Hi... I'm Tom!

I currently work full-time as a software engineer for a wonderful company that allows me to work remotely here in Pleasant Valley. Prior to this current 21-year career, I managed to put in 26 years of hospitality management covering the full gambit of hospitality services: fast food, family dining, bars, catering and even with a 5-star resort

My lovely wife Kari and our daughter Alexandria moved with me to Howard about 16 years ago, wanting to escape the Southern California rat race, wall to wall people and cars and 8 lane highways... and commuting! We definitely had to get away from the commuting. We chose Howard because we saw a quieter community where there wasn't the threat (at the time) of all the subdivisions developing we were starting to see around the Salida area.

From the moment we moved to Howard we were welcomed with open arms! Neighbor after neighbor was willing to help us settle in. - despite the fact we were from So-Cal! Because I did grow up as a small kid on an 80 acre farm in Southern Wisconsin, I wasn't totally unfamiliar with property ownership. Still, moving from a 750 sf condo to 13 acres was a bit daunting. 

We now have 3 horses (they came with us from So-Cal), 2 dogs, 3 goats and, oh... probably around a couple hundred thousand bees - give or take.

I see volunteering for AVAD and other local organizations as a way for me to pay back the community that so graciously welcomed us over 16 years ago. We have a wonderful group of volunteers at AVAD and I feel privileged to be working with each and every one of them.