OUR TEAM
ERIC LEICHT
President
Eric has been training design professionals how to design home theaters and whole-house entertainment systems since 1981. With a background in electrical, mechanical and acoustical engineering from Cornell University and over thirty-five years of hands-on technical experience, Eric has personally designed and installed thousands of video projection/home theater systems, many of which have appeared on the pages of the nations’ leading architectural design and trade magazines such as Architectural Digest and Robb Report. Having been involved with many projects for major motion picture studios, television networks, music industry icons and entertainment industry moguls as well as captains of industry, Eric focuses on providing systems that meet the goals of: high-performance, simplicity-of-operation and outstanding reliability no matter what the design criteria or budget.
805-496-7054
eric@avpartners.org
john villano
DIRECTOR OF SALES
John has been in the industry for over twenty years, with expertise in hi-fi systems, home theater and an extensive background in distributed audio and video. He has been Rep of the Year numerous times for companies such as Harman, Tributaries, and SpeakerCraft, to name a few. A man of his word, John was brought up the “old school” way where a handshake is as good as a signed contract and he is committed to delivering the best possible solution(s) to his clients no matter what the budget. On the weekend if he’s not smoking BBQ with friends and family or playing golf, he’s tinkering around in his own home theater with different pieces of gear to see how they work in the "real world", testing the products before the team goes out installing them in projects so he know their limitations. John is ISF, HAA, and Harman certified, and has been with AV Partners for over 10 years.
(661) 406-1228
johnv@avpartners.org
martin byrne
VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES
Martin has been an integral part of the home entertainment industry for over forty years. He worked as a dealer for sixteen years, managed his own rep firm, Vista Pacific Group for five years, then became a partner in Clarity Business Group for three years, and has since held the position of VP of Sales at AV Partners from 2013. He has longstanding relationships with our local distributors including: Volutone, KOA and ADI. Additionally, Martin's experience in the Army as an attack helicopter crew chief taught him the value of teamwork, and responsibility for both himself and others. He holds himself and the rest of the team to a high standard by exceeding the expectations of our dealers and their clients. Aside from AV Partners, Martin volunteers as a baseball coach for the Challenger Series, a league that works with young kids with physical or learning disabilities. His ideal weekend is at Mammoth Mountain skiing and hiking with his wife and three children.
(562) 841-5445
martin@avpartners.org
DANNY THOMPSON
REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR
Danny joins the team with more than 40 years experience in the industry, having worked in multiple roles on both the retail and manufacturing side of our industry. Starting in the car audio side of things in the eighties and progressing into roles as an independent sales rep with MK Marketing for over twenty-five years, Western regional sales manager for both Savant and Kaleidescape, and multiple years running the Southern California division of Oliver Marketing, Danny has a solid understanding of both the technology we sell and also the market segment we call on. Danny has earned multiple industry awards and is ISF trained. With Danny’s extensive experience with: lighting, shading and control in addition to audio and video, he makes AV Partners that much more of a resource for our partners. We, along with our vendors and dealers are thrilled to have Danny on board.
(951) 200-9714
danny@avpartners.org
