With all the recent turmoil in our industry we thought it was important for our customers and colleagues to know that we are still here for you and to even get to know our sales team just a little better than you may have done before. Therefore please find below some lighthearted information about our motley crew of a sales team that help represent TOMCAT and James Thomas Engineering!
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Adrian Forbes-Black
Title and responsibilities?:
Vice-President – Sales & Marketing – I’m responsible for the sales & marketing of both TOMCAT and James Thomas Engineering products in North America as well as the day-to-day operation of our Thousand Oaks, CA sales office and warehouse.
Which office are you based out of?:
Thousand Oaks, CA.
How long have you worked for TOMCAT?:
I joined back in November 2017. However I have been in the industry since 1993 and actually helped manage TOMCAT’s then European factory in the U.K. back in the late 90s and early 2000s, so it’s been just like coming home really.
Where were you born?:
Birmingham, United Kingdom, however I’ve lived in the US since 2006 and I became a U.S. citizen last year.
What do you like to do to relax & take your mind off work?:
Er, sleep?! I guess I’m probably a little bit of a workaholic so I’m not a massive one for hobbies, however my wife would probably tell you that I do have a little bit of an unhealthy obsession for Lego, at least for an adult anyway…
Give us one fact that your colleagues & customers probably don’t know about you?:
That I got married in Disneyworld.
What advice would you wish you had been told, & followed, at 21?:
I really disliked school and never took it that seriously so I wished that as soon as I was mature enough I would have continued my studies alongside my job, at least until we had kids and my free time disappeared.
What ability do you wish you had learned but never did?:
Learn another language. I had to study French, German and Latin at school but just didn’t enjoy it enough to take it seriously. I’m honestly embarrassed when I’m working with my European colleagues who have multiple language skills. I guess as a Brit or American we just expect to talk very loudly at people in English and expect them to understand us unfortunately.
How many different states or countries have you lived in?:
Two countries, the U.K. and the U.S., only California in the States and a number of different places in the U.K. However I used to travel a lot for business when we lived in Europe so there are a number of places around the world I probably knew better than my own hometown at one point.
Lego’s marketing department can contact Adrian via e-mail at
adrian.forbes-black@tomcatusa.com.
Title and responsibilities?:
Sales Manager – I’m responsible for our sales to our western region customers. I mainly work on what we call our engineered sales, ones which may mean we need to do designs, drawings or something a little funky.
Which office are you based out of?:
Thousand Oaks, CA.
How long have you worked for TOMCAT?:
I joined at the end of 2017 just before we opened the CA warehouse in January 2018.
Where were you born?:
Southern California.
What project has been your favorite to work on during that time?:
I have a few aerospace customers who I really like working with as those ones are often a challenge and take us out of the usual entertainment technology industry stuff. Unfortunately we aren’t often allowed to say much about what we are doing however let’s just say that I’m proud that TOMCAT and James Thomas Engineering have been a part of the recent Mars lander projects!
Favorite movie?:
All the Star Wars movies.
Who plays you in the movie of your life?:
Harrison Ford.
What was your favorite toy as a child?:
Erector set. Of course!
What other industry do you think you would be in if you weren’t working for TOMCAT?:
An engineer or designer of something or other.
Harrison Ford’s agent can reach Douglas at
douglas.debusschere@tomcatusa.com.
Title and responsibilities?:
Sales Manager – I’m in charge of sales to our western region customers with a lot of my focus being on our resellers and system integrators.
Which office are you based out of?:
Thousand Oaks, CA.
How long have you worked for TOMCAT?:
I just had my three-year anniversary!
Where were you born?:
New York.
Where is the one place you would like to travel to after all this COVID chaos is over?:
Italy or Tahiti.
Favorite book?:
Developing the Qualities of Success by Zig Ziglar.
What was the first gig you ever went to as a paying customer?:
Kiss!
You can only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would that be?:
Chicken Parmesan with a side of Fettuccine Alfredo.
How many different states or countries have you lived in?:
Three. New York, Kansas and California.
Italian restaurant owners can contact Gene via e-mail at
gene.matera@tomcatusa.com.
Title and responsibilities?:
Sales Manager – I manage our sales on the eastern side of the continent.
Which office are you based out of?:
Knoxville, TN.
How long have you worked for TOMCAT?:
I started off at James Thomas Engineering before the acquisition. I’m up to nine years now in total.
Where were you born?:
Tennessee. I’ve not strayed too far!
What other industries have you worked in previously?:
I was a professional musician for twenty-five years and I also worked for my family-owned home furnishings business.
Give us one fact that your colleagues & customers probably don’t know about you?:
I’ve played on the Grand Ole Opry multiple times!
Dog or Cat?:
Dog. Specifically Jake the Dog, who’s laying under my feet as I type this!
What was your favorite toy as a child?:
I loved my Hot Wheels, however then I got a drum set….
What animal scares you?:
The aforementioned Jake the Dog when he’s running wide open right towards me! He’s been known to take your legs out from underneath you on a number of occasions.
Dog trainers can reach Mark via e-mail at
mark.honeycutt@tomcatusa.com.
We all look forward to working with you on your next project.
The TOMCAT & JTE sales team.