Chuck Leavell to Receive Lifetime Achievement Grammy

I’m proud to announce that our friend and spokesperson Chuck Leavell will be receiving a well-deserved honor this weekend. During the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, Chuck will be included to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award with the Allman Brothers Band. Be sure to check your local listings and check out the show.

I often get asked why we have associated our business with rock and roller, environmentalist, and a great guy, Chuck Leavell. You have to understand the culture here to see the connection. The offices and lobby here are covered in really good artwork. My wife, Susan, has an incredible eye for art, and we find it inspiring to work in a creative environment. I think the creative boost works. Sealevel employs and retains extremely bright and creative people in all disciplines.

Then there is music. I love it — mostly 60s/70s rock, soul and blues. I played bass guitar in bands that I started from about 1968 until 1973. My first amplifier was a converted (by me) console record player. There is always music playing here at Sealevel.

I did NOT name the company after Chuck’s band SeaLevel, derived from his road cases (C.Leavell) when with the Allman Brothers Band. I was trying out names for the company and heard something similar on the radio, and the name “Sealevel” just evolved from that. I wanted something that didn’t sound like a computer company. I finally got to meet Chuck in 2008. He thought it was so cool that a company had the name Sealevel. We became friends, and in 2009, I asked him to be our celebrity spokesperson.

Back to Chuck, who is one of the most respected and sought-after piano players and keyboardists in modern music history. He is an amazing musician who has toured with The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, Government Mule, Train and others. He is an inductee in both the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

His accomplishments as a conservationist and tree farmer are equally impressive. Chuck and wife, Rose Lane White Leavell, turned her family’s Charlane Plantation near Macon, Georgia, into a thriving tree farm. Recognized by a number of conservation organizations, he is the only two-time recipient of the Georgia Tree Farmer of the Year award, and in 1999, the American Tree Farm System selected Chuck and Rose Lane as the National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year. Chuck’s book, Forever Green: The History and Hope of the American Forest is acclaimed by both the forestry and conservation communities and was nominated for several awards.

Chuck released his latest book on smart growth, Growing a Better America: Smart, Strong, Sustainable. With the rapid population growth and the increased strain on our natural resources, he poses the question, “Are we going to grow rapid, rampant and reckless, or can we grow smart, strong and sustainable?” From energy to transportation to community design, I encourage you to learn more about smart growth and join us as we work to improve our environmental impact. Be sure to check out Chuck’s other books Forever Green, The Tree Farmer and his autobiography, Between Rock and a Home Place.

Congratulations to Chuck and the Allman Brothers Band! Rock on!