Tom came to mortgage lending from somewhere else entirely. He grew up in Stoughton, graduated from UW-Madison, and built a career in medical sales before an old passion pulled him back. Real estate had always been in his blood, and he and his wife Amy have restored several historic homes around Madison themselves. Tom knows a house from the studs out, not just the loan that pays for it, and that instinct brought him to Thompson Kane.

It shows in how he works. His clients, many of them first-time buyers, tend to describe the same loan officer: one who explains every detail, answers the same question as many times as it takes, and picks up the phone on nights and weekends. More than one has called him the most knowledgeable loan officer they've ever worked with.

Tom has stayed close to home in more ways than one. He coaches his son's middle school basketball team, supports the Camp Randall Rowing Club where his daughter rows varsity, and spends his free time golfing, playing tennis with his family, and cheering on the Badgers.