After 27 years with ADD Systems and countless contributions to software implementations around the country, Tom Clark, Senior Implementation Specialist, embarks on retirement.
Tom became part of the petroleum industry early in his career. He started in 1979 at a farmers’ cooperative called Agway Petroleum which became Agway Energy Products. He later joined Meenan Oil and spent a decade there. One of his responsibilities at Meenan was to implement MiniFuel, a software product that ADD Systems later purchased. When he heard ADD Systems was hiring, and because of his connection to ADD products, he thought to apply. Tom was hired in November of 1997, making ADD Systems the last home of his employed career.
Being an Implementation Specialist led Tom to see many parts of North America, something he considers one of the most cherishable aspects of his career.
“I’ve been to 194 customers in 30 states and three Canadian provinces during my travels,” Tom said. “I have been all the way to Seattle down to LA. I’ve been from Fort Kent, Maine down to Stuart, Florida. So there’s four corners of the US that I’ve been to.”
Out of the places Tom visited, the Greater NYC Area always held a special place for him. Because he enjoyed New York’s fast-paced nature and had lived there for many years, he felt the most connected to it. Tom grew up in Western Pennsylvania, and he and his family would visit NYC when he was in his youth. This left an indelible impression that carried into his young adulthood:
“I remember visiting New York as a kid when I was 10, and I told my parents, ‘Someday, I’m going to live here,’” Tom said. “I’ve just always been intrigued by a big city.”
Tom made sure to document his journey as an implementor. One visit that stuck with him was when Petro, headquartered in NY, switched to ADD Systems. This installation included visiting his old employer, Meenan Oil. Tom mentioned how it was surreal to come full circle, training his old coworkers on ADD Systems products.
Tom also remembered a visit to the Last Frontier. An Alaskan customer expressed their pain points to Tom, wishing to differentiate from their state’s isolated nature and use modern technology – to be, as they said, “Part of the 21st century.”
“When we did their conversion, they wanted 100% of all their customer communications to be done via email,” Tom said. “So their statements, their invoices, and everything else. Because their old system had all their email addresses, our programmers were able to bring over all of their information into the ADD Systems software.”
While Tom enjoyed his travels, ADD Systems’ culture is what made him stay. Tom appreciated his coworkers and the bond they shared over the years.
“My favorite part about working for the company was the camaraderie that we have,” Tom said. “When we can reach out to anybody in the company to help us learn something or to ask a question, and the teamwork that we all have done over the years to help our customers, that was one of the things that’s kept me around all these years.”
Tom expressed how this culture starts with the Bott family and how they treat their employees. He felt this from before he was even hired to the day he retired.
“They know your name. They know who you are. I’ve always been able to give my input on things without fear of reprisal” Tom said.
“When I first came for my interview, I interviewed with Rob Culbertson, Roger Keyser, Linda Carrer, and Bruce Senior, and then I had to wait for three weeks till Gale came back from California to interview with her,” Tom said. “My interview with her was like an hour long, and all we did was talk. It wasn’t anything about my work experiences. It was just talking. And then I was hired. Like, even before I got home that day, I already had an offer sent to me.”
With retirement now here, Tom would like to thank the entire ADD Systems Family, in particular Mitch Braudie, John Deakyne, and John Redmond, as well as Roger Keyser and Bruce Jewett, who have passed away, and all Tom’s colleagues in the Implementation Department.
While Tom calls retirement a “big unknown,” he plans on visiting family out of state, volunteering, and traveling. Tom would also like to potentially write a book based on the letters he has saved from friends and family over the last 40 years.
Thank you for a great 27 years, Tom! We wish you nothing but the best.
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