Founder of Western Land Group, American Wetlands, Crested Butte State Bank, Gunnison Valley Insurance, and other enterprises.He is a former Colorado State Senator and Mayor of Crested Butte. Since 1981, Tom has completed a wide variety of complex real estate transactions with local, state, and federal agencies.Tom has testified before Congress regarding real estate related matters affecting public lands on numerous occasions.While in the General Assembly, he served on the Committee on Agriculture, Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on Transportation, and the Committee on Health, Environment, Welfare, and Institutions.Tom has managed and directed numerous political campaigns for candidates seeking local, state and federal offices.Colorado Governors Dick Lamm, Roy Romer, and Bill Owens appointed Tom to various positions, boards and commissions. As Executive Director of the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, Tom reported to a board of directors consisting of thirty-one local government officials and was responsible for negotiations with local, state and federal agencies.In 1982 Tom was a Gates Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University