An Overnight Success 20 Years In The Making

As the leader of a multimillion-dollar growing business, Avis Yates Rivers is a successful serial entrepreneur. She started her career at Exxon, branched out to start her own business and has more than 30 years of general management experience in the information technology industry.

Avis Yates Rivers is one of those people you need to know. She has been a successful entrepreneur for over 30 years, currently positioned as the president and CEO of New Jersey-based Technology Concepts Group International LLC, (TCGI). Her business functions as an information technology asset management and supply chain solutions provider, offering full-service equipment leasing.

But that is not the only thing that makes Yates Rivers great – conversation with her is easy and free. She is a strong advocate for increasing the meaningful participation of girls, women and people of color in the invention of technology. As a board member of NCWIT, she is passionate about uncovering the hidden genius in underserved communities across the country.

Simply put, Avis Yates Rivers is an inclusive leader in action – striking a balance between curiosity, entrepreneurship, and a willingness to build the world better than she found it.

Here’s some of CRN’s conversation with her.

Can you tell the CRN audience a little about yourself and your role in the channel?

I am Avis Yates Rivers, founder and CEO of Technology Concepts Group International (TCGI) and the TCGI Foundation. I’m a serial entrepreneur with 39 and a half years in the tech industry.

The big question is how did you transition from Exxon to becoming a tech/IT entrepreneur?

I began as an undergraduate intern at Exxon, eventually joining their technology sales organization, working there for 11 years. After Exxon decided to exit the technology field, I chose to start my own business rather than return to a traditional corporate role. I asked Exxon for their initial base of customers and started my first business by servicing those clients.

So, you're a risk taker. How has that shaped your career?

Taking risks has been a significant part of my journey, from leaving a secure job at Exxon to starting my own business. I always believed that if my business venture didn’t work out, I could fall back on my sales skills, but I quickly realized that entrepreneurship was my true calling.

How does curiosity play a role in your success as a CEO and entrepreneur?

Curiosity is one of the strongest inclinations you can have as both a CEO and entrepreneur. Mine was nurtured from a young age, growing up as one of six children in a New York City apartment dwelling family, I used books like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew stories to find new worlds, to explore new ideas, new mysteries. So, I’ve always been driven to look for more. My imagination has fueled my drive to innovate and improve – to find ways to enhance my value to customers and my team.

In 2017, you became the third fastest-growing women-owned business in the U.S. And again in 2024 you were named as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist.
What's the secret to achieving such rapid business growth?

Well, I am a 20-year overnight success. The growth was a result of building solutions over time that finally took hold. By understanding customer needs and crafting tailored solutions based on available technologies, we were able to significantly scale the business, which led to our recognition.

We take time to understand the wraparound services needed for any product. Products alone don’t solve problems; it’s the services and solutions built around them that do. Our focus is on how to automate and deliver services around a platform, always looking ahead to where the market is going.

Today our fastest-growing business unit is the reseller side, but whether it's infrastructure or endpoints or software or cloud, we provide professional services, and managed services solutioning that make us successful.

Switching to your leadership style, how does inclusion inform your business leadership?

Well, good question. Immediately I think of the fact that I'm always trying to drive innovation. And innovation happens with a diverse set of voices and ideas and approaches to problem solving. Innovation does not happen with homogenous teams. So, if we're not being inclusive, especially in our tech workforce, then we're not going to be successful in driving innovation.

I used to be bothered when big consulting companies would come to the table, and they all look alike. They're even dressed alike. And I'm thinking, OK, this is not going to work for me. I need some flavor here. I need some different ideas, some different approaches. And I think that has become more of an expectation.

Inclusion isn’t just about fairness; it’s about being successful in a competitive and diverse world.

I know you are not all work and no play. Tell me what your passion is, and how does it drive your work?

My passion is to be the change that I want to see in technology, which means I don’t want to be the only person in the room that looks like me anymore. So, I ask myself: what can I do about it? How can I increase the representation of Black women in technology?

I launched the TCGI Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to correct the under -representation of black women in technology. Every year we scout out for brilliant minds of young black women seeking to pursue college education in computing, IT, cybersecurity, engineering – anything within the T&E discipline of STEM.

Through the TCGI Foundation, we provide scholarships and support to young Black women pursuing education in STEM fields. This initiative is about more than financial aid; it’s about building a supportive community and ensuring that technology reflects the diversity of our society.

Any last words to share in closing?

I encourage everyone to find a cause that’s bigger than themselves and to contribute to making a positive change in the world. For me, it’s about ensuring that technology is inclusive, built on the intersectionalities of diverse teams, which will ultimately lead to better, more innovative solutions.

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