In 1999 Maria Teresa “Tera” Vazquez joined Jay Chawan and Ashoke Mukherji as partners to launch Guy Brown Products, a manufacturer of reengineered toner cartridges. Vazquez was executive vice president of marketing at the time. Today she stands as the company’s president and chief executive officer.
As an individual, Vazquez is now a Hispanic female heading one of Tennessee’s largest companies; and also one of the nation’s largest minority-owned office supply companies.
In addition, her management skills led to her election as the first female president of the Tennessee Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a position she has held for the past three years.
With annual revenues of over $190 million, Guy Brown Products provide office supplies, print solutions, furniture, promotional items and MRO needs.
Some of the firm’s clients include: Volkswagen, Vanderbilt University, HealthTrust Purchasing Group, John Deere and many others. Guy Brown has been listed with Inc. 500 and the Nashville Future 50 for its rapid growth.
By consistently exceeding customer’s expectations on service and capabilities, the company has earned a series of awards. In 2010 Guy Brown received the CSX Transportation Valuable Partnership Recognition Award, and the 2010 Miller Coors Corporate Supplier of the Year Award. In 2009 and 2008 Boeing awarded the company its Performance Excellence Award. In years 2006, 2007 and 2008 the company received the John Deere Achieving Excellence Award.
Diversity Business.com listed the company as the “Top Business in Tennessee” in 2007. The US Small Business Administration awarded Guy Brown Products the “Administrator’s Award for Excellence” in 2006, 2005 and 2002 as well as naming it the Regional Small Business Subcontractor of the Year in 2006. Collecting these awards says quite a bit about the company, its leadership and its values.