LOS ANGELES, April 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Leonard Armato, chairman, chief executive and commissioner of the Association of Volleyball Professionals, has resigned his posts but will become a special advisor to the Tour. Jason Hodell, the Tour's current chief operating officer, will become the new chief executive of the AVP. "Having built the Tour from six events in 2002 to 31 events this past year, and quadrupling our prize money, I am thrilled with the progress we have made," said Armato. "Coming off the success of the 2008 Olympics in which we won men and women's gold medals, pro beach volleyball is now one of the hottest sports in the world." Kerri Walsh, one of the sport's major stars and a two-time Olympic gold medal winner, said, "I will forever be grateful to Leonard Armato for his contributions to the growth of the sport of beach volleyball. With his tireless enthusiasm, Leonard has been an evangelist for our great sport bringing it to the masses and bringing to it many of our nation's best athletes. Leonard deserves to be recognized as a lead contributor to the advancement and betterment of our sport." Upon the announcement, Hodell said, "It is an honor to work with the AVP, our athletes and our sponsors to continue the growth of our wonderful sport. I'm sure I speak for the entire AVP when I say this is truly one of the most exciting times in the history of pro beach volleyball. I look forward to leading the Tour as we build on the momentum created under Leonard's leadership." Nick Lewin, managing member of RJSM Partners, part of the Tour's ownership group, said, "We look forward to Leonard's ongoing counsel and his input will be helpful. We made our investment in the AVP last fall because we knew this was a growing sport with great potential. Now, with AVP's expanded management team, we are now in a position to take pro beach volleyball to even greater heights for our athletes, fans and sponsors." RJSM also announced it has committed additional and substantial financing for the Tour as well as the appointment of some notable additions to the AVP Board of Directors. New AVP Board members include Sam Kennedy, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Fenway Sports Group and chief marketing officer for the Boston Red Sox; and Bob Potter, CEO of Bombo Sports & Entertainment, a production company that has created sports documentaries of the Boston red Sox, Manchester United, Pete Sampras and other sports greats. Paul Tedeschi has been named Chief Marketing Officer. Tedeschi was co-founder and CEO of Mr. Youth, a leading youth marketing agency based in New York. "Pro volleyball is ready to go to the next level as a professional sport," said Tedeschi, a graduate of Boston University's College of Communications. "The AVP finished strong last season, both on and off the beach, and we look to build on that success in a big way this season." About Jason Hodell Before being named CEO, Hodell served as COO and CFO of AVP, Inc., along with serving on the board of directors, beginning in May 2008. Hodell was the founder, portfolio manager and Managing Partner of Baltimore, Md.-based Plainview Capital, since its inception in 2003. Hodell previously served in management roles for Digex, a publicly-traded IT firm that was acquired by MCI, and JPMorgan, Inc., where he focused primarily on mergers and acquisitions. Hodell received his B.S. in Economics (Mathematical) from the United States Military Academy at West Point and served as an Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army. Hodell later received his MBA in Finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. About Paul Tedeschi Before being named Chief Marketing Officer, led Mr. Youth, a firm with expertise in word-of-mouth, social interactive and experiential marketing. The company was recently listed to the prestigious Inc 500 List of the nation's fastest-growing private companies, and clients include Microsoft, Pepsi. Google, and Victoria's Secret. About the AVP's Growth Last year, Crocs signed an agreement to continue on as the official tour title sponsor and footwear sponsor of the AVP Tour. In the Beijing Olympics last summer, the AVP's star players and current Crocs Cup titleholders - Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers on the men's side and Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh on the women's side - both won beach volleyball Golds. In doing so, the United States became the first country ever to win both the men's and women's competitions. "For Phil and me, along with Misty and Kerri, to win Golds in Beijing last year were big moments for the AVP," said Rogers, who teamed with Dalhausser to win the Crocs Cup in both 2007 and 2008. "It's one of the most exciting times to be a pro volleyball player and I know everyone is extremely excited about the new leadership." The AVP has continued its 2008 success into the early part of this year with key sponsorship renewals. Earlier this year, Russell Athletic signed on as the official apparel provider of the AVP. Similarly, Anheuser-Busch and John Paul Mitchell Systems, sponsors of the AVP Tour since 2003 and 2001, respectively, have extended their agreements for an additional three years. The next tournament on the AVP Crocs Tour schedule is the Riverside Open in Riverside, Calif., from April 17 - 19. The AVP's new leadership team, including CEO Jason Hodell, will be in attendance and available for one-on-one interviews. About the AVP AVP, Inc. is a leading lifestyle sports entertainment company focused on the production, marketing and distribution of professional beach volleyball events worldwide. One of the fastest growing entities in the sports world, the AVP operates two of the industry's most prominent national outdoor touring series, the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour (1983) and the AVP Hot Winter Nights Indoor Tour (launched in 2008). The AVP is set to stage more than 35 events throughout the United States in 2008 and features more than 150 of the top men and women competitors in the sport. AVP is headquartered in Los Angeles, and the company's stock trades under the symbol AVPI on the OTC Bulletin Board. For more information, please visit http://www.avp.com/. About RJSM Partners RJSM Partners, LLC is an investment company specializing in sports and entertainment with a focus in high value content properties. The new funds, which give RJSM Partners a controlling stake in the AVP, will be primarily used for working capital and the continued expansion of the Company's lifestyle sports entertainment offerings in professional beach volleyball. DATASOURCE: AVP CONTACT: Al Lau, +1-310-804-4706; or Bob Feldman, +1-310-871-1555, both for AVP Web Site: http://www.avp.com/

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