AVP's management team averages more than 15 years experience per person in sports, entertainment, marketing business strategy, operations, and most importantly, professional beach volleyball. In addition, the Company's key management possesses over 75 years of combined experience in the sport.
Mr. Leonard Armato — Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Director and Tour Commissioner
Mr. Armato has been Chairman, Chief Executive Office, Tour Commissioner and a Director of the Company since 2001. Mr. Armato has been representing premier athletes for more than 15 years, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Ronnie Lott, Oscar De La Hoya and Shaquille O'Neal. He has also represented companies such as Fila and LA Gear, in sports rights negotiations and sports marketing programs. In 1997, he partnered with Ericcson and Nike to create the World Championships of Beach Volleyball. As founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MPE, Mr. Armato has specialized in transforming athletes and celebrities into worldwide brands by aligning such athletes and celebrities with coalitions of international advertisers. Mr. Armato founded AVP in 1983 and returned to the Company in 2001 to help revive the AVP Tour by utilizing his experience in creating global marketing and sponsorship relationships with premier national and multinational companies. Mr. Armato graduated from the University of the Pacific with a degree in History in 1975 and received his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego Law School in 1978.
Tom Torii – Interim Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Torii brings more than 18 years of financial management experience primarily in the entertainment industry. Mr. Torii has held the position of Controller since 2002 and has served as Chief Accounting Officer since 2005. Prior to AVP, Mr. Torii was Director of Finance for The Jim Henson Company, and Director of Accounting at Twentieth Century Fox Corporation. Mr. Torii is a CPA and received a B.S. in accounting from Loyola Marymount University.
Mr. Jeffrey G. Benz — Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary
Mr. Benz has been at the forefront of sports business issues for more than 14 years. At AVP, Mr. Benz is responsible for business, legal, and government affairs, strategy, international, and business development. Prior to joining AVP in May 2007, Mr. Benz was VP of Business and Legal Affairs and corporate secretary at A2 Holdings, LLC, a startup boxing and media venture. Before joining A2, Mr. Benz was the General Counsel, Secretary, Managing Director of Government Affairs, and Ethics Officer for the United States Olympic Committee, where he served in a variety of business and legal roles (including overseeing HR, anti-doping, and international). He was involved in managing nearly all US Olympic issues during his 5 year tenure. In 1998 and 1999, Mr. Benz was a member of the Special Bid Oversight Commission, headed by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, appointed by the USOC to investigate allegations concerning bidding for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and to make recommendations for reform. Prior to joining the USOC, Mr. Benz was engaged in law practice in San Francisco, where he represented athletes and sports bodies in disputes and sponsorships. Mr. Benz is a member of the panel of arbitrators for the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the boards of the Sports Lawyers Association and National Sports Law Institute. Mr. Benz received his B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Texas.
