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Thomas (Tommy) Mello was born and raised in Michigan and relocated to Arizona in 1999. Since the late 1990’s, Tommy has been fascinated with garage doors. In 2007, Tommy founded what is now the largest garage door repair company in Arizona. He is also a founding partner at Garage Door Nation, where he advises people on how they can fix their own garage and save big money by not hiring a local company.
Experience
It seems like a conflict of interest running a garage door parts online business, but someone who is willing to do it themselves is determined to find a DIY (do it yourself) solution and not hire a local company. Therefore, Tommy is able to work with thousands of customers locally and thousands more who become customers of the online store, Garage Door Nation.
Growing up, he wanted to be a dentist, but realized he enjoyed running a business much more. Particularly, he was always the handyman in the neighborhood, often replacing garage door parts and helping with landscaping work as a child.
Today, Tommy spends most of his day running his 2 successful garage door businesses and writing for garage door blogs and home improvement sites. In addition, Tommy is an active house-flipper, turning dull homes into fantastic flips. He realizes that basements and garage space are typically taken for granted.
“There are so many things you can do with the extra space a garage or basement can offer. I’ve turned them into game rooms, home theaters, and much more. Of course, every man needs a man cave. Garages and basements are often perfect for just that.”
Recently, Tommy was named among the top entrepreneurs throughout the Southwest, making the list as a top entrepreneur under 35. Tommy is also a successful scholar who received a Master’s Degree in Business (MBA) from the University of Arizona. His goals are to keep growing his garage door companies and to provide his customers the absolute highest level of service and quality possible. In addition, he is interested in continuing to offer professional education (via article, videos, and podcasts) to help other garage door professionals grow and to help the do-it-yourselfer get the job done right.
Education
Tommy is an accomplished scholar and received his M.B.A. from the University of Arizona in 2011.
He is a speaker and frequently presents on garage door safety and home improvement methods.
Thomas Mello
“The number 1 reason a garage door stops working is because of its garage door springs and those can be done at home for less than $100 by ordering the kit from Garage Door Nation. Local service companies charge $300-600 for the exact same job. My passion is saving people money and keeping their garages healthy.”