Thomas Nordstrand grew up in west Texas, and was brought up in a military family. Thomas became an Army officer in 1984. In 1989, Thomas earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at El Paso majoring in Finance and Marketing. From 1989 to 1997, he worked in Los Angeles, Austin and Albuquerque in various capacities as a regional manager for a hamburger chain and also a convenience store chain. In 1997, Thomas earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of New Mexico (UNM) majoring in Production Operations Management. Upon completion of his MBA, he went to work for Intel Corporation and worked in the purchasing and sales departments. In 2000, while working at Intel, he returned to UNM to work on his Master of Engineering degree concentrating in Structural engineering. In 2004, Thomas started Southwest Roofing and has been the owner since that time. He is currently attending the University of Texas at San Antonio with a projected graduation of May 2021 with a Master of Science degree concentrating in Geology/Hydrology. When not studying hail, rocks, and water samples, you can find him planning his next trip, reading, or restoring a 1979 Z28 Camaro.