2007.12.08: December 8, 2007: Headlines: COS - India: Business: Central Penn Business Journal: India RPCV Tom Wolf is Chairman of The Wolf Organization, which sells building supply products from lumber to kitchen cabinets, has 30 stores serving the Eastern Seaboard from North Carolina to Maine and employs 582 people
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2007.12.08: December 8, 2007: Headlines: COS - India: Business: Central Penn Business Journal: India RPCV Tom Wolf is Chairman of The Wolf Organization, which sells building supply products from lumber to kitchen cabinets, has 30 stores serving the Eastern Seaboard from North Carolina to Maine and employs 582 people
India RPCV Tom Wolf is Chairman of The Wolf Organization, which sells building supply products from lumber to kitchen cabinets, has 30 stores serving the Eastern Seaboard from North Carolina to Maine and employs 582 people
"Growing up in a small town gave me a sense that the world was a safe place, adults are honorable people, and people can shape their environment and make a difference," said Wolf. Childhood activities, like organizing pickup sports games with his friends and relatives, gave him his first glimpse of personal ownership and early civic- mindedness. That drive to be a good citizen grew as Wolf entered college. He enrolled at Dartmouth College to study political science. After completing his first year, he dropped out to join the Peace Corps. For two years, he served as an agriculture extension agent in a remote village in India.
India RPCV Tom Wolf is Chairman of The Wolf Organization, which sells building supply products from lumber to kitchen cabinets, has 30 stores serving the Eastern Seaboard from North Carolina to Maine and employs 582 people
2006 Hall of FAME Recipients: Tom Wolf
Dec 8, 2006 - Central Penn Business Journal
Tom Wolf has seen the world both near and far. He was born and raised in Mount Wolf, York County. His only neighbors were relatives. The town was named after his great-great-grandfather, who was the first inhabitant, train station manager and postmaster. "Growing up in a small town was heaven," said Wolf.
As Wolf remembers it, the town was safe, and life as a youngster was carefree. His 14 young relatives cousins, brothers and sisters - played all day, and if they didn't make it home for dinner, they would "catch a meal" at an aunt or uncle's house.
"Growing up in a small town gave me a sense that the world was a safe place, adults are honorable people, and people can shape their environment and make a difference," said Wolf. Childhood activities, like organizing pickup sports games with his friends and relatives, gave him his first glimpse of personal ownership and early civic- mindedness. That drive to be a good citizen grew as Wolf entered college. He enrolled at Dartmouth College to study political science. After completing his first year, he dropped out to join the Peace Corps. For two years, he served as an agriculture extension agent in a remote village in India.
"The Peace Corps was huge in my life," said Wolf. "It really broadened my perspective of the world and affected my whole outlook."
He returned to Dartmouth, earned his bachelor's degree in three years, then went on to earn a master's degree at the University of London and a doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "When there were no more degrees to get, I had to finally get a job," he quipped.
Wolf came back to York County and "fell in love with it." He went to work for the building supply company run by his father and uncle, a company founded in 1843 by Wolf's great-great-great-grandfather, Adam Wolf. The company has been passed down through six generations of Wolfs - each generation buying out the next.
Tom Wolf began work as a forklift operator and truck driver. He moved up the ranks, eventually working as a sales clerk and store manager. In the early 1980s, Wolf partnered with a cousin and "cousin-in-law" to buy the family business. He became chairman and president of The Wolf Organization in 1986. When he and his partners first purchased the company, annual sales were nearly $70 million. This year, the company will top nearly $400 million in sales.
Over the years, the company has grown into The Wolf Organization, which sells building supply products from lumber to kitchen cabinets, has 30 stores serving the Eastern Seaboard from North Carolina to Maine and employs 582 people.
"I am proudest of the fact that we built this company organically," said Wolf. "We also surrounded ourselves with remarkable employees who are now running the company."
Wolf still serves as chairman, but he retired as company president to concentrate on community service and other endeavors. He serves as president of Better York Inc., a group of business leaders focused on the city's redevelopment.
He is also the chairman of the board of trustees of York College. He has formerly held leadership positions with the United Way of York County, WITF Inc., The York County Community Foundation and other community groups.
Wolf says his civic priorities are revitalizing York, supporting public education and preserving the environment through good stewardship of open space and the Susquehanna River.
Wolf's life and career have always been shaped by his family. He has been married for 31 years to Frances Wolf and has two daughters, Sarah and Katherine, who followed in their father's footsteps, graduating from Dartmouth and embarking on service projects and educational pursuits.
Wolf has seen life in a small town, a foreign land and much in between. "I'm living in a bigger town, but still looking through that small-town prism," he said.
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Headlines: December, 2007; Peace Corps India; Directory of India RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for India RPCVs; Business
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Story Source: Central Penn Business Journal
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - India; Business
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