Practical Peripherals

Practical Peripherals, Inc., was incorporated in 1981 by Michael Seedman in Westlake Village, California, as a manufacturer of modems for personal computers.[1] The company remained private for its entire independent existence, manufacturing modems, data buffer devices for printers and faxes, and other telecommunications products.[2] Members of the Seedman family presided over operations at Practical, with Joseph Seedman acting as chief operating officer and Eric Seedman operating as vice president of sales under CEO Michael.[3]

In 1985, Practical was sued for alleged patent infringement by Hayes Microcomputer Products of Atlanta, Georgia, over a technology used in the latter's modem products. Practical counter-sued, claiming that Hayes' patent was invalid. Rather than drag on legal proceedings, Hayes acquired Practical for an undisclosed sum in August 1989, allowing it to operate as an independently operating subsidiary, the Practical brand surviving, and short-circuiting their respective lawsuits.[3][4] Practical that year projected sales of $20 million on their modem products.[4]

In May 1992, Hayes doubled the size of Practical's headquarters moving it from Westlake Village to a 70,000-square-foot facility in Thousand Oaks, California. All operations of the company were performed under one roof at this new location, including marketing, development, administration, and manufacturing.[5] The company increased their payroll in tandem,[6] the company peaking at 700 workers in September 1992.[7] Sales of Practical's products peaked that year as well, at $50 million.[8]

Following price cuts and consolidation of the company's operations in 1993,[8] employment at Practical gradually shrank to 575 workers by October 1994 (450 full-time workers and 125 temporary workers).[1] Between October 1994 and November 1994, Hayes formally merged Practical into themselves, absorbing their liabilities while allowing Practical to continue to be managed independently.[1][9] In late November 1994, Hayes sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to constricting cash flows, and despite reassurances that Practical would not see further consolidation,[10][11] Hayes laid off 200 within Practical in late December that year.[11] As Practical had formally merged with Hayes right before the parent company's bankruptcy, Practical's management were dragged into Chapter 11 proceedings along with them. In 1995, Hayes laid of 100 employees of Practical.[12] In September 1996, Hayes announced that Practical's 375 remaining employees were to be laid off in the next seven months, effectively ending Practical's independent operations.[13] Practical continued as a brand of Hayes modems for the next two years, until Hayes themselves were bought out by Zoom Telephonics in April 1999.[14][15]

• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived December 30, 1996)
  • Alternative official website at the Wayback Machine (archived December 12, 1998)