Founder's Story: Meet Tom
How did Devices come together? What prompted you to join the founding team?
The evening of March 12th, we got a phone call from our school district just outside of Chicago. Our fourth and first grader would be e-learning the next day, and teachers would be emailing lesson plans. When we woke up the next morning on March 13th, I learned that the schools in Michigan had done the same thing.
The next few thoughts all bubbled to the surface at roughly the same time: what a hassle, how are we going to do this, which computer will we let Jasper (my 1st grader) use? The lightning bolt cracked in my head, I had just asked myself “which computer” because we have multiple laptops and tablets to choose from. The following thought was of gratitude, and then the realization that there are probably a lot of families with no devices at home. This turned out to be more true than I could have imagined.
Without waiting to come up with a plan, I called a couple of my customers in Detroit and said “I have a half-baked idea that there are probably a lot of kids in Detroit that don’t have devices at home, you want to get involved, and do something together?” The responses were a resounding “YES! YES! YES!” The tiny spark became a slightly bigger flame, and two days later I called Jay. I had no idea he was standing there with his arms full of fireworks and dynamite just waiting to be lit.
How did the team and roles evolve?
What I bring to this team is support from our business partners by evangelizing our mission. If we are going to spread Devices to every community where there is need, then we will need a hyper-local focus and that requires not only technology but humans. My role is to inspire the humans in the business community to get involved
Why is education important to you?
My parents lived the example that you never stop learning. Mom went from a receptionist at a hospital when I was in elementary school to earning her nursing degree and becoming an RN. My dad was a farmer and was constantly taking engineering, finance, and agricultural classes. I saw education as the number one way to improve your life and your family’s.
What has been the most exciting part of the project for you personally so far?
The rush that came one week after we started, when we were able to complete the first purchase of 225 mobile hotspots to go with the 225 laptops for the 225 most at-risk seniors in Detroit. It was an epiphany that we had started something much bigger than ourselves, we had caught lightning in a bottle, and that we could make a real impact for children and their families beyond one city.
What is something we wouldn’t know about you?
After college, I turned a one month backpacking trip to Australia into a 6 month walk-a-bout. I worked in the cotton fields of the Outback, moved office furniture in Sydney, worked on a vegetable farm, and got a job at the Bus Stop Cafe in Byron Bay to make my way around.
