Tom Eckmann, Head
Coach
Tom has worked for more than 30 years with startup,
early-stage and growth companies. His business experience
spans multiple career tracks — management consultant, business
executive, entrepreneur and author. On his consulting track,
Tom worked with three prestigious management-consulting firms:
A.T. Kearney, Arthur D. Little, and Pittiglio Rabin Todd &
McGrath (a subsidiary of KPMG Peat Marwick). At ATK and ADL,
he worked on more than fifty projects, where he dealt with complex
operations management issues in many different businesses. At
KPMG, Tom was a leader in the interim executive practice
and directed turnaround or divesture projects for six different
technology companies.
As
a business executive, Tom was Vice President of Operations for Anova
Electronics, the consumer electronics division of Dart &
Kraft. At Anova, he established manufacturing operations in
the Far East and the distribution and supply chain functions in the
U.S. He was also
Vice President of Operations for Digital Systems International (now
a division of Lucent) where he led a group of more than 260
engineers and technicians who installed and supported complex call
center systems in large financial institutions.
As
an entrepreneur, Tom is the founder of three successful
companies. He founded a software company that developed
programming language compilers and development tools for Apple
computers. After establishing a leading position in the
education market, a strategic partner purchased the company.
Tom co-founded a business services company that focused on
outsourcing of administrative functions. After building a
impressive list of customers, a competitor purchased the
company. Finally, Tom founded a company that distributed large
format drawings and construction specifications via the
Internet. The company became a preferred supplier to Federal
and State agencies and many large architectural firms. Tom
sold his interest to the investor group.
Tom
is also the author of An Interpreneur’s Journey: The Birth
of a “New Economy” Business. The book is a true-to-life
story of an Internet entrepreneur. It describes his startup
experience with the typical misadventures and lessons-learned.
It is also a how-to guide, which describes the steps involved in
starting a new venture.
Tom earned
Bachelor of Science and Masters degrees in Industrial Engineering
and Operations Research at the University of California at Berkeley. He serves on
the Board of the Northwest Venture Group, where he co-chairs the
Membership committee and publishes the monthly Venturer
newsletter. He also serves as an advisor to numerous early
stage companies. |