Stephanie Adams-Ball

PARTNER-PRESIDENT

As Partner-President of D. L. Adams Associates and AVANT ACOUSTICS with more than 30 years of experience, Stephanie has managed many projects involving acoustics, audio-video (AV), theatre programming and design, and advanced technology systems.

She provides a comprehensive design approach and is responsible for programming and the coordination of project designs that integrate all the functional requirements of the users.

Stephanie has served as President of the National Council of Acoustical Consultants (NCAC) and continues to support the organization in her role as past president.

Ben Bridgewater

PARTNER-VICE PRESIDENT

Partner-Vice President of DLAA with over 20 years of experience in acoustics, and audio-video (AV) design and implementation field.

Ben has a comprehensive understanding of acoustics, AV design documentation, audio-video project management, costing, and order of magnitude cost projections, project implementation, construction administration, and system commissioning.

Ben received his Masters in Architecture with a focus on Acoustics and Electro-Acoustic Systems from the University of Kansas. Ben studied under Bob Coffeen (founder of AVANT ACOUSTICS).

Ben manages the DLAA offices in Hawaii and AVANT ACOUSTICS in Kansas.

Robert G. Ledo

SENIOR PRINCIPAL

For 30 years, Bob’s creative audio-visual design and enthusiastic leadership have maintained AVANT ACOUSTICS’ leadership position in the market.

Over the years, Bob has been an owner, part of the executive team and now with the merger is back to full-time design. As a Senior Principal at AVANT ACOUSTICS, Bob is actively involved in the design, testing, and commissioning of audio-visual and sound reinforcement systems for all types of facilities throughout the United States and in Germany, Japan, and Korea.

When not designing, testing and commissioning systems – or at KU games – Bob might be off sailing, flying, or running a marathon (yes, he is fast!).

Bob attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, where he completed a double major in Telecommunications and Business. He also serves as a guest lecturer for university classes in digital audio.

Bob and his wife (the best cupcake baker ever) live in Olathe, Kansas, with their dog Piper, who makes sure that Bob gets up and out the door for their early morning run, no matter the weather.

To learn more about Bob please see the following AVANT ACOUSTICS Spotlight on Robert “Bob” Ledo.

Edouard G. Charland

PRINCIPAL

Ed Charland is actively involved in the design, testing, and commissioning of audio-visual and sound reinforcement systems for all types of facilities throughout the United States and overseas.  Ed has 28 years of project management, technical supervision, and hands-on field experience.

Ed’s experience also includes marketing; training and application engineering; control system programming; multi-track recording engineering and production; live theatre sound design and operation; and professional audio equipment installation, maintenance, and repair. 

With AVANT ACOUSTICS, Ed has served on the leadership team with various owners and has moved into a more part time role the past year and moving forward. As project manager for many types of facilities, with emphasis on complex audio communication (paging) systems for aviation and other transportation applications. Ed’s extensive aviation experience spans more than 100 projects at over 50 airports.

Ed received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University in 1982. 

https://avantacoustics.com/acoustic-consultant-spotlight-edouard-g-charland/

John M. Hodgson, CTS-D, PE

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

John Hodgson has been and will continue as our Technical Operations Manager but in the role as Associate Principal. While evaluating and assigning jobs to our team, he also performs a variety of services for clients. In addition to managing projects of all sizes, John performs the design and commissioning of audio-visual systems. He also provides architectural acoustics and noise control consultation.  John is responsible for maintaining AVANT ACOUSTICS high standards for our work product and managing all technical staff.  He has experience working on over one hundred projects of many types of facilities throughout the United States, including arenas, airports, performing arts centers, educational facilities, offices, and more. John has over 15 years of experience with the company.

John initially served as an intern at AVANT ACOUSTICS and joined the company full-time after completing his Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas in Lawrence in May of 2010. His education included an emphasis in architectural acoustics, noise control, and sound system design studying under the founder of AVANT ACOUSTICS, Bob Coffeen.

John is a member of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), a Certified Technology Specialist – Design (CTS-D), and is a Professional Engineer licensed in Kansas.

https://avantacoustics.com/acoustical-consultant-spotlight-john-hodgson/

Jill C. Elmers

SENIOR CONSULTANT

Jill Elmers, Senior Consultant of AVANT ACOUSTICS is actively involved in the design, testing, and commissioning of audio-visual and sound reinforcement systems for all types of facilities throughout the United States.  Jill has over 23 years of project management, technical supervision, and hands-on field experience.

Jill’s role encompasses oversight of project design and design personnel.  She is also involved in evaluating new audio-visual products, helping to provide our clients with the best value and newest technology in sound reinforcement and audio-visual system design.

Jill received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Valparaiso University in 1992.

Select projects:

Charles Evans Whittaker Federal Courthouse – Kansas City, Missouri

Fort Bragg Air Force Base SOF Headquarters Facility – Fort Bragg AFB, North Carolina

Johnson County Central Resource Library – Overland Park, Kansas

Johnson County Crime Lab – Olathe, Kansas

MacDill Air Force Base SOCOM Headquarters – MacDill AFB, Florida

Learn more about Jill Elmer’s other passion, Moon on the Meadow farm.

2022 Woman of Impact:https://lawrencebusinessmagazine.com/2022/12/04/jill-elmers-woman-of-impact/

2017 Life on the Farm: https://lawrencebusinessmagazine.com/2017/12/18/life-on-the-farm/

Emily G. Jaumard

SENIOR CONSULTANT

Emily Jaumard is actively involved in many aspects of acoustical design, including analysis and design of room acoustics, architectural and mechanical noise control, design of sound reinforcement systems, and acoustical computer modeling.  She has experience with many types of facilities throughout the United States, including regional and international airports, educational facilities from elementary to university, hotels, conference centers, offices, worship spaces and more.  Emily has been with AVANT since 2008.

Emily’s role with the company includes project management relating to room acoustics analysis and design as well as noise control analysis and mitigation. She is often aiding designers and project owners to meet acoustical benchmarks for such standards as HIPPA, LEED, SCIF, or FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities. She assists other project managers when needed, reviewing projects for acoustical issues and constructing acoustical computer models to test sound system design and/or finish selection.

Prior to joining the firm full time, Emily was an intern with several architectural firms in the St. Louis metropolitan area, giving her valuable experience in understanding and communicating through architectural drawings and standards.

Emily received a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Kansas in 2008.

To learn more about Emily please see the following AVANT ACOUSTICS Spotlight on Emily Jaumard.

Select projects:

Heber Springs High School – Heber Springs, Arkansas

Jindra Performing Arts Center – Peru, Nebraska

Orlando International Airport South Terminal C – Orlando, Florida

Port Fonda Restaurant – Lawrence, Kansas

Sunnyside Baptist Church – Kingsport, Tennessee

Andrew J. VonFeldt, PE

SENIOR CONSULTANT

Andrew VonFeldt, Senior Consultant for AVANT ACOUSTICS, is actively involved in room acoustic design and evaluation, mechanical noise control, sound reinforcement system design, audio-visual systems design, control interface design, and system commissioning.  He has experience with a wide variety of facility types across the United States, including airports, educational facilities, corporate spaces, convention centers, amphitheaters, and more.  Andrew has a passion for keeping up-to-date with the latest audio-visual technology and strives to continually hone his skills.  He has been with AVANT since 2012.

Before interning at AVANT ACOUSTICS and eventually joining full-time, Andrew worked for an audio-visual integrator where he gained practical experience in the design and installation of sound reinforcement and audio-visual systems.  This practical experience and a lifelong passion for acoustics provide Andrew with a strong foundation that allows him to help clients to realize their unique goals.

Andrew received a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering with an emphasis in acoustics from Kansas State University in 2013. He is also a member of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) and is a Professional Engineer licensed in Kansas and Texas. 

To learn more about Andrew and read about a Acoustical Design focused lecture that he gave to KU (University of Kansas) students please see the following AVANT ACOUSTICS Spotlight on Andrew VonFeldt.

Select projects:

21c Museum Hotel – Kansas City, Missouri

Central Community College – Grand Island, Nebraska

Kansas City Museum – Kansas City, Missouri

Maize Middle School – Maize, Kansas

Mayo Civic Center – Rochester, Minnesota

David J. Wetzel

SENIOR CONSULTANT

A Senior Consultant of AVANT ACOUSTICS since 2016, David has worked primarily in the areas of education, performing arts, and civic spaces. He enjoys being involved with each stage of our projects, from initial programming and schematic design to system commissioning and end-user training.

David is focused on designing reliable and user-friendly AV and sound reinforcement systems that enhance the experience of all users.  He believes that identifying and meeting the unique challenges of each project in the design phase is the key to a system’s ultimate effectiveness.

David is an alumnus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Kansas, where he studied audio engineering and history. His longtime interests in photography and audio recording, as well as prior experience in event production and live music, have all been useful assets while working at AVANT ACOUSTICS.

Select projects:

Mayo Civic Center – Rochester, Minnesota

Excelsior Springs Community Center – Excelsior Springs, Missouri

Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center – Overland Park, Kansas

Johnson County Board of County Commissioners – Johnson County, Kansas

Wichita Southeast High School – Wichita, Kansas

Benjamin R. Snook

PROJECT CONSULTANT/BIM SPECIALIST

Ben Snook provides support on a wide variety of projects as an AVANT ACOUSTICS Project Consultant/BIM Specialist. While his professional focus is acoustics, Ben is also AVANT’s resident BIM/CAD expert, and produces design documentation in coordination with project design teams.

Ben is an alumnus of the University of Kansas, where he studied Architectural Acoustics, under AVANT ACOUSTICS founder Bob Coffeen, as well as French. His project work focuses on topics including theater acoustics, mechanical noise control, and variable sound absorption.

When not on the job, Ben enjoys writing, recording, and mixing original music at his home studio in Lawrence, Kansas.

Employee Spotlight: Ben Snook

Jeffrey Keirsey

PROJECT CONSULTANT

Jeffrey grew up in a musically inclined family and has always maintained an active interest in music and sound since his youth.  Playing music in band and orchestra in high school, that interest eventually turned into a passion that led to pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Music Technologies from Central Missouri State University (now University of Central Missouri).  From there he started his career in studio production and live sound reinforcement with an emphasis on the performing arts in music and theater.

Some notable artists that Jeffrey has mixed for include Broadway actress and singer Indina Menzel, American singer-songwriters Aretha Franklin and Lyle Lovet.  Other notable clients include Vice President, now President, Joe Biden.

Prior to joining the Avant team, Jeffrey was Sound Director for a LORT (League of Resident Theaters) theater where he developed methods and standards of practices and taught technical sound design for graduate and undergraduate studies at The University of Missouri-Kansas City.

When not focused on work, you can find Jeffrey spending time with his children, tinkering with musical electronics, or engaged in a woodworking project.

Jeffrey is a member of the Audio Engineering Society.

Jeff Chapman

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT – KANSAS CITY – DENVER - HONOLULU

Jeff’’s focus is on business development for the expanding company. His previous focus for the Kansas City office also included marketing and public relations. He will remain focused on general external interaction to positively highlight the Avant and DL Adams design team. Jeff became part of AVANT ACOUSTICS in 2021.

Jeff came to us directly from the Kansas Chamber Foundation, where he leads Leadership Kansas, established the Kansas Emerging Leaders program as well as developing the Kansas Chamber councils for Manufacturing, and Retail, and laid the framework for the Kansas Military and Veteran Affairs and Agribusiness councils. He’s been an executive leader for over 20 years in a variety of private and non-profit entities but is known mostly for his fundraising in higher education and non- profits where he has secured over a hundred million dollars for capital projects, scholarships and a variety of programs at Kansas State University, Kansas Wesleyan University, University of Missouri Kansas City and Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community plus multiple not-for-profit organizations.

He believes in the customer, client or donor as the driving force in the relationship, is great at follow through and is persistent at problem solving. These are the same values and culture which attracted him to AVANT ACOUSTICS.

Jeff has a Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State University, where he studied business, marketing, human resources, labor & industrial relations and architectural environmental design. Additionally, Jeff has been a strategic plan consultant for both corporations and non-profits and a paid and volunteer political strategist.

Jeff has a background professionally in a variety of industries including Healthcare, Elderly Care, Agribusiness, Commodities and Futures Trading, Manufacturing, Retail, Fire Safety and Emergency Equipment, Landscaping, and Transportation. He has extensive knowledge in Board Recruitment and Development, Sales, Marketing and Networking. If he doesn’t know everyone, he probably knows his/her neighbor!

Jeff has been involved as a volunteer civically extensively since his teenage years on boards, committees and events for over 50 non-profits, chambers of commerce, and volunteer projects. He has served as President, Chair or Leader multiple times for Rotary clubs, city advisory committees, non-profit boards and various entities and campaigns. He has been involved with over 300 political campaigns at the local, state and national levels, and is an active published writer and political cartoonist for the Manhattan Mercury (Kansas) newspaper.

Currently a third-degree Freemason with Summit Lodge #263, Past President of KC Plaza Rotary, serves as District #19 Representative for the Lake Lotawana Association Board and is the treasurer of the Lake Lotawana Wooden and Classic Boat Club, is a life-long season ticket holder of K-State football and basketball and a former USTA collegiate tennis official. He keeps busy!

D.L. Adams Associates
Meet Our Teams in
Colorado and Hawaii

COLORADO - HAWAII

Please reach out to our expanded teams here: https://avantacoustics.com.