Tom Peterson
For State Representative
A lifetime of effective change - Tom Peterson
My whole career has been about change. I went to Temple University to be a science teacher. I became one of the first computer educators in the country. My wife and I met while we were teaching in Philadelphia. When we bought our first house outside of Quakertown, taxes were low, houses were affordable, and gas was less than 40 cents a gallon. See how things have changed?
Then I started my 32-year sabbatical from teaching. The technology business changes pretty quickly and I managed to change with it. I sold technology through the 70’s and 80’s and started my own consulting organization in 1991. The central question my consulting practice addressed was – How much should we invest in our customers? Some of my clients - Oracle, VISA, Hewlett Packard, and McDonalds - each saved over a billion dollars. Start up companies like Briarpatch and Gymboree became dominant in their category. Over 500 organizations were my customer relationship clients.
Oracle hired me as a thought leader in 2000. I found out what it is like to have Global in your job title and how to save a billion dollars in a highly competitive business environment.
My head start on leadership came from Boy Scouts. I was Senior Patrol Leader for five summers at the age of 13 to 17. Then I finished my Eagle badge. Troop 3 in Hatboro is still one of the most active and successful Troops in America. Much of the credit goes to Bob John, the Senior Patrol Leader before me and now Scoutmaster for most of the life of the Troop.
It is the most proud moment in my life to pin my Eagle badge on my son. Upper Bucks voters want a leader on all counts - at home as a father and husband, at their religious home, at their work and in the community.
Change is the one word my high school class has bestowed on me at each of our reunions where we voted on "most changed" - the 5th, 10th and 15th.
I believe that my leadership, background in education, and business experience, has prepared me well to be your State Representative.
