THOUSAND OAKS, CA – August 1, 2013 – Two established and highly respected Manufacturer Representative Firms, AV Partners, Inc. and Clarity Business Group, Inc. have announced that they are forming an alliance. The name AV Partners will be retained, and Clarity Business Group will be absorbed into the organization.

Eric Leicht of AV Partners will remain as principal of the company. Martin Byrne of Clarity Business Group will have a management and territory role. John Villano of AV Partners will take on responsibilities of sales and training. Mark Cichowski of Clarity Business Group will have a marketing role. The product lines of the two companies will be combined and some changes will occur. The specifics will be announced shortly.

The philosophies, core values, and dynamics of the two organizations are extremely similar. Combining experience and resources, the group has extreme confidence that they can achieve more together than they can individually. The territories for the firm are Southern California, Arizona, Southern Nevada, and Hawaii.

“Our dealers all want to do more business with less vendor partners to increase their efficiency. Our focus has always been on the high-end of the market and the dealers that play in that arena demand knowledgeable sales reps who always have an answer in the bag. Today that means having a greater array of luxury products in our arsenal. When we looked at the product mix and personnel, the synergies between AV Partners and Clarity Business Group were obvious; it just made sense to combine. Our dealers are thrilled. They can hand us a set of plans and we can spec out everything they need for a project. That saves them a lot of time and it makes us more relevant to the manufacturers that we represent.” said Eric Leicht.

From Mark Cichowski, “The reality is the dynamics of our industry have changed greatly and so has the role of rep firms. Combining personnel and resources will allow us to service our dealers and manufacturers more effectively, accelerate our mutual growth, and make all of us stronger overall.”

It should be noted that Clarity AV International, Inc. (not Clarity Business Group) is a company solely owned by Mark Cichowski. The company has been in place since 2002, has continued to run as a separate entity, and will continue to do so. Clarity AV International is engaged in worldwide business development and a variety of marketing services. Mark can be reached directly at markc@clarity-av.com or at 949-472-4141.

About AV Partners and Clarity Business Group

AV Partners operates as a traditional sales representative, consultant and value-added distributor. We are an engineering-based resource for: installers, architects, builders, designers and manufacturers operating in Southern CA, Southern NV, AZ and Hawaii. We specialize in systems-based solutions for the residential systems integrator and specialty retailer. We offer design support, consulting services and serve as a portal to the most qualified A/V installation companies in the region.

Clarity Business Group is a Manufacturer Representative Organization specializing in Sales & Marketing to the Custom Integration segments of the Electronics industry. Our focus is Business Development, Customer Service and Long Term Relationships. We provide training, support, and valuable resources for our clients. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, we offer proactive solutions to maximize the sales of the manufacturer and the dealer.