Since Tom was just a kid, he has taken an interest in working on all types of vehicles and equipment. He grew up on the farm requiring him to help his father keep all the farm equipment and vehicles maintained. Tom started and operated his own lawnmower / small engine repair business when he was just 14 years old. He attended Montgomery Joint Vocational School to further his education in Agriculture Mechanics. After graduating High School he shut down the lawnmower business and attended Northwestern Business College to attain his degree in Automotive / Diesel Technology and an associate degree in Business.

Tom started in the work force as a Truck Technician in 1985. He achieved his ASE Master Automobile and Master Truck Technician Certification by the age of  21. He remained in the truck industry for  3 years but could not give up his first love for the automobile  and made the switch to an Auto Technician in May of 1988. He was employed at Procare for 5 years gaining more education, knowledge and experience.

In 1993 ASE offered an advanced level test pertaining to Engine, Computer and Emission Diagnostics. The second time around, ASE changed the test to make it easier, but Tom passed the first and most stringent test. This was required to be licensed by the Ohio EPA and by December 1995 Hi-T.E.C. was the first and only Licensed Repair Facility in Darke County, Ohio. In his great success of this achievement, Tom was recognized for his abilities and was asked to participate in the training of technicians for the Ohio E-check program. Tom believes that you can never gain enough knowledge in the automotive industry due to changes made daily to the automobile, therefore he continues his and his employees  education each year with approximately 100 hours of additional training or updates to keep up with the ever changing technology of today's automobile.