Meet Fanny Hanono | Leader of the GFX Team

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fanny Hanono and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fanny, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I come from a family of immigrants—my grandparents immigrated to Cuba from Eastern Europe. My parents left Cuba in 1961 to come to the United States, so I am a first-generation American. The home I grew up in significantly impacted my view of this country. I learned to appreciate and love America, and to share my good fortune with others. I was taught the importance of charity through its influence on my everyday life. My father had a saying, which I still agree with to this day and have inculcated in my own children, that goes, “The more you give, the more you get back.”

My father started GFX from scratch, selling little widgets, screws, and glass. Eventually, he started importing motorcycle parts and automatic transmissions. Selling automatic transmission parts in 1961 was a risk because automatic cars were not established here, but it was a risk that paid off. There was a little company called Toyota that made its entrance into the U.S. market around that time with automatic transmissions. GFX was ready with the parts, so our timing was perfect.

Growing up seeing all of this taught me that determination and hard work will get you where you want to go. It also taught me that you have to be willing to work hard. The harder you work, the more you can achieve. It’s not going to come easy, but with the right drive, you can achieve what you set out to do.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We manufacture aftermarket parts for automatic transmissions from around the world. I’m pleased that we are not stuck solely in the American or foreign market—we make parts for almost every brand of car being manufactured today.

GFX has been in business since 1961, for over 60 years. I’m extremely proud of our experienced staff, some of whom have been with us for 35 years, as well as the new members of our team, who have brought new ideas and new markets to the company. My team helps me stay on top of everything happening in our industry. They have allowed us to adapt as the markets have changed. As new markets have evolved in Eastern Europe, for instance, we have been able to establish relationships with key partners there.

I am conscious of being one of the few women leaders in the automotive industry. It has not been an easy road. The men in our industry tend to form cliques that influence their social and business circles. It is typically the men who get together to go golfing. They might invite me to sponsor a golf tournament, but they don’t invite me to play. And of course, nobody offers me a spa day or anything like that! But in all seriousness, I am so honored to be one of the handful of women owners in this industry. I am starting to see more women enter our field and I’m thrilled to hear the perspectives they bring.

People talk a lot about how electric cars are going to disrupt the industry. Those speculating on the direction of the industry have been saying for a while that everyone would be buying electric, but that hasn’t really happened. Even hybrid cars have not sold as well as projected. The reason for this is that electric cars do not travel long distances well when compared to cars that use gasoline. The cost of repairs and maintenance has also deterred many from buying electric vehicles. Even a minor repair on a Tesla is expensive. Eventually, many years from now, we will definitely be in an electric market, but Asia and Latin America have a lot of infrastructure issues to address before that can happen. They don’t yet have the charging stations to support electric cars. GFX is looking at manufacturing hard parts for electric cars in the future, but right now we are still primarily focused on automatic aftermarket parts for vehicles that run on gas, and we probably will be for the next 20 years. Our new line of heavy-duty items is also helping us explore new markets.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love living in Miami, but my experiences here are very focused on my family, friends, and team. I enjoy simple experiences, like restaurants where you have the ability to share family style so you can sample different things and have new experiences. I love dining at Estiatorio Milos, for example, because you can order a dish for the table, and everyone can enjoy it together. When it comes to weekends, I love nothing more than relaxing on the beach with a good book. I’m an avid reader, especially of historical novels, and I pretty much always have a book with me when I’m by the pool or decompressing from my week. Miami has so many great reading spots. Fisher Island is one of them, so I would definitely suggest a trip to the beach for any friends who visited. And of course, we live in such an amazing city, so needless to say, shopping is always fun!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a big shout-out to my children, who had tremendous patience and gave me the support I needed for all the travel that my job required. They have never made me feel like I was doing something wrong by pursuing my business and community work, and they have always been there to support me. I would also like to thank my dad, who taught me everything. Finally, I want to thank the entire GFX team. Without them, I would be nowhere. They stand by me, they’re loyal, and they’re dedicated. I will forever be grateful for all that they have done.

Website: http://www.gfxcorp.com/

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