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Education:
- MBA, Augusta State University - December 2002
- Engineering Degree in Mechanical and Process Engineering, University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany - September 1987
Employer:
- Georgia Iron Works, Grovetown
What did you enjoy most about ASU and the MBA Program?
- Receiving the Outstanding MBA Student Award 2002-2003
- Being inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi National Academic Honor Society
- The market simulation game in Professor Howard's International Business class
- Applying lessons learned in class to work situations. I used a case study from a management class to reorganize the drafting department at GIW thus increasing productivity by 50%.
- Actively participating in Professor Howard's Visiting Executives Week
A three-year assignment at Georgia Iron Works changed Thomas Mueller's life forever. Originally from Germany, his first job after graduating from the University of Darmstadt was with Dornier Systems in Friedrichshafen, Germany, where he worked as a design engineer in the Space Travel Division. While there he was part of the HERMES - European space shuttle - Project and worked on the shuttle's life support system.
In 1989, he joined KSB - the parent company of Georgia Iron Works - in Frankenthal, Germany. There, he worked his way up to Manager of Hydraulic Applications and Simulation. In 1999, he accepted a three-year assignment at Georgia Iron Works in Grovetown. While acting as the company's chief engineer, Mr. Mueller completed a Master's Degree in Business Administration at ASU. The result was a promotion to Director of Product Management and Strategic Planning, a brand new position within the company.
Until January, Mr. Mueller was responsible for implementing a growth strategy to double KSB's global sales by 2010. He used his classroom lessons from ASU to help expand the company's geographic footprint in over a dozen countries, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Canada, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Russia, Finland and Poland. Meeting with country managers allowed Thomas to travel extensively to negotiate better business plans, sales budgets, and profit targets. By the end of last year, the program was on schedule and the sales budget was 20 percent above plan.
In early 2006, another promotion made him the company's Commercial Director in charge of a more than $100 million sales budget. He has reorganized a 30-person department and has revamped the business process. Sales have since risen 20 percent over budget.
What began as a three-year "assignment" has turned into a lifestyle for Thomas Mueller and his family. In 2002, they decided to make the United States and, more specifically, Augusta their home. Some of their favorite things about the area include the culture, hospitality, weather, career opportunities, work attitude, schools, and access to health care. And Thomas now has his sights on a new goal: to become CEO of a company located in an area with a warm climate.
Thomas and his wife, Regina, have been married for over 20 years and have a 14-year-old son, Marco.
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