that tradition to become Republicans
— much to the dismay of his wife, Tracy, 33, a
staunch Democrat.
Politics dominates their lives in election years,

plans of candidates and when and where they will
appear, etc. So, it's better to give your allegiance to
one party — pick one side, one set of candidates
and gain their confidence and respect. I'm a
Republican and I chose that party."
The candidates or political parties pay Pegasus
anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 per production
job, and while it may occur to some that Pegasus
is busy only during elections years, that's not so,
Grossman points out. The firm does work for
General Motors, Masco Corp., computer technol-
ogy companies and many other local organiza-
tions, handling product reveals, groundbreakings,
executive speeches and a variety of other events.
Pegasus also does laser shows and ice shows and
augments sound systems at synagogues. The corn-
pany even provided $3,000 worth of additional
lighting and sound for a bar mitzvah at
Knollwood Country Club.
Also, the company serves about 3,000 other cus-
tomers annually who come from as far away as
Flint and Toledo to buy or rent a huge inventory of
materials. From speakers, amplifiers, mixers, wire-
less microphones, generators, portable air condi- .
tioners, spotlights, walkie talkies, cameras and pro-
jectors to dollies and cranes, podiums, dance floors,
tables and chairs, drapes, signs of all kinds, makeup
and even such miscellaneous special effects as floral
fireworks and confetti storms, Pegasus has it all.

I

Pe asus owner David Grossman: "I try to think
of David with his wonderful and loving qualities
as a husband, father and businessman -- not as a
Republican," says his wife Tracy, a staunch Democrat.

with spirited discussions and constant political
repartee both privately and in public, much like the
husband and wife team of James Carville and Mary
Matalin, who are in the national limelight as
Democratic and Republican strategists, respectively.
Although David and Tracy differ on political
ideology, they definitely agree on one thing:
David's Republicanism is good for business. "We
offer our services to politicians from all parties,"
he explains, "but there's a lot of sensitivity and
secrecy in this type of business, knowing the travel

t all started with a piece of drapery for
Ronald Reagan," recalls Grossman, who
grew up in Oak Park, graduated from high
school there and later dropped out of col-
lege. He got interested in theatrical lighting while
working part time as a disc jockey for parties in
the early 1980s, then provided lights and sound
for live shows at the old Grand Circus Theater
-
(now the Detroit Opera House).
He opened Pegasus (the winged horse of Greek
mythology) on West Eight Mile Road in 1982.
"There was really no special reason for that name;
it just sounded good," recalls Grossman. The store
now encompasses 15,000 square feet with a dozen
employees and a newsletter.
A staff member for then President Reagan
called Grossman, asking if he could do some
"quick draping" for the stage during a Reagan visit
to Detroit.
"I didn't even carry drapes at the time, but I
scurried around and found them and did the job,"
says Grossman. "They liked my work and that led
to more jobs for Republicans, including the cam-
paigns and inaugurations for Gov. Engler. (The
governor later appointed Grossman, an avid
boater, to the seven-member State Waterways
Commission, an unpaid group that makes deci-
sions on various water projects.)
"Aside -for some work I did for Bill Clinton in
the early days of his presidency, I've pretty much
stuck to the Republicans, especially the Bush fami-
ly," adds Grossman. "I feel I've built a solid repu-
tation among the candidates and their staffs. It's
less stressful for them if they can rely on us.
"We have some stiff competition for our work in
certain areas, but the GOP knows that Pegasus has
the right equipment, the complete package, and

