Tom Romine

Cultivate Founder + CEO

Tom Romine built a career within the corporate gifting space with companies like Callaway and Maui Jim, though he wasn’t always the gifting expert he is today. The more time he spent in this space, the more opportunity he saw to start something that no one else was doing: offering recipients a choice. It seemed like a no-brainer, but other gifting companies were too focused on bulk orders or logo products even though they were proving themselves to be unsuccessful. People have different lifestyles and interests, so the idea that everyone would like or use the same gift just didn’t make sense. With the help of some already-established relationships with brands such as OluKai, Tom moved his new ideas forward with Cultivate.

In the beginning, it was more about learning what products people were interested in and finding a way to obtain them. Cultivate added Pop-up Shops with eye-catching branding walls, professional on-site staff, and more to create an exclusive experience for recipients. The goal was to have guests remember the gift and moment of appreciation long after their event or incentive trip was over. Today, Tom is invested in growing Cultivate’s all-in-one Platform to reach new markets and engage existing audiences with an online tool that helps clients leverage data, tech, and savvy tools to make sending gifts almost as fun as receiving them. In addition, he’s focused on continuing to build great brand partnerships with the world’s leading brands and suppliers to offer people more of the premium gifts they want, will frequently use, and remember.

Keeping a clear eye on what they believe in and always considering the why, Tom and his team work every day to help companies appreciate appreciation. “There’s not one thing out there that everyone is guaranteed to love. No matter how great it is,” says Romine.