Tom D’Eri has dedicated his career to unleashing human potential by creating organizational systems and culture that empower people to grow. Tom is the co-founder and COO of Rising Tide Car Wash, an organization that employs over 80 individuals with autism in a successful car wash business.
Fun fact: All of my favorite vacations require trips on light aircrafts or long boat rides to get to.
What is your favorite South Florida dining destination? Park & Ocean on Fort Lauderdale Beach
What do you like to do on weekends? I enjoy spending time in nature, going scuba diving or hiking in the Everglades.
How do you unwind from a long day at work? I’m pretty simple. I like to have a quiet dinner with my fiance and watch a TV show or two.
What is your favorite quote? “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” — Henry Ford
From whom, or what, do you draw inspiration? I tend to draw a lot of inspiration from my father, who founded our business with me. He’s a true entrepreneur and has helped guide me in so many ways.
What has been the biggest accomplishment of your career? Getting our third car wash approved in Coral Springs. This marks a new chapter in our organization’s growth.
What has been the most challenging moment in your career and how did you overcome it? Opening our second location was a daunting experience. It was our first commercial building project and represented a doubling in the size of our team. We got through this by focusing on developing our team, banding together and a lot of effort and determination.
What advice would you give an up and coming professional? Spend the early days of your career developing skills in the fundamentals of business. How to manage people effectively, how to develop your team, how to understand the underlying systems that make a business successful and how to achieve technical mastery in your field. These tend to be rigorous and unsexy to learn but they are the foundational skills in which you grow the rest of your career from.
