Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Day.
Hi Tom, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I began my construction career in Two Rivers, Wisconsin in the 70’s. Starting at just 12 years old, my father would take me to construction sites with him, and give me small tasks so I would feel like a part of the crew. As I got older, my responsibilities grew, but no matter what the day held, my father would always emphasize to me that it was the quality of the work I did that day, not the quantity, which mattered most to him, and still rings true for me today.
Eventually, I moved to Houston, Texas, to return to college and started working for an apartment developer, where I stayed until 1982. From there, my career took a few turns, as it often does in this industry. I moved to Arlington to work with a property management company, later became a partner in a development firm, and after that company was acquired, I joined Henry S. Miller in their management division. Following another merger, I teamed up with three partners to form a development company that successfully operated for 19 years, focusing on multifamily, office, and retail projects.
We were at the height of our success when the 2008 financial crisis hit, which completely upended the business. Practically overnight, everything I had built was gone. With my family relying on me, I began to completely start over from scratch, and The Tom Day Company was born in 2009, during one of the toughest real estate markets I’ve ever seen.
Thankfully, I wasn’t alone in this new venture. My longtime partner and close friend, Mary Montalbano, joined me once again. Mary was first hired as a leasing agent when she was just 18, and stayed by my side through 3 different companies before starting The Tom Day Company with me. Nearly 39 years later, I’m proud to say we are still partners and she now serves as our Senior Vice President of Property Management.
We started out as purely a property management company with only one commercial property and one apartment property, but slowly but surely, we grew our portfolio. Never forgetting that it was the quality of our work that mattered most. By 2011, we were able to expand back into construction and officially launch our construction division. Today, The Tom Day Company operates as a full-service General Contractor and Property Manager for commercial properties, as well as a Construction Development Consultant. Most recently, we’ve added our own in-house subcontracting branch, SD Maintenance Services, allowing us to provide even more services to our community.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been an easy road. As I mentioned earlier, the financial crisis of 2008 hit the development world hard. It broke the backs of many developers, myself included. We lost properties, projects, and millions of dollars. It was one of the hardest times in my career and my life.
What kept me going was my family. I had kids that were growing up, and I knew I had to provide for them, so there wasn’t a job too small or too tough that I wasn’t willing to take on. I even got back to working hands-on in the construction field for a bit, and I was fortunate that my 13-year-old son, Siler, wanted to be out there with me, helping on jobs and learning.
Over the years, he kept working alongside me during summers and after school, and after college and a couple years in the construction industry, he’s now joined me to help run The Tom Day Company.
It’s been a full circle journey, from some of the toughest years of my life to one of the most rewarding experiences I could ask for. Getting to build this company with my son is one of the biggest blessings of my life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Tom Day Company?
The Tom Day Company started as a property management business, and over the years, we’ve been able to grow and expand into several different branches. We still manage a wide range of properties, retail spaces, offices, and more, but we’ve also branched into construction, serving as a general contractor for commercial properties. This has allowed us to partner with amazing clients and bring their retail spaces, restaurants, and offices to life.
Recently, we have opened our new subcontractor branch, SD Maintenance Services which allows us to streamline the construction side by doing our own in-house framing, drywall, demolition services, and dumpster rentals and trash hauling. Overseeing all of this is The Tom Day Company, which also offers construction consulting services. So, we have quite a few moving parts, but our mission is the same, to provide high quality services to the community we care deeply about.
What I’m most proud of is that we’ve grown and thrived over the past 16 years, thanks to the incredible people and relationships we’ve built along the way. Even more meaningful is seeing my son preparing to take over the company in the coming years, carrying on a family construction legacy that spans three generations, and hopefully continues for many more. We are truly a family run company, and our success comes from the many people who have partnered with us and supported us. That’s why our tagline is “Built By Relationships” and we really really mean it.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I moved to McKinney in 1994 with my wife, Brooke, as we were starting a family. What drew us here was the town’s smaller size, the population was about 25,000 at the time, the excellent schools, and the welcoming community. It was the perfect place to raise our family. Fast forward to today, the population has grown to about 225,000. The growth has been incredible and has transformed McKinney into a big, well-known city and opened up great opportunities for The Tom Day Company to expand our construction and property management work in McKinney and in the surrounding areas as well.
Though the growth has been great for The Tom Day Company, I personally find myself longing for that small-town feel. I still spend my weekdays here in McKinney, but on the weekends, I get to escape to the quiet of East Texas, enjoying the peace and a slower pace of life in Mount Vernon. It is the perfect balance for me. That being said, our kids are now raising their own families here in McKinney, and we plan to continue operating out of McKinney for many years to come, so this city will always hold a special place in our hearts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tomdayco.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomdaycompany
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-tom-day-company/
