installations. He was second in command of construction barges with crews ranging from 200 to 350 men.
When he returned to the Houston design group, Tom realized that his passion was in operations vs. office-based design work. At the same time, he recognized that he would benefit from a greater understanding of business fundamentals. To accomplish these goals, Tom applied for admission to graduate business schools.
Reason for Leaving
Tom left McGregor International to pursue a full-time MBA curriculum at The University of Chicago, IL.
D.W. Alexander LLC Management Consulting ($9.9 billion - revenue)Dallas, TX - 1984 to 1995Title(s): Associate Consultant - 1984 to 1986Senior Consultant - 1986 to 1987Manager - 1987 to 1990Senior Manager - 1990 to 1995
D.W. Alexander LLC is a leading management consulting and financial advisory firm to top organizational leadership on issues of strategy, organization, and operation.
The consulting challenge was to diagnose complex business problems and implement corrective solutions in a time sensitive environment. Tom enjoyed the dynamic, high pressure environment where he was constantly exposed to new ideas and practices, and fresh challenges. He thrived as a consultant and was promoted three times in eleven years.
Tom was a member of D.W. Alexander’s Reorganization Advisory Services Group. He led business reorganization teams to improve marketing and sales, product mix, cost controls, customer service, cash management, financing, compensation systems, and asset deployment. Project teams consisted of managers and senior staff from D.W. Alexander’s consulting, audit, tax, actuarial and benefits, and business valuation groups. Representative engagements included Hale Corporation, Wethersfield Communities, Universal Homes, John Deere, Dallas Fort Worth Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, and Third Republic Bank.
Many of Tom’s engagements required complex financial and operational analysis. He directed teams that identified billions of dollars in annual cost savings and productivity enhancements in supply, distribution, marketing, customer service, finance, work force management, and support services. In other projects, he assessed the economic viability of three multi-billion dollar projects.
Tom was an active participant in the sales and marketing of professional services including client research, preparation and delivery of proposals, cold calling, and conducting seminars and training sessions. He collaborated with Beaumont Partners to develop and roll-out the firm’s Shareholder Value Maximization product.
When the firm was looking for new avenues to capture talented recruits, Tom joined a group of senior professionals to found D. W. Alexander’s Business Analyst Program. After establishing objectives, procedures, and action plans, the program was rolled-out nationally. Tom developed, recruited, trained, counseled, and administered the Dallas Business Analyst Program.
Exposure to many successful Partners and the rigors of the consulting environment allowed Tom to hone his skills and talent for leadership, team-building, strategic analysis and planning, quantitative analysis, process improvement, collaboration, and communication.
Reason for Leaving
The management consulting lifestyle that required near 100% travel made it difficult to maintain family relationships and support the development of children. In addition, Tom desired to return to a construction-related field. When an attractive corporate opportunity was presented to join the Diamond Industries, Inc. Architectural Products Group, Tom accepted the offer.
Chronological Job Titles during Later Career:
Diamond Industries, Inc., Architectural Products
Group (APG) ($3 billion - revenue)
Atlanta, GA and Dallas, TX - 1995 to 2003
Title(s): Vice President, Corporate Development - 1995 to 1996
President, Pontiac Aggregates - 1996 to 1998
President, APG South Region - 1998 to 2001
President, APG West Region - 2001 to 2003
Diamond Industries, Inc. is the U.S. holding company for Glasgow, Scotland based HCR plc. and the largest manufacturer of building materials and architectural products in North America. It employs a lean, flat organizational structure with limited overhead. Diamond Industries made a practice of hiring engineers with consulting backgrounds to staff corporate development positions. This filled a needed role and provided bench strength for future management needs.
As Vice President of Corporate Development, Tom was responsible for the Architectural Products Group’s internal and external growth initiatives including acquisitions, new plant development, strategic planning, and special projects. He also served as a consultant to Diamond Industries APG Company and regional presidents, recommending business alternatives and assisting with any quantitative analysis.
During his tenure, external growth was fueled by the acquisition of three manufacturing companies. Tom identified companies, followed up on leads, analyzed the opportunities, designed acceptable offers, prepared the board proposals, and coordinated the integration of the acquired companies.
Internal growth was supplemented by the development and execution of plans to construct four Greenfield plants. Previously when Diamond Industries APG built Greenfield plants, there were often cost and schedule overruns. Tom used MS Project to establish critical paths and budgets for all Greenfield projects. Employing these tools and closely monitoring progress, each project came in on time and under budget.
The development position allowed Tom to meet many successful entrepreneurs. He benefited from the stories of their triumphs and accomplishments.
In 1996, Diamond Industries APG experienced trouble with one of its operating companies, Pontiac Aggregates, in Atlanta, GA. The CEO and CFO were fired after they were implicated in a corporate fraud leading to a $4MM loss. The group CEO asked Tom to take over the troubled operation.
As the new President of Pontiac Aggregates Industries, Tom assumed leadership of a distressed $32MM, 140 employee, lightweight aggregate manufacturing company. He was challenged to turn around a company that cumulatively had not made a profit in the last ten years. Morale was low; employees were afraid they would be fired and fearful the company would be sold. Problems under the previous administration made Pontiac Aggregates an HCR board level issue. In the first few months of the turnaround, the level of administrative scrutiny was oppressive.
Tom orchestrated a dramatic three-year turnaround. EBIT improved from -$3.9MM to +$6.4MM and Return on Net Assets ( RONA) increased from -12.9% to +22.3%. The product line was expanded, and new channels were developed thus expanding distribution. The result was a $16MM, or 62% increase in sales. Output was increased by 25% and unit costs were lowered from $17.01 to $13.16. A record was established for four years without a lost time accident. Many of the tactics that were employed to achieve these results were subsequently implemented in comparable situations throughout Tom’s career.
When Tom joined Pontiac Aggregates, he brought the remaining management group together as a team by increasing accountability, sharing information, putting together plans, prioritizing key issues, and making sure that everyone was on the same page.
Much of the initial focus centered on improving the production quality, capacity, and efficiency of the plants. The production process employed natural gas and powdered coal-fired kilns. Fuel made up the largest component of the cost structure. By improving the flame characteristics and heat dispersion, product quality and output was dramatically enhanced. Costs were lowered yielding large positive production variances.
To further improve production, steps were taken to implement a comprehensive preventive and predictive maintenance program. Thermography (infrared photography) was used to identify electrical issues and address potential failures. Vibration analysis was used on all motors to eliminate bearing failures. Oil was scrutinized at a micron level to improve filtration and prevent hydraulic failures. These efforts combined to significantly reduce equipment failures and avoid thousands of dollars in downtime.
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