DALLAS, TX — Tom Brennan, a Partner in GeoShack for more than 25 years, retired with a virtual party and ceremony at GeoShack’s Houston retail store. Brennan was treated to a large screen with various friends, family, co-workers, and associates from many years in the industry all logging in to their virtual place on the screen to wish him well.

“It was overwhelming and so kind for so many people to show up,” Brennan said. “Some of those people I have been working with since the early 80s, and it meant so much to see them all.”

More than 40 years ago, Brennan traveled from his home in Kinderhook, New York, to Houston, Texas, for work as a Journeyman Carpenter and two years later moved to Austin, Texas. With a degree in construction management from Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, Brennan said of the move, “I heard there was work in Texas so I moved and worked for several companies as a Contractor while enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin.” He began a small construction company, Coordinated Construction Services, in 1981 with a friend and worked his way through school earning a second degree in liberal arts.

While in Austin, Brennan met and married Susan. The two moved to San Antonio where Brennan joined Spectra Physics in 1982 as an Outside Sales Representative. He moved to Houston in 1984 as Regional Manager of Spectra.

In 1993, Spectra became Trimble and Brennan moved to Australia to manage regional sales and distribution for Trimble throughout Australia and New Zealand. “We had a family by that time, two boys, and we lived in Melbourne from 1993 to 1997. It was a great experience for all of us,” Brennan said.

Brennan moved back to the states in 1997 and opened Spectra Laser & Precision Instrument in Houston where he was a Distributor for Trimble.

In 2003, Brennan partnered with Scott Beathard to establish GeoShack. Shortly thereafter, GeoShack began distributing Topcon Positioning Solutions and soon became Topcon’s largest North American distributor.

“Being part of the Geoshack team and introducing 3D machine control to our market place was a very exciting experience,” Brennan said. “The terrific, talented people I worked with and the different management responsibilities I experienced helped me grow professionally. It was very challenging to help build a company like Geoshack, really a lot of hard work and great fun.”

While Brennan plans to travel and do quite a bit of fishing in his retirement, he will remain Director of Orant Charities, a Texas-based nonprofit organization established to help the economically disadvantaged in Malawi.

Orant’s Kasese Health Center and mobile medical clinic serve 38,000 patients each year. In addition to health care, Orant programs include water and sanitation, agriculture, and education.

“I began traveling to Malawi about eight years ago,” Brennan said. “I enjoy the work with Orant, and it keeps me engaged. In 2020, we will have drilled 14 water wells, educated 97 young women through secondary schools, and conducted agriculture training programs. I’ll be staying busy.”