Startup Grind Lansing will be hosting Tom Salisbury, president and owner of Reliable Aftermarket Parts, this Thursday at 6:00 PM at the East Lansing Technology Innovation Center. The event will include time to network as well as an in-depth interview with Tom, discussing how he created a successful business. Tom will talk about how, in less than six years, he turned his small, home-based business into a thriving e-commerce business that employs over forty people.
After high school, Tom started working at Central Michigan Tractor Parts and worked his way up over thirteen years, eventually becoming Assistant Manager. He used the customer service experience and industry contacts that he gained over those years to start his first business, Junior’s Parts in St. John’s in 1993. After realizing that online distribution would someday take the place of local tractor parts stores, he decided to start his second business, Reliable Aftermarket Parts in Williamston in 2009.
His company now distributes over 150,000 construction and agricultural parts to retail and wholesale markets online. Tom used his business savvy and didn’t let his initial lack of technical skills and resources hold him back from finding success.
For more information on this exciting event, to learn more about Tom Salisbury, and to find out about Startup Grind Lansing’s future events, visit the Startup Grind website and RSVP today. Events are every third Thursday at 6:00PM at the East Lansing Technology Innovation Center. Startup Grind Lansing’s July event will feature Matthew Roszak, CEO of Tally Capital, on July 16.
