Business Consulting Success Stories
Clients
Pat Tool | CEO/President
Polymeric Technologies, Inc.
poly-tek.com
"When we first started working with Mele Group, our primary goal was to become a world-class manufacturing company. Over the last three years working with Thomas, we have had multiple, large OEM customers and potential customers visit our manufacturing site. As part of our audits & sales pitches, our presentations would always include the strategic systems and processes that Mele Group developed for us. Just in the last year, we participated in an On-Site Assessment with Daimler/Mercedes. A significant portion of their audit included a management review on how we strategically operate and plan for the future. The work we presented to Daimler was the same systems, planning and processes developed with Thomas. While presenting the results of our assessment, the auditors from Daimler highlighted that the work we did with Mele Group as a strength of our company.
Since the audit, our company was approved as a vendor for Daimler, and we are now supplying their manufacturing facilities throughout North America. Mele Group has been fundamental to our success over 3+ years of working together. We have realized our dream of becoming a world-class manufacturing company and are only getting started. Without the help of Thomas, we would not have had the focus and motivation to get where we are today."
Daniel Roberts | President
Rollamatic Roofs, Inc.
rollamatic.com
"Rollamatic Roofs, Inc. began work with Mele Group in April 2019. When I acquired the company in 2014, I knew the company had a lot of potential, while we have done well, by 2019 we had not yet reached the level of revenue growth and profitability I knew we could. I hired Thomas and we began the hard, (but fun), work of really understanding the business’ full potential and what shifts we needed to make to realize it.
Working with Thomas has been a big benefit for me and the company. We started at the very basic level of what I wanted out of the business then systematically created a company vision to support my goals, built a plan to achieve it and are now installing the systems we need to make it happen.
From our initial meeting through today, the process has been orderly and clear cut. Thomas always shows up on time and ready to guide us through each meeting’s agenda. He leads the meetings in a professional way and has a knack for learning his clients’, (and their employees’), personalities in order to keep things on track. The Business Growth Execution System he has created is made up of easy to handle, step-by-step assignments that can be completed without being an additional burden to my weekly workload.
There are many positive changes that have been put into place since I started working with Thomas. Here are the top three.
First, we have a growth plan and are following it. Having a plan documented and regularly followed up on gives us the drive and focus we lacked previously.
Another benefit has been the development of Position Agreements for me and my staff, (both current and planned). I’ve learned that having an employee know what is truly expected of them is good for them and the company; it gives them clear expectations of their duties, which makes them feel good about their work. It also allows me to give them praise when they meet or exceed expectations or hold them accountable when they don’t—which is great at review time.
Probably my favorite benefit from working with Thomas is the use of Objectives and Key Results, (OKRs). These are quarterly goals that are set by me and my key employees that are tracked and graded. We’ve made major improvements with the introduction of this quarterly process in both our manufacturing and office/financial departments, we have gotten more focused on our sales pipeline, are tracking our costs better and have made investments to make our production processes more efficient.
Not only are there real changes and benefits happening, but it also means something to our staff that we are endeavoring to make changes to improve the business because they can commit with confidence knowing I am committed to growing the business and committed to growing them. Thomas couldn’t be a better fit for us."
Aaron Bartell | President
AquaTech Pool Systems
aquatechpoolsystems.com
"We made the decision to grow our business. The business was doing ok but could be doing much better. We hired Thomas to go through our books and see where we need to focus our attention. We came up with a plan. So far, the plan is working great. Thomas also helped us create an incentive program for our office manager and our lead installer/trainer. His plan was fully funded by our growth plan and offered a wonderful incentive bonus to our employees when we hit our goals. We are happy we made the decision to hire him. We plan on hiring Thomas back towards October 2020 for future projects."
Darrell Jobe | Founder/CEO
Vericool Inc
vericoolpackaging.com
"Thomas was a tremendous help and instrumental to our growth."
Kelly Warren | Vice President, HR
AeroPrecision
aeroprecision.com
"We recently went through a significant leadership change and needed help in alignment within our senior team around a common vision and strategy for company growth. Thomas led us as a team through a step by step process that resulted in an executable single page strategy. One of the most powerful activities was an all day workshop focused on The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team. It was at this workshop that our Senior Leadership Team came to grips with the differences in our work styles and our struggle with trust and having healthy, productive conflict. This session was intense and at times very uncomfortable, however, Thomas was able to lead us through the process so that in the end we all walked away with a clear perspective of how we each needed to grow and change to become a more cohesive team. Some long standing issues were immediately identified, some behaviors have changed and we now have a common language to help us hold each other accountable to be the leadership team we want to be."
Sean Collins | Owner/President
Fault Line Plumbing, Inc
faultlineplumbing.com
"We have been working with Thomas for (2) years. He has been a strong business mentor, and has been key in developing objective standards for our business. His insight has been extremely valuable, and has helped us create profitability, savings, and better stewardship over our finances.
If you're at a place where your business might seem stagnant, out of control, or you are ready to take the next step, Thomas is a good solution to help clear some of the hurdles that may seem too large right now.
We plan on continuing this relationship for years to come, and have high expectations of greater things happening in our business both in the near and distant future."
Lara Calvert | Executive Director
Spectrum Community Services, Inc
spectrumcs.org
"After attending Thomas’ DISC Overview presentation at an industry forum – I left wanting to figure out not only my own style, but those of my team members. I believe in professional development and continuous improvement, so I hired Thomas to do an interactive workshop with me and my team--this proved to be a great investment. Due to COVID-19, Thomas restructured his full day in-person program into three shorter virtual training sessions that worked really well for us, this approach gave us time to process what we learned in between each session. Every member of my team not only enjoyed the training, but since the workshop we have had weekly conversations about how we are using the tools we learned and putting our own personal development strategies into practice. We look forward to doing more work with Thomas in the future."
Patrick Pickerell | Co-Owner/President
Peridot Corporation
peridotcorp.com
"Peridot employed the services of Thomas Mele as a consultant in 2017. Our goal was to identify obstacles to growth and remove them. I found Thomas to be very knowledgeable and professional in regards to consulting for a manufacturing company. We are still using some of the tools he gave us in the day to day operations of Peridot."
Suzanne Arnott | VP, Marketing Core & Digital Gift
Blackhawk Network
blackhawknetwork.com
"I hired Thomas to facilitate a DiSC workshop for our entire 40-person Marketing team. Being personally a big fan of the DiSC behavioral model, it was important to me to bring in a professional that could educate the team on the power of the model and train them to use it, while meeting our time and cost constraints. Thomas took the time to thoroughly understand my objectives for the workshop and the subtle sensitivities within our team environment, then he designed and delivered a high quality, professional, engaging program that has impacted the team in a powerful, positive way. I was very pleased with the result."
Natalie Swanson | Broker/Owner
Natalie Swanson Real Estate Team
swansonrealestate.com
"When I began my real estate career in January of 2006, I had what most other agents had, and that was a JOB. I spent many long hours and years working and having few time boundaries in my day. I was tired, overworked and wishing I had more freedom. I value freedom highly, but had little of it.
Consistency and hard work brought much success but with it came the challenges I wasn’t qualified to handle on my own. I began dealing with complicated budgets, hiring and firing, payroll, health benefits, work flow, job descriptions, expectations and accountability problems.
In addition, for many years, I struggled to build a solid team of professionals who could serve clients at a level I was proud of. I struggled by myself putting together the right talent who shared the same values I had. My lack of clarity made it difficult to scale my business.
It wasn’t until I met and hired Thomas Mele of Mele Group that I realized I needed to first define what lifestyle I wanted and then build the business to attain the end goal. It was that simple. I also realized that until I could be replaced myself, I still had a very fun high paying job.
With Thomas’ help, my team and I have created a single page strategy which includes our vision, our values, our plan of execution, and finish line. We have a hiring process, job descriptions, profiles and a organizational chart. With his guidance we have confidently hired incredible talent and hold business investments accountable to the bottom line. All the grand ideas that once were floating around in various formats in my mind and in many binders for years were now all in one place in a highly focused, neatly defined, purposeful plan.
I can say without a doubt that because of Thomas’s coaching I have been able to build a rock solid real estate business that is highly profitable, beaming with talented people, while still allowing me more time freedom than ever before possible. At the current rate of growth we will hit our 10 year plan in under 4 years. For this we are truly grateful for Thomas’ wisdom."
Ray Carrier | Owner
Take Care Termite & Pest Control
takecaretermite.com
"Before working with Thomas, we had a business that was doing just okay, but we were looking for guidance on how to grow. Thomas’ approach was well planned, designed, and thought-out. The exercises were simple but provided detailed results; any setbacks we encountered were the result of us not doing the work or failing to fully implement what we learned. His encouragement and the accountability from the engagement was fundamental to our success. Since working with Thomas, our business is now doing GREAT! We have a clear vision and structured set of goals we want to achieve. We now set goals and we achieve them!"
Jeff Ansley | Owner/President
Natron Resources
natronresources.com
"I was overwhelmed running my small engineering firm by myself, and couldn’t find the time to be productive in strategic planning. I was firefighting continually and not making any plans beyond the next few months. I enjoyed the reading assignments and the rigor of preparing for our weekly meetings. Thomas has deep experience in operations and management and provided great insight to supplant the reading materials and exercises. I now have a multiyear plan to help guide my decision making and increased confidence that I am going the right direction, and why. I now find opportunities to fit my plan, rather than pondering late at night which direction to take."
Deanna Ortuno | Owner
Hairlights Salon
hairlightssalon.com
"Thomas came to the rescue. He dug deep into my business to identify the things I would need to change to get my business producing the profit it can. Thomas is a very patient man, especially when I could not always meet my weekly goals. He is always positive and has been very helpful working with my staff and getting them to see my vision. Just when I thought I wanted to give up, Thomas gave me back my motivation!"
Kirsten Barranti | Attorney at Law
Barranti Law Group, P.C.
keblawgroup.com
"When I joined the Business Development Group, I needed a strategy to a grow my law practice. With Thomas’ assistance and encouragement, I created a vision and path for the law practice I wanted. He helped me to develop a strategy to achieve my goals and provided a pragmatic way to reach those milestones."
Dr. Nadia Flynn | Owner
Flynn's Chiropractic Sport and Spine
"There were two things I needed help with when I made the decision to transform my practice’s operating model: accountability and clarity. Thomas provided me with the tools, discipline, and accountability I needed to sort through the many options to arrive at a strategy and operating model that fully takes advantage of my training, is compatible with my patient care philosophy and will meet my lifestyle objectives. I have never been more excited about my practice’s future."
Ron Holthuysen | CEO
Scientific Art Studio
scientificartstudio.com
"When we first got started, Thomas shared with me a list of 100 business books and articles and asked me which, if any, I had read—I said none. He did not blink an eye and jumped straight into working with me to fill my knowledge gap and provided the practical tools and guidance I needed. After three months of weekly meetings and assignments, I am making major systematic changes in my business. And this is only the beginning."
Mony Nop | Owner/Realtor
Mony Nop Real Estate Team
monynop.com
"I have been a successful top producing Realtor for the past 11 years. However, there were many things that I did did not do well, including not knowing my business budget/expenses, staff turn over, and lack of concrete processes in place. Although I was successful, it felt like I ran my business by the seats of my pants. I wanted more so my business can continue to grow, providing me more freedom of time and money.
Two years ago, I made the decision to change my business and decided to hire a business coach. I've known Thomas for a very long time and asked him to help my team and I. We began by analyzing my business with a SWOT analysis. From there, we discovered my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats of my business. We also established the mission and vision of my business including my yearly goals, my 3 year goals and my Big Hairy Audacious goals. During this process, I also discovered who I am as a person. I discovered that my life was more than just business, but rather working on improving the business while keeping my philanthropic and other personal interests in mind.
Thomas' in depth knowledge of various business models and best practices helped me see all of my personal and professional goals clearly. We now have more processes in place and established a concrete budget and expenses for my business. As a result, we will reach our one year, three year and big hairy audacious goals in the near future. For sure, I am much more well aware of myself and my numbers more than ever. Thank you Thomas for your help and guidance. We love working with you! Great things are happening at Mony Nop Real Estate because of you and your help!"
John Lewman | Attorney at Law
Lewman Law, APC
lewmanlaw.com
"I wanted to say Thanks to Thomas Mele for all the invaluable help he provides me in developing a plan and strategy to grow my business and take it to the next level. His knowledge, experience and judgment provides me great insight on how to analyze my business to make it more efficient, competitive and profitable. I did not know, what I did not know about my business, but Thomas definitely did. I would highly recommend Mele Group to anyone who wants their business to excel and succeed."
Strategic Partners
Brian Anderson | Wealth Creation and Preservation BNJA Insurance and Financial Services, Inc.
bnjainsurance.com
"When a client mentions to me that they want to grow their revenue and generate more income from their business, but need some help breaking out of their current operational rut, I send them to Thomas. He works with them to identify and then eliminate the constraints that are keeping their business from reaching its full growth potential. To a person they have been delighted with the results."
Bobby Ramirez | Manager
First Republic Bank
firstrepublic.com
"Thomas is above all else a man of great faith, integrity and character! Any time I have a client looking to increase their bottom line or improve their efficiency, Thomas is always top of mind. He truly cares about providing value that his clients can not only see through results but they can feel through his passion and care for what he does for them. If you are in need of someone who will provide the truth along with the willingness to partner with you or your clients to seek a solution, then Thomas should definitely be on your speed dial. Thomas, keep up the great work and thank you for all you do!"
Mark Lojacono | CEO
Unlimited Business Loans
unlimitedbusinessloans.com
"As the CEO/Founder of Unlimited Business Loans I have found it extremely rewarding to recommend Thomas Mele and his Organization to my Clients. His ability to understand and articulate solutions to all levels of management is second to none. Thomas consistently delivers right on time and right on budget and his attention to detail and vast network of service providers has become an incredible resource for both my Company and the Clients I recommend to Thomas."
Ginger Crystal Faith | CEO
Golden Canyon Properties, Inc.
goldencanyonproperties.com
"Thomas has been the advisor to two teams of businesses that I am closely connected with. Since the time Thomas was hired, I've seen exponential growth in both companies, which they have related directly to their work with him.
Because of that, I was moved to consult with Thomas regarding my own business.
In just the first meeting, I was extremely pleased with his sharp understanding of business dynamics, his specific, intelligent guidance on how I should best proceed with certain difficult business negotiations, and his ability and desire to listen intently to what I needed to do to move forward with some challenging next steps safely and profitably.
The next day I needed to actually engage in these intense negotiations, and everything went smoothly, resulting in a win-win for everyone concerned. It was this consultation with Thomas that gave me the insight and the confidence to move forward with my game plan, while seeing the whole picture, and taking into consideration my entire team and their needs. I have become more confident moving forward due to just my first consultation with Thomas."
Industries & Organizations Served
Accounting & Tax Office
Art Studio
Aviation & Aerospace
Business Equipment
Christian Church
Commercial & Residential Roofing
Commercial Plumbing Contractor
Construction
Consumer Services
Financial Services
Food Production
Hair Salon
Health & Wellness
Home Remodeling Contractor
HVAC Contractor
Law Practice
Medical Device Manufacturing
Medical Practice
Nanotechnology Startup
Non-Profit Counseling Service
Outsourced Engineering
Packaging and Containers
Pest Control Service
Polymer Products Manufacturing
Residential Real Estate Team
Transportation Service
Thomas encourages you to review all the recommendations
from his clients and colleagues over the past 25 years recorded on LinkedIn.