About
Avis Yates Rivers is the President and CEO of Technology Concepts Group International, LLC, (TCGi), an information technology solutions provider and full-service equipment leasing firm. She possesses more than thirty years of general management experience in the information technology industry. Ms. Yates Rivers has been a successful entrepreneur for 25 years.
TCGi supports the public and private sector in the areas of technology acquisition, equipment financing, professional and technical services (managed print, field mobility, network/desktop support, and asset management solutions). The firm provides project and program management, business analysis and planning, implementation, and training.
Prior to establishing her first company in 1985, Ms. Yates Rivers enjoyed an 11-year career at Exxon Corporation and its subsidiaries. She rose to the rank of Account Executive as a result of successfully marketing the line of technology products of Exxon Office Systems Company in New York City.
Ms. Yates Rivers has worked tirelessly to increase the development and utilization of minority and women-owned businesses in both the public and private sectors. She has held leadership positions in various supplier diversity advocacy organizations such as the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization (WPEO), the NJ Small Business Development Center, the Newark Regional Business Partnership, and the BPU Supplier Diversity Development Council.
Ms. Yates Rivers and TCGi have been the recipient of local and national recognition:
- UMDNJ Crystal Award for Exceptional Customer Satisfaction
- Girl Scouts’ Woman of Distinction Award
- MedWeek Technology Firm of the Year Award
- WBENC Woman Business Star
- Entrepreneur of the Year
- Woman of Influence Award
- New Jersey’s Top 20 African American Business People
- Top 25 African-American Women in Business
- Top 10 Women in Technology
- Minority Business Advocate of the Year Award
- New Jersey’s 100 Most Influential People
- Distinguished Service Award from the Regional Business Partnership
- NMSDC Supplier of the Year Award
- Woman Business Enterprise Distinguished Achievement Award
- Outstanding Minority Business of the Year Award
- Featured in the Fortune 500 Issue of Fortune Magazine and Essence Magazine
While developing and expanding her own business and working diligently as a small business advocate, Ms. Yates Rivers has also held the following positions:
- President, BPU Supplier Diversity Development Council
- Board Chair, NJ Small Business Development Centers
- Chairperson, NJ United Minority Business Brain Trust
- Regional Chair-Northeast Region, National MBEIC-NMSDC
- Board Vice Chairperson, Regional Business Partnership
- Member, Rutgers Undergraduate Education Advisory Council
- Member, Merrill Lynch Supplier Diversity Advisory Board
- Board Vice Chairperson, Women Presidents’ Educational Organization Board
- Board Member, National Center for Women & Information Technology
- Board Member, Newark Regional Business Partnership
- 1995 White House Conference Delegate – Appointed by Senator Frank Lautenberg
Ms. Yates Rivers makes her home in Somerset, New Jersey. She is married to Robert Rivers and they have four children and six grandchildren. She graduated City University of NY with a degree in Business Administration. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Executive Management Programs at the Amos Tuck School of Business, the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She is a highly sought after business leader, a nationally recognized advocate for the utilization of minority and women-owned businesses, and a proficient public speaker/presenter.