Family Business
Thomas grew up in a family business environment in Texas, and learned how family values influence organizational objectives. He observed first-hand how the evolution of family values can move at a pace that is different from the growth of societal values at large — creating friction at times, but also creating opportunities for strengthening those values and enabling substantial business growth.
Advisory Platform
Thomas was educated as a psychologist at Yale, and he blended those competencies with his experiences as in investor and entrepreneur into a unique advisory platform.
Ad Altius helps businesses navigate inflection points – those moments significant and dramatic change that are sometimes seen as crises, but can define the growth trajectory of the organization.
Investing
Thomas invests in circular economies, wherein the gains from investments are shared not only with those making the investment, but also distributed to relevant community stakeholders.
He believes in the power of catalytic capital to promote social responsibility and produce transformative community impact.
Building Bridges
Thomas grew up in Texas, one of the more conservative regions of the United States, and was educated in the East Coast, with a culture that is more liberal.
Experiencing both perspectives has enabled him to understand and respect divergent viewpoints.
Thomas believes in the transformative power of travel to unite us, for experiencing different cultures enables us to celebrate our differences.
Thomas believes in the transformative power of travel to unite us, for experiencing different cultures enables us to celebrate our differences.
Philanthropy
Thomas’s philanthropic activities are focused on efforts to remediate hunger and housing shortages, and he supports initiatives to promote racial equality through economic opportunities.
He is also a direct supporter of research for neurological disorders, particularly Parkinson’s Disease, and he is an active contributor to the Michael J. Fox Foundation
Publications
From the cover:
A company in which board or executive team conflicts get out of hand is a house on fire. Left unchecked, they can threaten the business, and in the worst cases, burn it to the ground. All nascent conflicts should be treated as dangerous and dealt with immediately to prevent those involved from unleashing “arsonist” behaviors that put the entire company at risk.
Thomas has worked globally with scores of publicly and privately held companies and family-owned businesses to resolve deep and significant disputes. In this book, he analyzes the origins of conflicts and offers five tools to prevent them from happening in the first place, or to regain control of those that might already exist.
From the cover:
Crisis can dramatically change a business: the sudden death of a CEO, a shakeup in the boardroom, an unplanned takeover battle or a global pandemic.
Such events can devastate businesses and the lives of principals. They can set in motion a downward trajectory that might appear to lead into the abyss. But that downward trajectory can be changed. That’s because moments of crisis demand radical action, and radical action is the foundation of transformational change.
You can use business turbulence and crisis to create your own inflection point, and in so doing transform your business and your life. With extensive case studies and real-world experience, this book will show you how.