Tom Kuhns

As I sat in the office of Tom Kuhns waiting to interview him for this story, I saw a sign on the wall that caught my attention. It said, "There are people who make things happen and people who wonder 'What Happened?' Which one are you?"

As I walked out of his office a couple of hours later, I made it a point to write that quote down, knowing that I had just spent the afternoon with a man who was well versed in the concept of "making things happen."

There isn't enough space in this article to detail all the accomplishments, organizations, associations, and experiences that meld to define who Tom Kuhns is.

Professionally, Tom has owned and operated West Interior Services, a full service furniture repair and refinishing company, since 1974. Besides the day to day repair work, his expertise has taken him to Charleston, SC, where he directed the restoration of woodwork in three historical churches after Hurricane Hugo; to Houston, TX, where he managed restoration services after a flood; and to Saudi Arabia, where he carried out training and claims consultations for Atlas Van Lines International. He has also been involved in the restoration of several historic properties around Western PA.

Tom belongs to a number of trade associations, has won association awards, and has been awarded the Allegheny Valley Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award.

In the community, Tom has been a board member of the Allegheny Valley Chamber of Commerce for 15 years, is on the Board of Directors of the Allegheny Valley Development Corporation, served as a board member of the Allegheny Valley YMCA, served three years as a Fawn Township Supervisor, and was a member of the Highlands Area Rotary Club for 12 years, serving as president in the early 90s and was once honored as Rotarian of the Year. Although this sounds like a lot, I've only scratched the surface of his community involvements. Did I mention his work with several political campaigns?

By his own admission, he was starting to run out of nights of the week to schedule meetings so he had to step down from some of his commitments. To me, the real story of Tom Kuhns is in the ones he stayed with.

Tom is currently chairman of the Community Safety Task Force. Of all the things he has accomplished, Tom says this is what he is most proud of. The task force is a Chamber of Commerce committee made up of local business leaders, education administrators, and law enforcement officials. This committee focuses on issues that affect community safety and attempts to take proactive measures that will have a positive impact on the issues that challenge the community and our youth.

The work of this group has had a positive impact on the whole AK Valley. You may be familiar with them for the publicity they received last fall when they sponsored a Drug Summit at the Clarion Hotel. This event featured a panel of speakers ranging from law enforcement (including speakers from the US Dept. of Justice and the FBI), recovering addicts, doctors who run health clinics and recovery programs, undercover officers, and parents who lost children to drugs.

The task force expected to draw around 300 people, but was surprised with a turnout of over 800 concerned kids, parents, and teachers. As undercover agents displayed boxes of confiscated drugs and drug paraphernalia, and as parents spoke about a child they lost because they didn't recognize or refused to believe the warning signs, the "awareness light bulb" started going off around the room. Parents and teachers got an up close look at popular drugs and items used to take them. They were taught what behavior changes to look for in kids who are doing drugs. They learned about the epidemic proportion of heroin addictions that is affecting today's youth.

The results of the seminar could be seen that night when parents stayed around for hours after the event had ended to have one-on-one discussions with the speakers. As Tom surveyed the scene and saw the impact of the night, he felt it was one of the most rewarding projects he had ever been involved in.

The effects of the summit went beyond the boundaries of our local communities. The concept caught on, and other communities began to contact the task force for help in holding similar events in their areas. Tom worked with education and faith based communities in Murrysville who joined together to organize a summit that drew over 1,100 people.

The task force is currently working on obtaining grant money to put a School Resource Officer in the Highlands School District. This officer would be uniformed, armed, and have full arrest power, but with training to work with the kids and a purpose of helping to eliminate drug problems in the school.

Another project Tom finds very gratifying is his work with the local Habitat for Humanity group. Tom was on the steering committee that formed the local chapter and served on the board until last year. Tom was also instrumental in obtaining a large chunk of money from the Mills Corp. for the local chapter. Tom found out that Habitat for Humanity is a charitable project for the Mills Corp., and after working a few contacts, they decided to present a check for $50,000 to build a local home in 2004. The check was presented at the recent ground breaking ceremony for the new mall they are developing in Frazier Township.

Tom was also recently elected to the Board of Directors for the Hope Center in Tarentum. This center provides housing and helps victims of domestic violence and abuse. Tom pointed out that the victims aren't exclusively women and children; they also have men who seek help from an abusive spouse.

Being a businessman himself, Tom also has a passion for helping other small business and maintaining proper growth in the area. As such, he is still on the Board of Directors for the Allegheny Valley Development Corporation, which is an extension of the Chamber of Commerce and focuses on business growth and development in the area.

Tom has been married to his wife, Rose Anne, for 35 years. They have two grown children, Tom, III and Renee. Tom says Rose Anne has been very supportive of him and his many endeavors over the years in spite of the busy schedule he has to keep.

The question I had for Tom was what prompts him to not just be involved in community services, but to commit massive amounts of time and seemingly be involved in every service project available. His response was this:

"It took me until my mid 30s to realize we are our brother's keeper. We have an inherent responsibility to give of ourselves and give back to the community in a way that utilizes our God given skills and abilities. I began to realize I had an ability to handle difficult situations, and that I was comfortable around and able to communicate with a wide range of people be it powerful politicians, businessmen, or on down the line. I knew I needed to use that ability for the greater good. I don't do the things I do for glory, I'm not interested in that at all. I do them because I can. And because I can, I have an accountability to use what I've been given."

I'm guessing Tom Kuhns will never be the one wondering, "What happened?" That's because he will be the one at the front of the line making it happen.