About Tom Hoobyar

So you want to know a little bit about my background? Okay. Here's the Family version:

There’s an old saying, “Wisdom comes from good judgment. Good judgment comes from experience. And experience comes from bad judgment.”

I’ve had LOTS of experience.

As a little kid I survived scarlet fever, meningitus and polio. I had lots of time to myself so I started to read early, mostly adventure stories and biographies of explorers and scientists. I learned a lot, but it made me a bad fit in school.

I gave up on school and left home at age 16. I was 5'9" tall weighed 139 pounds, and was full of romantic notions. Four years later I was 6'3' tall and weighed 210 pounds. Still full of romantic notions, but seasoned with a little scar tissue. Here's how it happened.

First thing out of school I spent a year on a ranch as a cowboy, drank and brawled with the hands, and got really hazed for being a city kid. One of the guys' hazing stunts broke my elbow (a cow sat on me; long story) and I didn't tell anyone for several days.

Then I got it fixed and went right back to work with my arm in a sling. That year was my introduction to hard physical labor, pitching hay bales from dawn till dusk or spending 14 hours a day in the saddle during the Spring gathering (what they used to call roundups).

I followed that with four years in the military, where I was taught how to drink by French Legionnaires during two years in North Africa. Then I spent two years on a WWII Destroyer sailing from Guantanamo to the Suez Canal, and from the Equator to the Arctic Circle. Hot, cold, stormy, calm, I loved it. LOTS of learning, as I explored foreign ports that have hosted sailors since the days of the Phoenicians.

Since leaving the military I've been through divorce and remarriage and over 40 occupations. I've made more than my fair share of mistakes -- being broke, fired, divorced.

And I've had more than my share of adventure -- trampled by a cow, having doors slammed in my face, being beaten up, blown up, shot at, chased by guys with meat cleavers and by thieves with trucks -- and I've had enough melodrama in bedrooms and boardrooms for a TV series. Here's a secret -- Adventure is more fun to talk about than to live through.

On the other hand, it's been my good fortune to serve apprenticeships with experienced masters in a variety of fields, from undercover and forensic investigation to martial arts, and from test-lab product engineering to marketing and sales. Over time I became a practical triple engineer (electrical, pharmaceutical and mechanical), capping my corporate career as the founding CEO of a multi-million dollar manufacturing firm.

On the engineering side, I designed and led development on the Clean Air Machine (ionizer), Sonic Technology's PestChaser (ultrasonic pest repeller), and Asepco's line of process equipment for the biotech industry (high-tech capital manufacturing devices).

Although I didn't finish high school I've six patents to my name, guest lectured to graduate students at three universities, served on the national standards board for biotechnology equpment design, and taught advanced communications skills to coaches and psychotherapists.

I don't want to sound too full of myself. Most of my learning came through trial and error, and I think that experience has given me real empathy for the mistakes of others. Like I said at the beginning, I wasn't born wise. What wisdom I've collected has been hard earned.

I’m self-taught. And thick-skulled. That means my learning was usually dramatic, and took place AFTER I got the bloody nose or the divorce or the lawsuit. And, if I managed to dodge a “pothole” in life, it’s only because I’ve seen it experienced by others.

My wife and I now have six grandchildren. I divide my time between working with people I like and respect, doing research on the many subjects that interest me, and writing for this site and a number of other outlets. I take time for the people and activities that I love.

Life around me is full and very good. We laugh a lot. I plan to contribute what I can so that others can have the same kind of experience in their lives. Without the adventures.

That’s a short take on some of what I've learned and how I learned it -- the bumpy path of a bewildered bookworm who became a happy and well-seasoned guy. Thanks for asking.

Want to know why I decided to share what I've learned in life?

One evening a few years ago I was taken to the hospital with severe chest pains. For what seemed an endless time I thought I was going to die.

I’ve really loved my life, and I was sad that I wasn’t going to have more time with my beloved wife Vikki, and disappointed that I wouldn’t see my grandchildren grow up.

But even as I was losing consciousness, I was REALLY PISSED that I had spent my whole life in the scramble of business, and I hadn’t left anything behind that said, “I was here. Here are some useful principles that I’ve learned; use these shortcuts if you want.”

During a scary night filled with blood tests, chest xrays and EKGs, I decided to retire from my life as a high-tech CEO. I promised my Maker that I would make my experience and learning available to whoever had the desire for it. And I believe that keeping promises is a good thing.

Now I'm sharing my knowledge with people who want to learn what I know, without having to spend a lifetime learning it.

P.S. Oh, yeah, the chest pain thing? Not my heart after all. Just the stress of running a growth company coupled with a bad diet.

I’ve reformed. After all, we’ve got six grandchildren and I want to see how they turn out!