Growing up, Tom McGeorge still remembers his dad saying, “All I ever want is for my kids to be close friends.”
His father got his wish and then some.
An Irish Catholic family of seven children – four girls and three boys – are to this day, all quite close.
“You don’t get just one of us at an event, it’s usually the entire McGeorge gaggle,” admits Tom.
His family grew up on a farm in the far West Valley, just a mile from Luke Air Force Base. The girls worked inside while the boys worked outdoors and each of them learned from parents who taught traditional values of teamwork, honesty and mutual respect.
“It was never what my dad said, it’s what he did,” Tom remembers. “He was a man of few words, yet he had a huge impact on all of our lives.”
Much of the same could be said of Tommy – which is how most everyone refers to him – as he rarely pontificates about anything. Unless you get him talking about family.
He and his wife of 37 years, Barb, have three children: Brittany, Kenny and Annie – and family is the focus of their lives. They have lived in Arcadia all of their married life, residing in the house that Barb grew up in.
“I married the right girl and am so very blessed,” Tommy says.
Tommy’s business is also a family affair. He and his brother own and operate McGeorge Brothers ChemDry, a residential and commercial cleaning service. Anyone who has lived in Arcadia for any amount of time knows Tommy, as he has likely cleaned their floors, carpets or furniture, which he has been doing for over a generation.
“What I love most about my business is dealing with people and all the families. I’ve seen families grow up and kids become adults; then having their own children,” he reflects, “and it’s the relationships that I treasure most.”
He reminiscences with some emotion about a long-time customer who calls every year to remind him that “I’m the woman who you prayed for to get well, and I did.”
Tommy is well-known for being a constant encourager and he doesn’t apologize for checking in on the lives of
his customers. “I just love people – even the unique ones,” he says with a chuckle.
When asked about his recipe for business success, he cites integrity. “Honesty doesn’t cost us, it pays us. So just do a good job at a fair price and everything else will work out.”
An avid Wildcat fan, Tommy and all of his siblings attended the University of Arizona and they easily create their own boisterous fan club. “Bear Down” is the familiar refrain at his house, especially after big victories over ASU.
Tommy recently celebrated a birthday and he claims he’s not any smarter, just wiser than when starting out. “So, you just have to go through life to get wise.”
Were his autobiography ever to be written, he suggests it might be titled, “Son of Encouragement.”
He then adds, “That too, I learned from my dad.”