Thom Feilding of BlueLINE on the Hotseat!

[Mikey P]

Get your questions ready for Thom Fielding.

Thom is the CEO of Blueline, former Big Wig at Prochem and now Head Honcho of Vortex.

Thom has been in the Truckmount game for many years and I'm sure his insights and anecdotes will make for a great Hot Seat Session.




We will try a new format this session in which all the pre asked questions and answers will be put up at once. This will let us get to the live questions sooner and also will give us more time with the guest yet take less of their actual time.

Hope to see you there.

 

[Studebaker]

Had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Fielding earlier this year. Very impressed. Very focused.

Timing is every thing.

:wink:

 

[steve frasier]

ask him how I can get more heat out of my Thermal Wave II

 

[billyeadon]

Fielding

Tom is a Renaissance man. He can talk equally as well on the intricacies of a truck mount, the best places to hunt in the Dakotas or the finer points of the Grateful Dead.
He's brilliant and doesn't even need to drink Guinness. Of all the owners of major companies in our industry Tom is the most down to earth.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Thom (yes, he spells it with an "h") developed his company by starting with parts and service, which to my knowledge was never done before.

Thom is also a direct, sometimes blunt individual who doesn't fit into the "corporate officer" mold at all. He will respond to fair, even if unpleasant, questions just as directly.

He'd be a bad "politician", but he's a great leader.

 

[vincent]

You've reached a all time low Mikey.

The guy is F***ing slime ball.

 

[Brian L]

I don't know who to believe.

 

[Blue Monarch]

Tell why Vincent. You've got my interest.

 

[Guest]

I wonder if putting this guy in front of us is payback for when Thom had Mick tossed from the Vortex board...

Speaking of the Vortex bored...hows it going???


Don't miss this for the world, it's gonna be one for the ages!

 

[Mikey P]

I've met Thom and while he may not have the personality of an over zealous 9 year old selling Girl Scout cookies, I would never say he's a "slimeball".


I can only imagine that he will have some great knowledge to share about his part of OURindustry.

I for one applaud him for having the balls that no other TM manufacturer has shown so far.


I highly doubt we'll ever see the CEO's of Butler, Prochem, PowerClean, HM or AT ever take the seat.



Vince, I dont know what to tell you other then Scroll On By.....

 

[rhyde]

No, he's not a slime ball but I'm starting to think Vincent is

 

[Guest]

I for one applaud him for having the balls that no other TM manufacturer has shown so far.

Could ya tell us what he has done that has shown balls beyond any other ??? If you are referring to getting in the hot seat, have you offered it to everyone else?

If not, that can't count!

So tell us more about Thom's stones...





OTOH, In C-level positions, brains are valued more highly that balls...




I'm on the non-slimeball side...that's a term that I need to know quite a bit about a guy before I throw it out , and I give the benefit of doubt till I'm sure.

 

[Blue Monarch]

I think it takes balls too. I would like to see another CEO step up also. It would be interesting to see the differences in how they handle things.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Welp, I really don't know the guy.
The only time I met him, i can say I didn't have a favorable impression of him.

While I don't think I could go as far as calling him a "slimeball"

I got the same vibe as Vinny did about his "air" of superiority


I sure wouldn't call Vinny a slimeball.
after one phone conversation with him, I'd say he's just a straight shootin', down home, opinionated, redneck MOW-surrie boy

I also think he's an excellent choice for the "average Joe cleaner" hot seat.




..L.T.A.

 

[MicahR]

While I've only dealt with Thom on a business level I've never had the impression of him being anything other than a great guy.

We all have our bad days. Days when we could care less if we talked to anyone.

You can't completely shape your opinion of someone by only meeting or talking to them once.

This will be a great hotseat!

 

[rhyde]

Welp, I really don't know the guy.
The only time I met him, i can say I didn't have a favorable impression of him.

While I don't think I could go as far as calling him a "slimeball"

I got the same vibe as Vinny did about his "air" of superiority


I sure wouldn't call Vinny a slimeball.
after one phone conversation with him, I'd say he's just a straight shootin', down home, opinionated, redneck MOW-surrie boy

I also think he's an excellent choice for the "average Joe cleaner" hot seat.




..L.T.A.

i really don't know if Vincent is a slim ball or not...

my real point it's easy to trash someone character particularly here where some can throw out comments and not be accountable for them but i expect it to be to be back up with more than saying some one "is F***ing slime ball"

OK Vinnie the floor is all yours explain in detail how and why Tom a slime ball or are you talking out your A$$?

 

[John Olson]

Ok when is the hot seat set for? Sorry if I am not paying attention but hardly have time to come on here anymore but will try to make time for that.

 

[vincent]

Ok, here you go. When you are trying to talk with someone or anyone does it annoy you that they look around, dig in their pockets or can't look you in the eye??

Then when they ask you if you have their product or equipment or thinking about buying one and you respond no, they look at their watch and say they have to be somewhere.

Now I will say having this done to me doesn't necessary mean they are a slime ball, close maybe and yes arrogant.

He is a slime ball for what he said and threatened to do to Dave Rampage. Then to top it off, he yanks Mikey for being himself on the V board. Nice thing to do to a guy who has sold many trucks for Vortex without having too.

Therefore I stand on my comment. CEO or not he is just like you and me, a person, which in fact he's not all the hype that people make him out to be.

Just my opinion and like many others, thought I would state mine. Also I get one chance to make a first impression to my customers, he should do the same.

As the saying goes, "You get one chance to make a First Impression".


And another thing Ryde, does your head hurt from beating it on the keyboard?

 

[Billy]

Ok, here you go. When you are trying to talk with someone or anyone does it annoy you that they look around, dig in their pockets or can't look you in the eye??

Then when they ask you if you have their product or equipment or thinking about buying one and you respond no, they look at their watch and say they have to be somewhere.

Now I will say having this done to me doesn't necessary mean they are a slime ball, close maybe and yes arrogant.

He is a slime ball for what he said and threatened to do to Dave Rampage. Then to top it off, he yanks Mikey for being himself on the V board. Nice thing to do to a guy who has sold many trucks for Vortex without having too.

Therefore I stand on my comment. CEO or not he is just like you and me, a person, which in fact he's not all the hype that people make him out to be.

Just my opinion and like many others, thought I would state mine. Also I get one chance to make a first impression to my customers, he should do the same.

As the saying goes, "You get one chance to make a First Impression".


And another thing Ryde, does your head hurt from beating it on the keyboard?

All I can say Vincent is well said. You have now explained your statement & it makes allot of sense. Now someone needs to prove you wrong if they can.

 

[rhyde]

fair enough Vincent as you say you never get a second chance to make a first impression mine of Tom is different


"And another thing Ryde, does your head hurt from beating it on the keyboard?"

it's a great stress reliever..which reminds me it's about time to change out my avatar

 

[MicahR]

Everyone will just have to have a few good questions for Thom.

 

[Chris Muetterties]

He is a slime ball for what he said and threatened to do to Dave Rampage

Vincent, How would you handle it when Dave came on ICS and LIED about the new BL Vortex unable to run at Connections when in fact they drove it right outside and it started right up. Dave's hatred for Shawn York is so bad that he went on a public BB and SLANDERED Blueline and Thom Fielding and really didn't know the truth since the Vortex did run.

How would you like this to happen to you ?

I for one think that Thom went gentle on Dave to only send out a letter. I'm sorry to Dave for posting on this subject but I think it's unfair to call Thom a slime-ball and use Dave as a reason

 

[Dolly Llama]

Chris, was the wrong PTO installed in it or not?

Did the dude who ordered that V refuse to accept it for several reasons that Dave listed?

Was it an AT built V (Westfall's) outside doing demos for 99% of the show?


...L.T.A.

 

[vincent]

Chris this was before the connections Vortex thingy.

I stand by what I say.

 

[Guest]

And Vince even buys BlueLine stuff....



Look on his truck..one will see some doo dads from there.



Chad

 

[adamh]

I had dinner with Thom and Mark (the other owner of Bluline) on Monday night. Both are great guys and are passionate about becoming the best. They took a lot of time listening to what I had to say even when I was telling them to change a few things. They really were concerned with what me, a Joe Blow cleaner, had to say. Thom is a great guy and will not BS you.

 

[cu]

Hey if he is a nice guy......could he give me a New tm for xmas....iv been really really really good this year........come on Thom you know you want too......and i,ll never make me own tm again..well not until i break the one you give me


p.s. i do like that vorsexy thing

 

[Guest]

I will take my Buddy Billy Y and JIm Ps comments.. and take it that he is one of the good guys.
I"m sure it will be interesting.

but some TM manufacturers have nothing to gain.
Butler can't sell anymore.. they are sold out every year.
Why come on here? what is there to gain.. they have the market share that they want.

Now THOM.. is an upstart, ,yes or no? with Vortex.. he has alot to gain.

SO i dont think it takes 'balls ' to come on here..
its a question and answer session. it takes more balls to get in the fun "HOT SEAT".. like Jimmy Ladwig did.

Not.. thats pressure and heat.

It will be a good one i'm sure. Every hot seat feller or mam.. has things that we can learn.. even if one little thing.. like i got from Ken Snow.. that changed the whole picture of my mission.

I hope its that good.. for mine or somebodys sake.

 

[rhyde]

imagine that! Two sides to this story...


i like Tom and blueline after visiting their operation and meeting Tom twice my impression is a company that wants to make the best cleaning equipment they can. I've never had that "used care sales man" feeling from Tom after being in the Oriental rugs business for 15 year i have good radar for sleazeballs.

 

[Jimmy L]

How soon Mikey forgets about the way he was treated.


MEat, and just what was that comment about an average joe carpet cleaner on the hotseat?

As far as I can tell the hotseat is going downhill after mine was done!


And lets be honest about these HOTSEAT people.
What really are we learning from them?

Seems to be just an ego trip for most of them.

I have my ego in check.