Gregorio Cavazos is an authority when it comes to the manufacture and marketing of cooling towers. Its experience and vision have led it to consolidate itself as one of the leading manufacturers in Latin America.
by Alejandra García Vélez
Our professional of the month of this edition is not only a recognized professional in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry, but also stands out for his vocation as an entrepreneur and his vision to consolidate himself in the difficult sector of cooling towers.
Gregorio Cavazos, is founder and CEO of the REYMSA Industrial Group. Which is composed of the Mexican Factory of Torres, S. A. de C. V., a manufacturer of cooling towers based in Monterrey, Mexico. Likewise, they are part of the business group REYMSA Cooling Towers Inc., based in Dallas, Texas and REYMSA Colombia S.A.S., located in the city of Bogotá, Colombia.
Involved in the ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration industry since October 1964, this professional is recognized for being one of the few Latin American entrepreneurs who has managed to actively participate in the main markets of the industry in the international arena, consolidating itself as a different alternative to the large manufacturers of this type of systems.
A life story
His career can be summarized in a phrase "I am a person who as a young man had a vision, I have dedicated my whole life to achieve it and I have reached beyond where I imagined".
Born on November 8, 1941 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, he is the eldest of five brothers and always stood out for his high degree of responsibility and leadership, as well as for a great inclination to analyze the details from an early age.
He considers himself privileged to have been born and raised in Monterrey, a city that for a long time was considered the industrial capital of Mexico and a pioneer in Latin America in terms of the development of important sectors such as steel and cement.
Faced with this environment and driven by the suggestion of his father, Gregorio decided to study Mechanical Electrical Engineering, a career that was just beginning to develop during those years at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León.
Our guest graduated in June 1962 as part of the second generation of the degree. At that time he was only 20 years old, being the youngest of his entire generation. This is how he began to practice in his hometown, which, by then, was a paradise for engineers thanks to its great industrial development.
In 1964, shortly after starting his professional life, Cavazos decided that he could not only focus on the technological area, but also develop in the field of sales. It was at that moment that his life began to move towards the HVAC market, when he joined a European company in the commercialization of ventilation equipment and cooling towers.
From that experience he formed the foundations that would later lead him to become independent and form REYMSA, a company that in its beginnings marketed industrial equipment but later migrated to the manufacture of equipment for industrial ventilation and cooling towers, to then specialize only in the last item.
Then and now
His presence for almost 50 years in such a demanding field positions him as a true authority in this regard, especially in terms of the changes and evolution that technology and the market have gone through.
In fact, says Gregorio, one of the reasons why he started manufacturing was due to the great demand for equipment by the industry that existed at that time, which added to the sustained economic growth that Mexico had in the course of the 60s and 70s, caused that the factories of the lines that he marketed could not meet the delivery times that the market demanded.
"I made the decision to focus on developing technologically better equipment than the existing ones in the market, although it was not easy, this decision, and all the effort that entails, was what allowed me to compete against the best manufacturers of cooling towers in the world," says the professional.
And he adds that "with that approach I even managed to actively participate in the US market which is the main consumer of cooling towers, but also the most demanding."
He also explains that at first his objective was to supply only the national market, but the subsequent periods of crisis that Mexico went through and the decrease in demand at the local level, were some of the reasons that led him to expand horizons and look for new markets, starting in the United States, given the proximity to Monterrey, and later reaching Canada, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Europe.
A company with its own seal
Building the foundations of a company so that it is maintained over the years is not an easy task, but it is possible if you have firm values that drive each decision or action. In the case of Gregorio his philosophy is based on values that he constantly promotes such as character, technical capacity, innovation and creativity, interpersonal relationships and results approach.
Reymsa's operation is currently led by two of his sons, Héctor and Ricardo, who have been working with him for more than 20 years. So our outstanding professional of this edition can be dedicated to participate freely in the area that he decides, being his main passion the development of technology, at that point he is the one who dedicates the most time, followed by visits to the different markets in which the company is present.
"Meeting people from the environment in the markets where we have participated has been a very satisfactory experience for me," says Gregorio, who affirms that he currently maintains a great personal relationship and friendship with many of the people with whom he has had the opportunity to live in the world of HVAC / R.
Faced with the evolution of the industry, he points out that he had to face globalization long before this was a common theme, because from the beginning of his company he competed against large international manufacturers. That experience leads him to be convinced that Latin America has the technical capacity to compete at any level.
However, he states that "it is not easy and we must increase the productivity of our people in order to be competitive globally, but it is definitely something we can achieve." As for the strengths of Latin America, he points out that it is a market with potential to develop, but to achieve this we must work towards having a high quality technological development.
Beyond work
Balance is a key factor for a healthy life, as our guest points out, for which family coexistence, exercise and the relationship with their friends should always be part of their daily life.
Married for 46 years to Margarita Rodríguez, he has three children and 10 grandchildren aged from 18 to two, with whom he tries to maintain a close relationship by living regularly and going on trips together occasionally. In addition, he points to his wife Margarita as a fundamental support in the development of his life and work.
