The Man Behind the Curtain
HAVE YOU EVER USED AN ATM CARD? RIDDEN SPACE MOUNTAIN AT DISNEY WORLD? EATEN ICE CREAM AT BASKIN ROBBINS? OWNED A TOY THAT WAS MADE IN CHINA?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you already know the legacy of our founder, Tom Paterson. Tom holds the patent on the ATM PIN technology and first hand-held video recorder, he was a friend and regular collaborator with the Disney Brothers, and he was commissioned by President Reagan to open the global economy in China. Tom’s unique talents included a deep gift for innovation and mining for insights while never losing touch with the need for practical action.
TOM PATERSON, 2019
Peter Drucker once said of Tom that he was “the greatest process thinker in the world.”
But, more than any of his accolades and intellectual prowess, Tom was a lover of people. Tom was humble and gentle. He loved Jesus, Hawaiian shirts, and sitting in the tranquility of nature.
With every material reason to be a self-aggrandizing center of attention, that was never who Tom was. Tom was the man behind the curtain—the question asker, the process designer, the faithful partner and supporter of whomever he was serving.
The DNA of Tom is inextricably woven into the process that proudly bears his name and into how we at Paterson Group steward that intellectual property still today, three-generations after it was penned.
Tom’s patience in our principle of Perspective Before Planning.
Tom’s humility in our consistent desire to be a partner and champion of our clients.
Tom’s discipline in our systemic approach to make sure our clients follow through and do the hard work to deliver the plan.
And, most of all, Tom’s heart and ours, in our consistent desire to drive people and organizations to their fullest potential and purposeful impact.