With Tom, what you see is what you get.

• Several years ago, Tom applied for a position with a bank in Winston Salem.  One of Tom's former employees was working for the same institution and Tom used him as a reference with his prospective employer.  When the former employee was asked about Tom he said, "With Tom there is no hidden agenda or false front.  What you see is what you get.  He says what he means and he means what he says."

Tom understands struggling to make ends meet.

• When Angela and Tom bought their first home, things changed pretty dramatically from the time they signed the purchase contract to the time they signed the mortgage.  Interest rates went up dramatically and what had been an affordable home payment jumped to what seemed an impossible amount.  The lawyer who closed the transaction looked at them with a scowl and in a loud voice said, "Remember, if you don't pay, you don't stay."  That night, as they lay on their bed in their first home they were filled with anxiety instead of the joy they should have been able to feel.  "How will we make the mortgage?" they asked each other.

His wife took in children.

He took on a second job.

They made the mortgage and raised their children.

Tom believes in the Power of People to Make a Difference

• "I am one. I am only one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something."

For more on Tom go to www.tomsheppardreviews.com