54.3 F
San Diego
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
-Advertisement-

Executive Profile: Tom Dorosewicz

Whitestone TEC, Inc. founder Tom Dorosewicz has achieved what most executives strive for , an enviable balance between work, home and community.

Dorosewicz, 51, positioned himself by design.

He used his 20 years of experience in the retail marketplace and 10 years of tech experience to launch his own online retail firm in 2002.

“I spent time in the Silicon Valley and with other startups and wanted the flexibility not to be in the office 14 or 16 hours a day,” Dorosewicz said.

Then he chose to locate himself in a small Rancho Santa Fe office with two other employees, and opened a larger office in Denver where he finds a ready supply of developers to hire.

The “technology-empowered commerce” firm builds technology platforms to put small retailers on equal footing with the large retail chains in the competitive online world.

“Basically, we work with buying groups and distributors,” he said, valuing his customers’ revenue transactions at $17 billion annually. “We give them the tools to provide order management, catalog information, pricing all the commerce information their customers need in one place.”

When Dorosewicz isn’t working he prefers to spend time with his wife and two daughters, and help mentor San Diego County businesses as chairman of the Chairmen’s RoundTable.

He’s volunteered with the organization for five years and spent the last two as chairman. His significant contribution as leader has been increasing the number of businesses being mentored from a dozen annually to about 40. During the last seven years, RoundTable members have mentored 175 companies, primarily high-tech and biotech.

“I’ve been fortunate that the company is structured in such a way that I can run a successful business, yet spend time with something that’s important to me like Chairmen’s RoundTable,” he said.


RESUME

Name: Tom Dorosewicz.

Job title: Founder and CEO.

Company name: Whitestone TEC, Inc.

Industry involvement: I’m on the advisory board of four different companies in town and the Chairmen’s RoundTable. I’m quasi-involved with Children’s Hospital. My wife is the Rancho Santa Fe unit vice-chair this year, and chairwoman next year.

Education: Bachelor of Science degree in consumer economics, University of Maryland.

Born: New York City, 1955.

Residence: Rancho Santa Fe.

Family: Wife, Michelle; and daughters, Vanessa, 11, and Natalie, 10.


BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY

Essential business philosophy: Never lose sight of your goals and always try to learn during the journey.

Best way to keep a competitive edge: Spend time with your customers and listen to them.

The latest industry trend: Continued consolidation.

Goals achieved: Probably on the personal side my company has a 100 percent reputable customer base, and looking at Chairmen’s RoundTable we’ve tripled the number of clients we’ve mentored while I’ve been chairman.

Goals yet to be achieved: I’d really like people in the San Diego community to know what Chairmen’s RoundTable is all about and not have it be the best-kept secret.


JUDGMENT CALLS

Best career decision: Funding my own company.

Toughest career decision: Leaving a Fortune 100 company for my first start-up.

Missed opportunity: Not meeting my wife sooner. I met her in 1993.

Mentor: Paul Kemp, who was executive vice president of Symbol Technologies in the early ’90s.

I’ve been told: I run a company with a cigar box mentality. In other words, if I don’t have the cash I don’t spend it.


TRUE CONFESSIONS

What I like best about running Whitestone TEC: Helping small independent retailers compete with big-box stores.

What I like least about my position: There’s nothing I don’t like about what I do.

Pet peeve: It’s people who don’t realize we can hear their private conversations when they’re on the cell phone in public places.

Most valuable lesson learned: Writing a business plan is easy. It’s the execution that can be hard.

Person I’d most like to meet: My Uncle Tom who was killed in World War II who I was named after.

Most-respected competitor: I respect all competitors.

Greatest passions: Family, and giving back to the community.

If I had it to do all over I’d: Not change a thing.

What I’d be doing if I weren’t doing this: At the end of the day I’d be working too hard and forgetting family is the most important thing. You achieve a satisfying balance between family and work and that’s what makes it all worth living for.


PREDILECTIONS

Favorite author/book: “The Number , A Completely Different Way to Think About the Rest of Your Life,” by Lee Eisenberg.

Favorite status symbol: Well-mannered children. I grew up in a family of five and my mother was a New York City cop. You’re a good parent and have reached a level of success when you have well-mannered children.

Favorite vacation spot: My back yard. Living in San Diego, people forget this is a vacation destination.

If I could have any car, truck, sport utility vehicle, boat or airplane in the world, it would be: It really wouldn’t matter to me, but to my daughters they’re hoping I’ll arrive one day with a really cool minivan. That’s their goal in life.

-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-