Mentor Spotlight: Pareto Insight Founder Tom England

RAMP mentor and Pareto Insight Founder Tom England has always wanted to be an electrical engineer. He earned his BS in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech in 1980 and launched career deploying his skills to help people solve problems.

Eventually, he drew on his leadership experience, curiosity, and passion for finding solutions to develop his own consulting company, Pareto Insight. His unique Voice of Customer (VOC) process helps business owners deeply understand their customers.

Tom has had a big impact on the innovation ecosystem here—he connected to RAMP and RBTC through his work in electrical engineering and as a consultant and has mentored startup founders with VOC, engineering, design, and general marketing. We caught up with Tom to dive into his background, his perspective as a founder and mentor, and hear his reflections on the regional innovation community. Keep reading to learn more about Tom, his work, and his insights into entrepreneurship.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background? How did you find your way into tech and entrepreneurship?

I have pretty much always wanted to be an electrical engineer. VT was a good choice coming from growing up in Maryland. I was a design engineer for about 7 years then moved into leadership positions with direct customer contact. I loved solving problems for customers and never looked back. My career spanned 4 companies and always involved motion control, covering every market in every geography. It provided a very interesting career. I continued to develop new ideas and products throughout my career. 

How did you choose Roanoke as a place to live and grow your career?

After graduating from VT in 1980 I chose Kollmorgen in Radford for my first professional job. It was an accidental stroke of genius. Accidental because I really did not know what I was doing, and genius because it gave me so much responsibility and growth. Working for a smaller company that really depends on your contribution results in rapid learning and responsibility.

What are your current roles and projects and how to they play a role in the greater innovation ecosystem?

I retired in 2014 and started my own consulting company, Pareto Insight, focusing on Voice of Customer (VOC). I designed a process to deeply understand customers and predict how they would make business decisions regarding my client’s products and services. As an RBTC representative from Kollmorgen, I naturally connected with many small and startup companies in the region. While my focus has been VOC, I have also mentored and coached for engineering, design, and general marketing.

How did you get involved with RAMP and what is your role there?

I was drawn to RAMP by an entrepreneurial interest. I love seeing ideas come to life and building meaningful businesses that sustainably impact lives.

What is your favorite memory or proudest moment working with RAMP?

I connected one of the RAMP members to an unfamiliar market, setting them on a new path to a greater value for their technology. Forty years of business experience provides a much broader understanding of potential value for new ideas, even when I might not fully grasp the technology.

As a Founder, what is one obstacle that you’re most proud of overcoming?

Being a solopreneur forced me to have confidence in the value I brought to my clients. My faith walk along with 40 years of business experience told me I was worthy. So, I set out to bring the highest value to my clients. Overcoming the imposter syndrome was my greatest hurdle.

What piece of advice would you give early-stage tech/biotech entrepreneurs? 

You are likely on a long journey. Enjoy the ride for what it brings you every day: new connections, discoveries, pivots—all of it.

What would you like the community to know about innovation in the region?

I find the NRV/Roanoke region has a great support network of experienced entrepreneurs who make themselves available to share wisdom from their journeys.

Tell us a fun fact about you!

I’m about to finish a section hike of the Appalachian Trail. I love doing a section every year to meet the wide range of humans on the trail. I’m also a sailor and love returning to the Chesapeake Bay where I grew up sailing.

Anything else you’d like us to know?

I’m moving my Pareto Insight business to the background and am excited to bring forward Coffee Catalysts; walking alongside people’s journeys and figuring out how to connect, coach, mentor, or just listen to them. It is an amazing blessing to do this and give back to people.

RAMP and RBTC are part of the Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance (RBIA), established to grow the region’s innovation economy, technology and life sciences sectors, and the supporting professional communities. It aligns the strengths and programming efforts of the Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council (RBTC) and the Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program (RAMP). RBIA serves GO Virginia Region 2 and works to form collaborations with government, business, academia, and other organizations to advance the region and grow a thriving innovation economy.