I became involved with MMRC for a few reasons… Heidi's passion for doing good and because the programs are smart, simple, and incredibly effective.

Tom Cotton

MMRC Vice President

 

­Tom Cotton began his professional career in the Shows Department at Great America, where he was employed as a Show Department Manager. He went on to manage the Last Laugh, a comedy club in San Jose, and then worked for 5 years as a project and sale manager at Riverview Systems Group, a local audio-visual company. From there, Tom held positions at Applied Materials as Manager of Global Events and eBay as Sr. Manager of Events and Education, where he produced corporate events and trade shows. While at eBay, Tom was responsible for launching the nationwide eBay University user education program, as well as the eBay Live! annual community conference. In 2007, Tom left eBay to fulfill a lifelong dream of running his own business.

 

He now owns and operates Firstwave Events, an event management company that produces 35 local sporting events, such as triathlons and half-marathons. Through his long-standing relationship with San Jose business and community leaders, Firstwave Events has been awarded the race production contract for the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot for the last 8 years. Tom resides in San Jose with his wife Patty and their three sons.