Meet Tom Garrity, SCORE volunteer

Thomas Garrity is paving the way for the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Serving as a mentor with the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), Garrity says, “I’ve worked hard and suffered a lot from the mistakes I’ve made over the 20-plus years of owning my own business. Hopefully, sharing what I’ve learned can help shorten the path to success for today’s small business owners.”

Garrity has been volunteering at SCORE-New Hampshire’s Lakes Region Chapter for the past seven years. He came to SCORE after selling Thermshield, a company he founded in 1990. The company, which was purchased by private equity group in 2011, provided thermal management solutions for the semiconductor and electronics industry.

After he and his wife Colleen sold their business, Garrity says he was looking for a way to give back to his community.

“I honestly knew nothing about SCORE. After seeing an ad in my local paper, I filled out an online application. I attended a meeting with the Lakes Region Chapter and the rest is history,” he said, smiling.

Sharing valuable experience

Garrity began his SCORE volunteer experience by co-mentoring an individual who owned a company that made ice and water rescue vehicles.

“Drawing upon my experience in business networking and development, I guided him on whom to contact and what kind of trade shows would make the best sense for them,” he notes.

His other early volunteer responsibilities included promoting SCORE at local banks, with whom he had many personal connections.

“I put up SCORE posters and displays and continuously stocked our fliers so the banks’ business customers were aware of our services,” he said. “We actually got quite a few clients from that.”

SCORE Lakes Region Chapter Chair Bob Stanley said, “Tom is a tremendous asset to our organization. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in everything from management and finance to international trade and commerce, to business development."

Garrity said it feels good to be making a difference to business owners who are going through some of the same experiences he had. He said that one of his most rewarding experiences was providing mentoring services to a friend.

“A guy I had played golf with for years needed some help with his business. Following 10 successful years, he was experiencing a downturn,” Garrity said. “I gave him some ideas on defining who his customer is exactly, developing a strategy for connecting with those customers, and duplicating the success he previously experienced. Six months later, he contacted me to tell me that I really helped him out a lot. This had a big impact on me."

Network of mentors

Garrity says SCORE-NH has a lot to offer business owners.

“Even our small chapter in the Lakes Region has a number of very experienced and knowledgeable mentors representing a variety of industries,” he said. “All of us can relate to how to grow a business, and, most importantly, our services are free. You won’t find that anywhere else."

In his retirement, Garrity said he enjoys golfing and boating, as well as giving back to his community. In addition to mentoring business owners through SCORE, he serves as chair of the board of trustees at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Laconia and volunteers as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). He also serves on the board of directors of the Laconia Country Club and acts as chair of the Pastoral Council of St. Andre Bessette Parish, Laconia.

During the cold weather months, Garrity and his wife Colleen stay warm in their Florida home. Contact Garrity at tgarrity@metrocast.net.