Avis Yates Rivers, President and CEO of Technology Concepts Group International
As part of our Supplier Diversity Program, AmeriHealth builds alliances with businesses owned and run by women, veterans, people of color, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We recently interviewed Avis Yates Rivers, founder and CEO of Technology Concepts Group International (TCGi), and one of our long-standing diverse suppliers.
Can you give us a brief overview of your background and career path?
Avis: I’m a serial entrepreneur, technology and business leader, motivational speaker, author, diversity advocate, and the founder and CEO of Technology Concepts Group International (TCGi).
During college, I had a few internships with Exxon in New York City. When I graduated, I began my career selling technology for Exxon and its subsidiaries. A few years later, when Exxon decided to get out of the Office Systems business, I was faced with a career decision: should I stay in corporate America or take a leap and go out on my own? I knew that if I could sell for a major company like Exxon, I could definitely sell for my own company, so I decided to take the leap.
In 1985, I started my first company, which provided computer maintenance services to companies such as Exxon, The New York Times, and various defense agencies. I saw these companies had a need, and I enjoyed looking for solutions for them. When I started my own company, I felt like I had finally found my lane.
In 2008, I launched TCGi. We started out with technology equipment leasing and continued to expand, merge, and acquire companies until TCGi became what it is today. We’ve had to weather a lot of storms over the years, including recessions and the pandemic to name a few, but I’m proud of our growth.
Tell us a little bit about Technology Concepts Group International (TCGi). What sets TCGi apart from the competition?
Avis: TCGi is made up of four different pillars: technology solutions, procurement solutions, strategic services, and workforce of the future.
There are two main differences between TCGi and similar companies:
- We provide our customers with both the technology itself and the service. Many companies provide either the technology or the service, but we provide both. We are both the strategists and the doers.
- We are mission-focused. Through our nonprofit, we are very focused on service in the Philadelphia and South Jersey areas. We provide scholarships, mentoring, tutoring, coaching, and encouragement to women of color in the technology and engineering fields. My entire team serves as volunteers for our nonprofit.
Diversity in tech is an ongoing issue. Why are diversity and inclusion so important, especially in the tech industry?
Avis: In the early days of tech, everyone at the design table looked the same. The teams were homogenous. They were predominantly all white men with the same experiences and backgrounds. This is problematic for many reasons, but from a product design standpoint, it’s problematic because products are intended to serve everyone. However, they don’t work when they are designed by a homogenous set of people.
A great example of this is the soap dispensers that failed to activate for Black people because they didn’t recognize our skin color. Another example is how voice and face recognition technology statistically fails more frequently for Black people. Product failures like these happen when you don’t have a diverse set of people at the design table.
Another example of why diversity and inclusion are so important is a personal experience I had with the health care system. A few years ago, I was experiencing many of the classic heart attack symptoms. In fact, when I looked my symptoms up, I had about 8 of the 10 symptoms of a heart attack in women. My cardiologist ran all the standard tests, and all the results came back normal, so he sent me home. Six months later I ended up in the emergency room and the cardiologist told me I was having a heart attack. I had no family history of heart issues, I wasn’t on any heart medication, and I had no underlying factors that would put me at risk of a heart attack. But there I was having one after all the tests came back “normal.”
Thankfully I was ok, but it showed me that medical tests (like other products) can be biased and flawed, and that can have fatal consequences.
What does a diverse workforce look like to you and what are the benefits diversity brings to companies?
Avis: A diverse workforce is one that has full representation across the board. It’s the opposite of homogenous. Our world is a diverse place, and our workforce should reflect that. Women — Black, Latina, Asian, white, etc. — need to be part of a diverse workforce. We manage, lead, and think differently than men. We also need people of all ages, races, genders, classes, sexual orientations, religions, and abilities represented on teams. Everyone brings a different way of thinking to the table, which improves our way of doing business and ultimately, our services and products.
A diverse workforce has more energy and ideas and provides a better sense of belonging than a homogenous group would. Also, the research shows that diverse teams solve problems faster and better than homogenous teams.
You are a passionate advocate for women of color in the tech industry. Tell us a little bit about your advocacy efforts. Why is advocacy important to you?
Avis: Early in my career, I was running an orientation for a group of people. They said to me, “Avis, you need to come sell with us! You have great people skills!” So, I decided to give it a go. To do that, I had to take an aptitude test. Well, I failed one section of the test. My results showed that I shouldn’t be accepted onto the sales team. However, one Black man saw my potential and took a chance on me. He hired me despite the results of my test. I went through the training, started selling, and ended up winning rookie of the year. I exceeded every quota set for me that first year.
I could have been stymied by that aptitude test, but I wasn’t. The reason I’m a passionate advocate for women of color is that I don’t want anyone to be stymied by a biased and flawed aptitude test. Students from diverse backgrounds are being asked to take tests that weren’t designed for them. Another example of this is performance evaluation appraisals. Who knows who wrote many of these templates or how old they are? Managers determine promotions through these appraisals that are outdated and biased.
For many decades, I was the only woman of color in the room. I advocate for all women because I want to leave a legacy. I want to open doors for women of color in the technology industry.
What are some of the specific ways you support women of color in the tech industry?
Avis: One of the things I’ve always been passionate about is mentoring and coaching women in business. I truly believe in supporting women in business that do not look like the “norm.” Another big one is our nonprofit, the TCGi Foundation.
What is the TCGi Foundation?
Avis: The TCGi Foundation’s mission is to drive innovation and equitable access to opportunities in tech. We support young Black women in technology every step of their educational and career journey, from funding, mentoring, coaching, and tutoring, to internship opportunities, access to networks, and encouragement. We break down barriers for Black women, showing them that success is possible. We support these women from high school to post-grad. In just three short years, the TCGi has awarded $120,000 in scholarships to nine incredible women in tech.
For many Black women, they are the first member of their family to go to college. Many times, they don’t have the financial resources, the networks, or the support systems in place to succeed. Through our Foundation, we give them access to these resources and prepare them for a successful career in tech.
You are a big proponent of service and subscribe to the Shirley Chisholm quote, “Service is the rent you pay for the privilege of living on this earth.” What does this quote mean to you and how do you live by it?
Avis: Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman to be elected to Congress and the first Black person to run for U.S. president. Like myself, she was a New Yorker, and I admire her courage and chutzpah. Unfortunately, service is no longer the driving factor in politics. We should all be taking ourselves out of the center of the universe. We need to help people to reach their goals and then encourage them to pay it forward. I’ve been a servant leader all my life. I came from a lower middle-class family of six kids in New York City. We were raised to see a need and help, to open doors, to reach out to someone else and lend a hand.
I like to say, “We’re not here to build bigger barns.” This comes from Scripture (Luke 12:18). We are not on Earth to collect more things, accumulate wealth, and build bigger houses. We are here to serve others. Everyone should be asking: how can I help others?
AmeriHealth and TCGi share the belief that diversity, equity, and inclusion of our workforce and suppliers is a core strength. What has your experience with AmeriHealth shown you about its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion?
Avis: Like TCGi, AmeriHealth is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. And I know it’s not just buzzwords for them. In addition to their Supplier Diversity Program, they also actively work to dismantle structural racism. I congratulate them for earning Health Equity Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), which recognizes their work to address the root causes of health inequity. Only about five percent of insurance plans nationally have received this recognition. They also have policies, programs, and partnerships in place to ensure underserved communities have access to care, including promoting culturally appropriate, community-based interventions.
AmeriHealth also has a Diversity and Inclusion Council, which organizes discussions and learning sessions for their employees on a variety of topics, including microaggressions, unconscious bias, generational differences, and code-switching (the practice of interacting differently depending on the social context).
What are some ways you think that individuals or companies can support diversity in technology?
Avis: There are many ways we can all be supporting diversity in general, whether it’s in technology, health care, or finance.
I’m currently on the board of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), a national nonprofit organization that supports women of every intersection. One of their primary goals is to correct the problem of women’s under-representation in the technology fields.
I encourage companies and individuals to engage with organizations like NCWIT that have already done all the research on how to attract, support, and retain women in technology. They have connected with universities and have data on what does and doesn’t work.
Company leaders should also engage with leaders from other companies in the health care, technology, and finance industries. Talk with them about diversity and what they are doing in their industry and at their company. There is so much to learn from other companies who are already making strides in supporting diversity!
