Ellis Varnado Jr.

Ellis Varnado Jr. is the strikingly tall, athletic and gregarious, Afro-American who is the purchasing director for worldwide purchasing for the world’s biggest automaker’s Eastern Seaboard division, General Motors (Thailand).

Ellis is actually the fourth to bear that name in his family, with two on his mother’s side and the third his father. He was born in Mobile, Alabama, in the deep south USA. The youngest of five children, his father was a labourer and his mother a domestic. At that time Martin Luther King was drawing attention to the racial prejudices and the governor of Alabama was photographed barring Afro-Americans’ entrance at the gates of “white” universities.

The early days were tough, “I grew up in a black ghetto. My parents worked two to three jobs just to keep food on the table. We were poor, but I didn’t know it, because everyone around us was poor as well.”

Young Ellis moved to New Orleans for his high school education, but admits that he did not enjoy school too much, but was influenced by the good teachers he had in his last two years at school. “Through them I pulled it together to get good grades, but nothing ever came easy.” On the other hand he was a natural athlete, playing many sports, baseball, basketball, football and athletics.

However, his grades were good enough for him to get an academic scholarship rather than a sporting one, which in conjunction with some government grants and loans enabled him, aged 17 years, to go to university for four years to do majors in accounting and business. I asked him why he chose that direction and he replied frankly, “Numbers came naturally to me. I was in the top 10% in school in math.”

Ellis believes he was very lucky with his choice of Dillard University, a small Afro-American campus in New Orleans. “You got personal attention. It was a caring environment. I needed somewhere to grow up.”

During his university life he almost joined the American Marines. He had a dream of being a pilot and sat and passed the entrance examination. However, before his date of admission to the forces he scored a summer job in an accounting firm. “I got a taste of the good life - and the money - and never thought of the Marines again.”

By his final year at Dillard the major corporations had begun looking at talented Afro-Americans and Ellis had many interviews and job offers. Three of these were from different divisions of General Motors and he accepted the position as a junior accountant with GM Trucks in Pontiac Michigan.

General Motors, being the huge conglomerate that it is, allowed the developing Ellis to move around within its structure. It also allowed personal development and Ellis changed his focus in the business world. “I found that being an accountant was boring. I like people. I wanted to be an impact player.” The area that Ellis felt he could become involved with to impact on that bottom line was to be that of a buyer, and he went to Delphi-Packard (a GM company) to be just that.

At last he had found the niche that allowed him enough freedom to move and be that impact player. However, there was someone who was to be of an even greater impact on him. 15 years ago he married his wife Brenda. “For me it was love at first sight, but for her it was a little harder,” he said laughing at himself as he said it. They are still married and by choice they do not have children. “Growing up I was able to survive because I was a leader, but peer pressure is hell for kids between the ages of 12 and 22. During the late 70’s and early 80’s I did not feel it was the right time to raise a kid. I did not feel comfortable to accept that responsibility. It scared me.” Those who have seen the problems for today’s children, associated with the worldwide drug culture, would relate to his sentiments.

In the mid 90’s, Ellis was asked by GM to come to GM Corporate and was given a posting to China in 1996 as a worldwide purchasing manager. There his responsibilities were to negotiate on the machinery and construction side of the new GM facility being built there. He was truly an impact player, but after the plant was commissioned his job was over.

But GM was not finished with Ellis Varnado Jr. He was promoted to become a purchasing director and came to Thailand in 1999, in the position that he still holds.

Success to Ellis is, “To do something that you enjoy doing, something that you’re good at and happy with.” With that definition, is Ellis a success? Undoubtedly. “I’m doing what I want to do and I’m good at it. I’ve got a great wife, a great job and friends and acquaintances galore.”

His advice to those who would emulate his success is simply, “Get a good solid education and develop a good work ethic. Don’t be afraid of failure - you’ve got to take chances.” His final advice was, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

That biblical quotation was not one given lightly either. Ellis is a committed Christian. “I feel that I have been blessed and guided by God. That’s where I draw my source of energy from. I come from a religious family which teaches you to learn right from wrong.” All spoken with conviction and obvious sincerity.

In many ways Ellis Varnado Jr. is a wonderful role model for Afro-Americans today. He is successful and in his own words, “I’ve done everything I wanted to do. I work hard - I play hard. I’m in corporate America, but I’m still carefree.” And long may you continue that way, Ellis!

A talk with Richard Dutton