Having recently been tapped to speak at the “Doing Business in the Americas and Africa” Forum hosted by the Organization of American States and the government of Trinidad and Tobago, Eric Davenport proves he’s a subject-matter expert. The Houston-based, international business executive has 23 years experience in the oil and gas industry. Serving as president and CEO of CIG Group and chairman, CIGEP G.E. S.A., USA, Davenport manages the global distribution of industrial supply and equipment to sectors of energy, government, oil and gas, mining and drilling. His expertise is supply chain management honed after years of managing multimillion-dollar commodity lines to companies such as Conoco-Phillips, Shell, Waste Management and BFI to name a few.
What inspires you to come to work every day?
New opportunities! The prospect of learning something or meeting someone new with the opportunity to build is what gets me out of the bed.
How did you determine your career choice?
Through my work at a law firm that specialized in at best practices for oil and gas industry. It was there that I also learned the value of contract negotiations, critical skills I use to this day.
What other industries connect to your career choice?
Energy sectors, medial and health, construction, etc.
Define innovative methods you apply to your business and life.
Re-creating myself and businesses … and seizing the opportunities to build relationships; that’s the way I innovate!
Describe goal setting methods you use and how you evaluate your success.
One of the ways I measure my success is by evaluating how many relationships I’ve initiated and cultivated in a month’s time. … I further evaluate my success by the growth of the people that I hire, I see it as my responsibility to assist them in promulgating their goals and professional development.
Name role models.
Donald Trump who is the epitome of a survivor and leader in business despite the economic climates; Burrnell Molirre who is my mentor in Louisiana; and Magic Johnson, who, of course, expanded his enterprise beyond basketball, he diversified in a way that I am patterning my own empire that encompassed not on CIGEP and CIG but hotel chains, a PR and marketing firm as well as restaurants and other entities.
Which authors or books inspire you?
Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, I cite this as one of the keys to my successes.
Favorite vacay spot:
Being from Abbeville, La., I love New Orleans! It’s food, culture, people and history are like none other.
(Photos: Kendra Dee Courtesy of Trea Day PR)
