Originally from Germany, Thomas came to Texas in 1988 and obtained a degree from the University of Texas in Marketing and Accounting.Since he started his first business at the age of 12 and has created and helped in the creation of various other ventures in both Europe and the United States. Thomas enjoys the challenges of entering new industries in which he sees opportunities to modify the main stream business model.Starting in 1998 he was a partner in a wine import and distribution business that introduced various winemakers from Europe to the Texas market. Acting as the importer and distributor at the same time allowed the company to offer various new brands to the retail market without depending on any other players in the industry.This background in promoting and marketing wines from a wide variety of producers gives Thomas a unique perspective to understand the concerns of all parties in the supply chain including producers, importers, distributors and retailers.Given the current state of the alcohol promotions industry in the United States, Thomas saw an opportunity to offer a higher level of service to wineries, breweries and distilleries by using a common sense approach that recognizes that tasting events will only be as good as the people conducting these tastings. When he is not busy working with his various business ventures Thomas enjoys spending time in Austin and discovering new destinations in the US and abroad.