Inspired by Collaboration

Tom Mullen has two decades of NDT and inspection services experience and not only brings his previous knowledge and expertise with him to IIA, but he also brings an enthusiasm for teamwork and camaraderie.

As soon as you meet Tom, you can tell he’s clearly focused on supporting, mentoring, and motivating his team, and he is consistently facilitating and encouraging transparency and collaboration.

Because of his varied industrial services background and where he began, Tom understands and appreciates everyone on his team. He realizes how important each person’s contribution is to the whole and to the ultimate mission of safety, reliability, and best-in-class service. He values this because of the many roles he’s held over the years within this industry from carrying radioactive materials on a job-site to inspecting a thrust nozzle of a fully fueled, ready-to-launch Delta IV rocket to his current position. He knows that every role is important.

Tom’s day starts early. He arrives first, so he can see what’s on the schedule and prepare to lead his daily team meeting. Once the daily plan is hammered out and his team is off and running on their respective projects, you can find Tom in his office sending or answering emails, connecting with customers who might need expedited work, making phone calls, working on quotes or POs, or helping one of his technicians with a project. Tom also regularly reviews testing procedures and techniques to ensure his lab is turning out the highest quality and most reliable work in the business -- work that always meets or exceeds industry standards.

After joining IIA, Tom quickly got to work evaluating testing processes and then creating and implementing a new process in an effort to ensure increased efficiency for both his team and for the customers. His new system for scheduling and tracking has proven to be an excellent implementation. Tom tells us, “We now have a 100% track-record on delivery times, and because we have become more efficient, our turnaround times have also become faster.”

Tom is proud of this because it means satisfied customers and a team that feels great about their progress and accomplishments. This all leads to success for both IIA and its customers. Many times, because of the new scheduling system, the team can offer expedited services and deliver results within 24 hours.

Customers come to IIA with varying needs and time-lines, and Tom’s division conducts Radiography, Penetrant, Magnetic Particle, and Ultrasonic Testing for a diverse range of industries from aerospace to medical devices and everything in between. The diversity is what he loves most about his job and says, “From microchips to knee implants, there is always something new and different coming through the door.”

Tom’s motto is never stop learning. He says, “there is always a mentor and someone smarter than you nearby. Just listen and be willing to learn.” His motto coupled with his desire to make sure his team is safe and feeling they have a hand in how they accomplished the day’s goals, motivates and inspires him. Tom tells us that “the overarching goal is to work together and help each other, so at the end of each day, everyone is safe, we’re feeling good about our work, and the customers have exactly what they need.”

Tom explains that feeling good about contributions “motivates us all to help each other and do more.” One of his favorite things to hear throughout the day is, “I have some downtime, how can I help you?” When he hears this between his technicians, he knows his focus on fostering a culture of collaboration has been successful, which continues to inspire him.