Tom Vermue
Tom is a master craftsman who creates adventure props and equipment made of wood and a variety of materials for Platinum’s team development and training initiatives. He uses a lathe to make bowls and vases from exotic woods, and over the years fashioned a cedar-lined hope chest and jewelry boxes for his family. Two decades ago, Tom and his friend, Peter Bartley, worked together to craft exquisite wooden rocking horses for their grandchildren.
When describing his work on the lathe, Tom says, “I follow the wood. The finished piece isn’t necessarily what I envision at the outset. It’s a creative process. I’ve made some beautiful, simple pieces that are finished to a T; polished so they look like glass. They don’t all turn out beautifully, but some do, and I’ve given them all away.” Tom was born in Holland in 1944, and immigrated by boat to Canada with his family of 11 in 1953. Tom’s bookkeeper father was a D-I-Y woodworker who took great pride in his work with family projects. Between them, Tom and wife Judy have six children, ten grandchildren and are great-grandparents to one.
