Our Team
TEA CONNEXIONS HQ/CANADA
Sanjay Gupta (Founder/CEO):
Sanjay Gupta founded Connexions Trading International Incorporated (CTI) to assist Canadian manufacturers in successfully marketing their products to the United States and Europe. While representing his clients at trade shows in Canada, Europe, and the United States, he developed a network of agents. He also worked with buyers from chain stores like Target, Kmart, True Value and Ace Hardware. He played a key role in closing international deals and handling negotiations. Through CTI, Sanjay brokered commodities, beverages, clothing, and other consumables. After extensive research, he developed the plan that enables Tea Connexions to offer the world gourmet teas in custom packaging.
Suchi Gupta (Creative Director):
Suchi is a graduate of Mackay Technology with a specialization in graphic and web design. Suchi is responsible for designing, building, maintaining and trouble shooting Tea Connexions web sites and client web sites. She has an ability to create, produce and manage graphic design projects from conception to final artwork production.
Suchi Gupta has a gifted artistic sense and a concrete Fine Arts background to provide a unique perspective for design.
Suchi also speaks Hindi and Punjabi, which is essential to communications with our supplier in India. Her interests includes drawing, sketching, painting, cooking, travelling, and trying new things.
TEA CONNEXIONS USA
Daniel Johnson (President):
Dan was always looking for a side business to start. In 2005 Dan came across an ad for Tea Connexions. For the next couple of years, Dan researched the tea industry and had quite a few discussions with the Tea Connexions founder, Sanjay. In February 2007 Best Qualiteas LLC began as a Gold Distributor for Tea Connexions.
In November 2008 Best Qualiteas became the first EAD for Tea Connexions covering the St Louis area. Dan continued to grow his business through 2009 when Sanjay approached Dan, Joe and Michelle with the opportunity to take over the US operations of Tea Connexions.
As President of Tea Connexions USA Dan will focus on working with the Tea Connexions TEAm to help individuals to start and grow their own tea businesses. Dan's goal is to help all existing and future customers who wish to pursue their teapreneur dreams.
Joseph Arnette (Vice President, Eastern Region):
Joseph Arnette is owner of Treasure Chest Tea Company, a tea distributorship based in Alpharetta, Georgia. His business specializes in gourmet tea beautifully packaged from some of the most prestigious tea estates in India and China. He has over twenty-five years experience in corporate sales and small business development from companies such as Dow Chemical, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Equitable Life and Allstate Insurance Company. He has been highly successful in developing and managing sales staffs and leading programs that provide accounting assistance to small business owners with fiscal management tools as part of their business operations.
In recent years Mr. Arnette has managed Southern Associates Development Company, a real estate business in South Carolina, where he developed and managed rental properties, renovations and acquisitions. He continued his desire to create new businesses when in 2005 he founded Treasure Chest Tea, a Tea Connexions Member. As a "teapreneur" he targets the wholesale and gift markets as well as expands the world of gourmet tea of those looking to savour this fine ancient beverage.
In 2009, Mr. Arnette became a partner in Tea Connexions USA as Vice President of the Eastern Region located in Georgia. In Tea Connexions USA Eastern Region, Mr. Arnette is responsible for all Business Development. His duties and responsibilities include formulating policies, managing daily operations, and planning the use of materials and human resources. Corporate office for the company is Fenton, MO.
Michelle Davenport (Vice President, Western Region):
Michelle Davenport, was born in Long Island, New York, the second of five children. Growing up 'back east' and attending parochial school until the family moved to California due to her health. Michelle attended high school in Pasadena and college in San Diego. After working in the insurance industry for 6 years she went to work for Pacific Bell. While working for Pacific Bell Michelle performed the jobs of Directory Assistant Operator, Outside Plant Technician(Lineman), and Testing Technician in her 31 year career.
While still working with the phone company Michelle decided she would start a business for her 'retirement' . She wanted to do something she loved and offered a challenge. Having worked with people in all situations, as a problem solver, a trainer, an advocate, and loving it, she knew a customer based business was it. Finding an ad in Small Business Opportunity Magazine for 'The Tea Business is Brewing' in 2001, she felt this was it.
Michelle joined the Tea Connexions family and knew she found the right fit. Now she works her 'retirement' full time, and believes that Tea Connexions USA is the next step in her journey.
Janine Davenport (Director of Marketing, Western Region):
Janine Davenport, a "Baby Boomer", was born in New York City, New York, the oldest of five children. At an early age, Janine and her family moved to Chicago, Illinois where they lived for nine years, before returning to New York. She worked for a couple of years before moving to Southern California, where she enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and served in the medical field. She later married, had two children and divorced. Janine has two teenaged grand-daughters.
After graduating from college with a BA in Pan-African Studies, Janine had careers in customer service, sales, and marketing that span over forty years. Beginning with Serena Lingerie, the Carnation Company, and developing her own lines of lingerie for full-figured women, (Ample Elegance Fashions and Kwyet Fyre Kreations), Janine also worked for Pacific Bell. She developed skills in computer applications, negotiation, problem-solving, customer service and marketing that will be applied to her position with Tea Connexions USA. "Meeting a challenge head on and working through it, is the greatest motivating factor in problem solving", Janine states. "Discovering ways to help aspiring entrepreneurs develop their own tea businesses in this economic environment promises to be the best challenge yet".
TEA CONNEXIONS EUROPE
Coming Soon!
