Expert Profile: Tom Wilcoxen

Family Man with a Plan

Small town guy, Tom Wilcoxen, brings big city ideas to clients throughout Illinois.

More than a decade ago, Tom and his wife Kerri bought some property that overlooks a river and imagined building their own house there someday. In the last year, their dream has become a reality. After countless hours of construction projects, including doing the plumbing and electrical themselves, they’ve moved into their dream home.

Tom Wilcoxen, who is a business development manager for Latitude Latimer Group, puts the same care he used to build his family’s home into his clients’ projects. “People come to me for ideas when they are looking for something special or unique,” Tom says. “They don’t want something out of a catalog. They usually have a concept, but no idea how to make it a reality. I work with our production design team to develop something outstanding for them.”

Middle Ground

When Latitude Latimer group expanded into Illinois, there were sales offices in Chicago and St. Louis that occasionally worked with clients in Illinois, but there wasn’t anyone to serve the needs of downstate Illinois. Tom joined Latitude in 2003 and filled that gap.

“Being in a smaller market offers me a closer connection with the end user,” Tom says. “If an architect brings me in to meet with a client, I often get to sit with the CEO and hear about their vision and share projects that we’ve done that could inspire a solution for them. I love being able to serve as a consultant for them, and let them know what options are out there and how we can make their ideas a reality.”

He works with a variety of healthcare, corporate, and higher education clients on architectural sign packages, including OSF HealthCare. One of Tom’s recent projects with them included a stunning kite-themed donor wall for Almost Home Kids, a transitional care facility for children with complex medical conditions.

Family Matters

These projects are more than a labor of love for Tom. He also works with his wife Kerri, who is an Latitude project manager. “She keeps the wheels on track at home and at work,” Tom says.

When they get a break from the office—and aren’t working on the “never-ending” finishing touches on the house—Tom and Kerri love to spend time with their daughters Shay and Layna. Whether it is watching movies, playing games or the occasional dance party, there is never a dull moment in the Wilcoxen home.