Tom was introduced to building while very young and growing up on a farm. He remembers helping his grandfather during construction of a large post and beam structure while still in grade school. His knowledge of building grew through the mentorship of his uncle, a general contractor who designed and built custom homes. Tom came to Berkeley “temporarily” from Mendocino County in 1986 to do an addition for a wonderful lady who would later become his mother-in-law. That project was the first of many others in the Bay Area and led to the founding of Lawrence Construction, Inc.