Experienced. Dedicated. Passionate. These are just a few words to describe Thomas LaLonde—our new Vice President of Sales. We are so excited to welcome Thomas to the team and know he will have a huge impact on the future of our company.
After earning his bachelor’s degree from Baruch College, Thomas quickly began making his mark on the technology industry, working in leadership positions at web.com and Yodle. He most recently served as the Head of Sales/Customer Experience at Orchard (a digital real estate platform formerly known as Perch). As one of Orchard’s early employees, Thomas led their expansion into new markets, scaling their customer acquisition channels.
Thomas’ experience in digital marketing makes him uniquely equipped to help us carry out our mission of empowering real estate agents to succeed in the digital age, and his status as a licensed realtor gives him a unique perspective on just how crucial it is for agents to have a world-class online presence.
In addition to his expertise, Thomas’ drive and work ethic are unparalleled, making him the perfect person to helm our company’s ambitious goals for growth and innovation. Based in Austin, Thomas is already spearheading the charge to expand our business into new markets. Get to know more about Thomas through his interview below:
What drew you to Luxury Presence?
The initial draw to LP was primarily driven by how my experience and passion to build really aligned with the product offering and the stage of the company. However, what sold me on LP was the insane focus on product and innovation. Now more than ever, realtors need to lean on digital tools to manage and grow their business. Current market conditions only intensify this need.
Luxury Presence puts a relentless focus on developing and delivering tools to help serve the top realtors globally while simultaneously making these tools accessible to the aspiring agent. Best-in-class website design and functionality were just the start; given the creativity and insane drive I’ve seen from this team in a short period of time, it’ll be exciting to see what else we’ll do to impact the industry.
What motto or quote do you live by?
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” – John Wooden
Whether you win or lose, there’s an opportunity to learn, evolve, and do better as a result of it. I think that sentiment is extremely important when you’re with a company that is quickly emerging and trying to impact a massive industry. We’re going to fail, but we’ll fail fast and ultimately get better because of it.
Which Luxury Presence value is your favorite and why?
Think like an owner. At this stage in the business, every employee truly is an owner. This means everyone at LP has a certain level of autonomy to make decisions that impact the business and our clients. Because of this, all of our employees have the ability to step up, make big-time plays, and grow from an experience and a career perspective.
What’s your favorite part about living in Austin?
Austin checks all the boxes when it comes to what the city offers. However, after spending a decade in NYC, I’d say my favorite part about Austin is the ability to quickly get outdoors. Whether it be hopping on the trail, enjoying the water that cuts through downtown, or taking a quick drive to the golf course, it’s much easier to catch some fresh air and get out in the open when compared to New York.
What is one fun fact about yourself?
I usually answer this question with a line about my passion for fishing or golf; however, it turns out more people are surprised that I can cook…like actually cook.
