The TEAM: as viewed by Glen Heffner glen@avantelectronics.com

Ken Avant  – Ken is without a doubt a true “Renaissance Man”.  Oh, I can hear him complaining about me writing this even as I’m typing; but it’s true.  He is the man whom you’re not likely to speak with when you call our company.  That’s because we have him deep in “think mode” working on our products, coming up with innovative new ideas and most importantly… making them happen.  Nothing gets by Ken without being thoroughly scrutinized.  Ken has a thing about tone, style & symmetry.  I’ve never known a guy that has the ability to notice when something is not quite “right” whether it is a website, a microphone, or, well…anything.  This speaks volumes about the development of our products too.  You may have noticed how great our products look… well you can attribute all that to Ken.  His thinking also “translates” into the areas of quality of sound, components and so on.  No detail, function or look is too minor for his consideration.   The guy has over 35 years experience in the Music Industry as a musician, songwriter, engineer/producer, music store owner, studio owner, and pro audio consultant.  He has worked with some of the most influential artists of our time, consulted with major music companies (that you all know), and is a fantastic guitarist.  In addition, he has exceptional studio equipment sitting in his garage that would make you green with envy, which he promises to set up when he “has time”.  Fortunately for Avant Electronics, he doesn’t have the time to do that right now.  Without Ken, Avant Electronics would never have been possible and his commitment to our goals is visionary.  While others work on the “day-to-day business”, Ken consumes most of his time making sure that the products he envisions become reality.  Oh, one more thing.  He isn’t a “one man show” either.  Ken is more than willing to present his ideas to the team and let us all become involved in the decision making process.  That is something that is truly wonderful and part of the brilliant process that Ken Avant incorporates when he creates.  At Avant Electronics we are truly a team!

Sue Avant  – I could write about Sue for hours!  That’s because she is such a dazzling person as well as an incredible multi-tasking person!  Sue is the CEO of Avant Electronics but don’t be surprised if she grabs the phone before one of our other employees can answer it.  She loves to talk with people and if you get her on the line, I can assure you that whatever your needs, they will be taken care of!  I tend to think of “CEO” as meaning “Caring, Efficient Operator” when it comes to Sue, because she is all of that!  Now, just so you know, you don’t become a CEO just by being married to the “mentor” of our company (which she just happens to be).  You have to have experience, and she has mega-experience.  Sue has extensive expertise in the specific areas of finance, credit management and administration and has worked for two of the most influential music manufacturing companies in the world in a major capacity.  She understands all of the necessary procedures that are required in order to successfully run a company.  Without Sue, Avant Electronics would never have been able to get off the ground.  Her organizational skills are exemplary and day-to-day operations are a direct reflection of her experience, skill sets (notice that is plural!), and desire to constantly improve the way we work internally and externally with our dealers and customers!  Finally, you should also know that Sue studied piano in college, was a Music Major there and is furthermore a great singer.  I don’t know if you’ll get her to sing for you on the phone but who knows, perhaps you’ll get lucky!

Glen Heffner – Uh, that’s me.  I’m the Vice-President of Sales & Market Development for Avant Electronics.  I’ll just say upfront that I love talking with people and frankly, the honest truth is, my life is music and I’ve spent over 35 years doing nothing but that in one capacity or another.  As a teenager, I was lucky enough to be taken “under the wing” of the first 8 track studio in North Carolina (mainly because they needed a pretty good piano player).  I subsequently got more session work at other studios and soon I was hooked on recording.  I wrote music, had a successful band (which turned down a national record deal – hey, I was in love and still am), wrote and sold successful jingles (including several national jingles).  I received a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano as well as continuing my recording studies in NY.  After graduation, instead of going into teaching, I immediately opened a recording studio, then a music store that was extremely successful for seven years. I was then offered the opportunity to become a manufacturer rep for some of the most amazing music product lines that were just coming out.  I eventually became the Senior Rep of the firm.  I was V.P. of Sales and Market Development with an up and coming music software company.  I was then lucky enough to secure this position with Avant Electronics.  I’m also a published writer and have even been fortunate enough to have an article reprinted in the AES Journal, (which I’m very proud of).  I’ve never quit recording and my studio is still in existence.  You might notice while browsing that you can find my email address on our website.  Well, that’s because I’m ready to answer your questions, return your phone calls and generally help you with just about anything that I can.  I really strive to answer emails within minutes (if I’m in front of my computer) and within 24 hours if I’m not.  Finally, I should point out that it is my “dream come true” to work within the “nucleus” of Avant Electronics.  Never in my life have I been happier because THIS IS A TEAM and this team really believes in the motto “Affordable Excellence”.   

Our Other Folks  – To be sure, there are many other people here behind the scenes at Avant Electronics. From the people that inspect our products to the people that package and ship, we have a unique and hand picked group of individuals that collectively couldn’t be called anything but “Family”.  There is not a huge corporate idealism that blankets our world, but rather, a feeling of excitement and satisfaction that only comes from the knowledge that we’re creating quality products that will help musicians realize the sounds that they’re hearing in their heads.  We want to help them get their music out to the world without breaking their banks. The simple fact is that as musicians, we’re simply fulfilling the dream that we had when we were in our own studios many years ago… That dream was to have the professional equipment to produce incredible quality music and still have money to pay the bills at the end of the month.