Our History

AUDIOVISIONS was founded in 1989 during the infancy of the Custom Installation Industry by Mark Hoffenberg and Bob Walpert - two Engineers with a vision for the future of the installed home electronics market. Not coincidentally, 1989 also happened to be the year the trade organization CEDIA was founded by a small group of professionals dedicated to the advancement of the installed electronic systems industry.

With a focus on engineering, documentation and project management, Mark and Bob had a decidedly different approach to growing the business. Within a year of the company's formation, Hoffenberg recognized the need for industry specific business management software and led the in-house development of AV Wizard, the first business software application designed for and sold to the CEDIA market. The application gained 70 percent market share within two years of introduction. Two of the early adopters of AV Wizard ultimately became instrumental in AUDIOVISIONS growth. The first was Ted Taylor of Taylor Sound.

Taylor Sound was an early competitor of AUDIOVISIONS, and also an AV Wizard user. AUDIOVISIONS acquired Taylor Sound in 1994, and Ted became VP of Sales. As the company evolved its business methodologies, the software evolved with it, and AUDIOVISIONS quickly became one of the preeminent companies within the CEDIA channel.

Helping fuel that growth was a series of contracts with Virgin to design and install audio/video and control systems in their Megastores throughout North America. AUDIOVISIONS designed the first commercially viable CD listening station for the Virgin Megastore projects. Over the course of a decade, AUDIOVISIONS completed 26 Virgin Megastore installations and manufactured and installed more than 5,000 CD listening stations. With rigorous engineering and documentation, proper project management practices, and a talented staff, AUDIOVISIONS became known for its ability to deliver large scale, high performance systems, on time and on budget.

In 1997 Terence Murray joined the company as VP of Strategic Development. Terence had used AUDIOVISIONS software successfully at two previous companies and understood the value proposition. Terence founded our Northern California Operations in 1998. Terence also helped establish a “best practices” initiative with a number of leading integrators to define and implement common operating standards. These methodologies and business intelligences were subsequently integrated into the Company’s 2nd generation Enterprise software called ProIntegrator “Pi”, with a vision to help grow and improve the highly fragmented and underserved installed systems market.

After forming a business plan around the "best practices" initiative, Hoffenberg caught the attention of Best Buy. In November of 2005, AUDIOVISIONS was acquired by Best Buy. For the subsequent 9 years following the acquisition, Mr. Hoffenberg remained President of AUDIOVISIONS while also serving as Vice President, Services for Best Buy. Under the Best Buy umbrella, AUDIOVISIONS remained a boutique, client centered, technology integration company serving the high end of the market, while contributing valuable insight and innovation to the services arm of Best Buy.

In February of 2014, the AUDIOVISIONS executive team re-acquired the AUDIOVISIONS business unit from Best Buy. With this move, AUDIOVISIONS is uniquely positioned to best serve its current and future clients in a way that no one else can - AUDIOVISIONS has the passion and fire of an entrepreneurial startup, combined with the powerful experience and knowledge gained being an integral part of a Fortune 100 public company, topped with 25 years in business under the same leadership.

When AUDIOVISIONS was first acquired by Best Buy in 2005, virtually every employee stayed with the company after the acquisition. Nine years later, when AUDIOVISIONS bought the company back from Best Buy, virtually every employee also stayed with the company. AUDIOVISIONS is proud of that continuity, and the employees are their most valuable asset. AUDIOVISIONS’ company culture has always been, and will always be defined by its people, its leadership, its passion, its dedication, and its unwavering commitment to its Brand Promise: Integrating Design and Technology to enhance and simplify its clients’ lives.