Our story is one of dedication and faith. For more than 30 years we have served the Charlottesville community as a full service music store, as well as an audio installation business, called Heinz Musitronics. Building upon the vision of becoming a leading commercial sound system and multimedia contractor, in 2009 we focused on communicating the depth of our expertise and the extensiveness of our client list by defining this integral area of our business as Heinz Pro AV. Over the years our services have become a vital part of sound system integration throughout the community. Our team continues to provide comprehensive, practical AV solutions, while offering local affordable pricing.
The Beginning...
In 1975 Heinz Pors, a German immigrant opened a small electronics and musical instrument repair shop in the basement of Huffman’s for Music in our current Ivy Road location. Taking advantage of an opportunity to purchase the music store, Heinz created Heinz Musitronics, combining the music retail business with electronic repairs. After sixteen successful years, Heinz retired selling the business to Ron Zimmer. Focusing primarily on the sound system installation business, Ron worked to promote all areas of the store mainly by word of mouth. Under his leadership an increasing number of churches and businesses began to rely on Heinz Musitronics to solve their sound system needs.
Then in 2002 Steve Hobeck purchased Heinz Musitronics bringing over 25 years of technical and project management experience to the table. Combining his background as an electrical engineer and musician, Steve facilitates his mission to provide top pro products with reliable service and customer focused value in all areas of the store. Steve has continued to develop the business by adding multimedia systems to the design installation menu, further enabling Heinz Pro AV to be a comprehensive AV systems integrator.
We consider it a privilege to reference over 300 Central Virginia churches, schools, municipalities and businesses on our client list. Our desire at Heinz Pro AV is to continue to grow our business as a leading commercial turn-key audio and multimedia contractor specializing in practical comprehensive AV solutions. We strive to service the community one relationship at a time while providing local technical service and product support, so that each client-partner achieves their audio and multimedia goals.
Our Team
David Tewksbury - Project Manager
David is a near-native to central Virginia, having mostly grown up in and around Albemarle County since his family moved here in 1971. He attended local schools and graduated with a B.A. from the University of Virginia. David developed his contracting skills as a life-long home renovator. He spent nine years as a teacher, acquainting him with the particular issues of educational settings. A musician who has performed locally for years, he has served as music director for two local churches over a total of 15 years. These combined work experiences give David a unique perspective when working with clients in all areas of sound system needs. David’s aesthetic instincts lead him to a merger of the visual and the pragmatic: How will the system be used? How will it integrate with the environment? After years as an end-user of sound and multimedia gear, David brings a user-friendly awareness to his work as an A-V contractor. David has been with Heinz since July 2006.
To contact David: david@heinzproav.com
Steve Hobeck - Owner and Design Engineer
Steve's career has followed a trajectory from manufacturing supervision to management leadership in industries from textiles to telecommunications to the burgeoning CD/DVD industry. He has overseen finances and exercised personnel management for multi-million companies from R&D to manufacturing before deciding to go into business for himself. Since his purchase of Heinz in 2002. Steve has shepherded the growth of the Heinz brand, with a 60% increase in annual revenue over 5 years, and a focused diversification from retail into installation and lessons.
To contact Steve: steve@heinzproav.com
Erik Pearson – Service Technician
Erik is the newest addition to the Heinz Pro AV team. As a youngster he lived in such exotic locations as Belize, Uruguay, Guatemala, and the suburbs of Northern Virginia. He moved to South Carolina to attend Clemson University, where he earned a BS in Physics while performing in two choirs, a jazz ensemble, and various worship bands. Before joining the Heinz team, Erik took his scientific mind and love for the outdoors to the US Forest Service, where he spent nearly three years running experiments and collecting data in the lush pine forests of the Southeast. Erik's scientific and musical background gives him an approach that is logical, methodical, and conscientious of clients' technical and artistic requirements. He spends most of his free time playing guitar, writing songs, and running the sound equipment for his church. Erik has been with Heinz since November 2010.
To contact Erik: erik@heinzproav.com
