Who is Griffin?
One of the first questions that comes to mind when you read the company name Guzman & Griffin Technologies, Inc. is who are Guzman & Griffin? It’s easy to find that Guzman refers to Luis Guzman the President/CEO of GGTI. But finding Griffin isn’t quite as easy as looking at the management team or a quick Google search. So, who is Griffin then?
Terry R. Griffin was the founder of the company Synoptek, Inc., which would eventually become GGTI. Terry started the systems engineering consulting company in 1998, but he and Luis met earlier. “I met Terry in 1995 when we were both supporting the FAA’s ATQ group conduct an Independent Operational Assessment (IOA),” Luis said. “We got to know each other over the years, and in 1999 I joined Synoptek, Inc.”
In 2001, Luis became the president of Synoptek, Inc. They remained a company of two for years until Terry’s unexpected passing on May 19, 2010. Terry was in Anchorage, Alaska, assisting the FAA with an IOA at the time.
“I didn’t originally go into this to run a business, but meeting Terry inspired me to dream bigger."
Luis Guzman
Following his death, Luis became the sole owner of Synoptek, Inc., and decided to rebrand. “I wanted to take this opportunity to honor Terry.” And so, in 2012, Synoptek, Inc., was renamed to Guzman & Griffin Technologies, Inc.
Since 2012 Luis has grown the company from one employee to over 50 employees. When asked what Terry would think of the growth, Luis said, “He would be proud. But he would’ve cautioned me about our growth too. It wasn’t something he wanted to do. After he passed, I decided to take the opportunity to grow the business, and when I did, I wanted to honor him and his legacy.”
Without Terry’s belief in Luis, GGTI would not exist today. “When I was starting out in my career, I never thought I’d be running a business,” Luis said. “I didn’t originally go into this to run a business, but meeting Terry inspired me to dream bigger. Neither of us had business degrees, but we were still able to be successful. Terry gave me opportunities I never would have imagined or even tried for. I learned so much from him, but I had so much more to learn. I really depended on him and his knowledge.”
While Luis honored Terry’s legacy when renaming GGTI, he doesn’t see Terry’s legacy as just being about the company. “He loved Jimmy Buffet. Every September he would go to St. Barts for six weeks and just enjoy his time there,” said Luis. “For him it was about living your life to the fullest and being happy. That’s how I remember him.”
So, who is Griffin? He’s not just the founder of GGTI. He’s also the man who gave Guzman an opportunity he never knew existed.