September 21, 2026 I Appointments
ESP Guitars Promotes Key Staff
Clockwise from top left: Miguel Soto, Mike Brinker, Ryan Dominguez, and Tim Jennaway.
ESP Guitars has promoted four veteran staff members to new roles.
Miguel Soto has been named executive vice president; Mike Brinker is now the company’s director of U.S. sales; Ryan Dominguez has been tapped as director of USA manufacturing operations; and Tim Jennaway is now ESP’s director of product development and operations.
“We’re excited to give these well-deserved promotions to Miguel, Mike, Ryan, and Tim,” said Todd Binder, ESP president and CEO. “All four of these guys have dedicated themselves to ESP, and over the course of time, they’ve all become some of the best at what they do in their respective areas of expertise.”
Soto joined ESP in 2007 as international sales manager, where became the main conduit for product distribution to ESP’s large network of global distributors. In 2023, his role was expanded to vice president of global sales, handling the management of the company’s sales to domestic dealers and international distributors for the ESP, ESP USA, E-II, and LTD brands, as well as for the company’s distributed brands of Takamine Guitars and ENGL Amplification. In his new position of executive vice president, Soto oversees all aspects of the company’s sales, marketing, support and operations departments.
After beginning his MI industry career in retail, Brinker started with ESP in 2004 as a regional sales manager and held various sales positions in the company, including national sales manager. As director of U.S. sales, Brinker is responsible for the management of sales and service for ESP’s rep force and entire network of domestic dealers.
Dominguez started with ESP in 2003 as a QC tech and worked his way up through various positions in service and repair. In his new role as director of USA manufacturing operations, Dominguez oversees all aspects of the ESP USA Shop in North Hollywood, California, imparting his expertise in guitar crafting and painting to the company’s acclaimed line of US-build instruments.
Jennaway also began his career at ESP as a QC tech, in 2008. He’s since held roles in nearly every department of the company, most recently serving as the head of ESP’s customer support team. His new role as director of product development and operations has him replacing Binder in the position after Binder was named president and CEO of ESP in spring 2026. Jennings will be the point person and primary conduit for new product development and manufacturing between ESP, its parent company in Japan, and its partner factories in various parts of Asia. In his operations role, Jennaway also oversee’s ESP’s quality control, customer service and warehousing operations at ESP’s US headquarters in Los Angeles.
