Tom Groos is a Partner of City Light Capital. He is currently on the Boards of Glacier Bay Technology and Shotspotter.

Prior to joining City Light, Tom led the growth of the Viking Group into a global leader in fire suppression systems, having served as Executive Chairman, Chief Executive, President, and other positions over a 26-year period. During his tenure, the company became a global entity and revenues grew more than 50 times. In late 2009 Tom negotiated the merger of the Company with Minimax Group into the new entity Minimax-Viking, where he serves as Chairman of the Board.

Having laid a strong foundation for the Viking Group, Tom found in City Light an opportunity to once again pursue his passion for helping early stage companies. His experience as a business leader who understands how to create value in the marketplace served City Light’s predecessor company and its stakeholders well in a number of co-investments they made together. Tom joined City Light in 2007. In addition to his significant executive experience, Tom also has been an investor. He was a major investor and executive in the Tyden Group, a holding company for several security product companies, serving as Vice Chairman of its Board of Directors. Tyden Group was successfully sold to a private equity firm in 2005.

Outside of City Light, Tom is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army of West Michigan, and on the Board of the Deming Center for Productivity and Competitiveness at Columbia Business School. He serves on the Board of Directors of the National Fire Protection Association. He grew up in Hastings, Michigan, attended Cornell University, and received his MBA from Columbia Business School and started his career in the industrial chemicals group of WR Grace before moving on to the Viking Group