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BY Joel Junker

Former AF JMO Career Success and Advice to Others

I recently caught up with Tanya Chavez, a Cameron-Brooks Alumnus, who made the transition from the Air Force to G3 Enterprises in 2012.  Below is what she has been up to the last 4 years and advice to other officers making the transition.  

Tanya’s background:
USAFA, 2006, BS Behavioral Science
Will complete her MBA May 2016 at University of California, Haas School of Business,
Air Force Intelligence
Career Conference November 2011

1. What was your starting position and company?

I began as a Business Analyst for G3 Enterprises located in Modesto, California. G3 Enterprises is owned by the third generation of the Gallo family with the vision of expanding services and increasing productivity to better serve the wine and spirits industry. My initial primary responsibility was providing project and change leadership to a supply chain software implementation.

2. What is your current position at G3 Enterprises?

My current position is Sales and Operations Planning Manager, where my team and I analyze how to set up operations to meet demand, which includes production scheduling and procurement.

3. What is one thing you learned during your time as a candidate with Cameron-Brooks that has been influential to your career success?

First, the Development and Preparation Program© provided me a baseline of the main business functions within a company and how they related with one another. This was really important as a Business Analyst where I am constantly crossing the boundaries of functional groups. I am better able to write reports and lead projects supporting these internal organizations.  Second, the interviewing preparation not only helped me with my promotional interview, but most importantly, it made me a better communicator for the business environment.

4. What has been your biggest accomplishment in the business world that you would not have been able to complete without your military background?

As an AF Intelligence Officer, I had to take in a lot of information from a wide variety of sources, and make it usable for the command groups I supported. To do this, I had to understand their requirements and how they wanted the information delivered to them. I used this experience when I created a supply chain administration department.  This new business function ensures our supply chain data is clean and accurate for other business units to generate reports and analyze operations. I used the same thought process and focus on the internal customer that I did in the Air Force.

5.  Did you utilize any of the Cameron-Brooks staff to assist you during your career (career advice, promotional mock interviews, letters of recommendation, etc.)?

I have stayed in close contact with Cameron-Brooks over the last 4 years. Joel Junker and Danielle Granville wrote a letter of recommendation for my application to The Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley. I will complete my MBA in 2016.  I also called and interviewed Joel for market analysis on an MBA project for my entrepreneurship class. Finally, I called and spoke with Cameron-Brooks to get advice on how to have a difficult conversation with one of my associates.  In the end the conversation turned out well.

6.  What specific advice would you give to other Cameron-Brooks candidates making the transition?

Once you start your career in business, take ownership of your work and deliver results that drive the business forward. Second, you will have days that will be difficult especially as your responsibilities increase. Go back to why you chose this company, position and career. What aspects of your role do you enjoy? Remember those things because they will keep you motivated. Finally, be intentional about connecting and building relationships with people who will help you develop, grow and reach your potential. The military community naturally provides an atmosphere of support; however, this is not always the case in the business world. You will need to take a proactive approach to develop your network.