Tom Douglass
Founder and CEO Catapult Consulting
Tom is considered an expert in matching start-up businesses, growth stage businesses and emerging technologies with current and future enterprise size opportunities. He has been quoted in publications such as Forbes, Fortune, RIS, Talk Business, and the NWA Business Journal. He has also been interviewed on a variety of podcasts including “Outside the Box,” “Startup Junkies,” and “New American Town.”
Tom has been an active advisor to start-up and growth stage companies by working closely with the FUEL Incubator Program and the Techstars/Walmart ID8 Partnership. Tom’s passion for helping companies, like the ones in his FUEL and Techstars experience, inspired him to establish Catapult Consulting. As Founder and CEO of Catapult Consulting, LLC of Arkansas, Tom’s mission is to partner with growth stage and start-up companies to develop pathways into legacy organizations focused on improvement and transformations. These pathways and partnerships empower Catapult Consulting to create meaningful experiences for all its clients. The integration of these experiences into various environments have a positive influence on businesses and the surrounding ecosystems.
Prior to founding Catapult Consulting, Tom was the Director of Emerging Technology at Walmart Stores Inc., where his team acted as a Technology Transfer Office and had an impact in a variety of areas including, but not limited to, in-store robotics, wireless power, RFID, and in-store IoT. His ability to manage this team and spot technology relevant to the enterprise earned him the 2014 Strategic Services Leader of the Year Award.
Tom has experience with leadership roles in Logistics, Transportation, Technology, and Operations. One of his many accomplishments include managing the development of RF based receiving and shipping systems for the integration of the first Grocery Mechanized Distribution Center in the United States. In addition, Tom led the way to the implementation and acceptance of robotics as part of the in-store experience.
Tom is currently Entrepreneur in Residence for the Fuel 2020 Incubator Program. Tom has held positions such as the Chairman of the 2019 NWA Tech Summit and has had seats on the NWA Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Task Force, the GE Client Advisory Board and the GS1 Innovations Board. He has conducted engineering, logistics and innovation seminars for multiple schools and companies, as well as, held various management positions at Ahold USA, BOC Gases and United Parcel Service. Tom holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Buffalo in New York and earned accreditation in Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) from IMA in 2011.
Tom donates his time to various organizations fighting hunger in the United States and abroad including Helping Hands and Mazon. Tom resides in Bentonville, Arkansas with his wife of 30 years, Robyn, while their two sons, Michael pursues his PhD at Case Western and Steven works at Northrup Grumman, while working towards his Masters.