From the Peach State . . .
Tom Stitt was born and raised in Rockmart, Georgia, a small community in the hilly northwest part of the state, about an hour's drive from Atlanta. His sister still lives in the house Tom's parents built in 1960, a year before he was born. Tom's parents owned and ran an automotive parts franchise where he started "working" at a very early age, dusting the store shelves in the afternoons after school for 25 cents. Tom often spent his summers in south Georgia with his grandparents, where he learned patience early on being "seen and not heard" while accompanying them on regular visits to the homes of many relatives and friends. In 1979, Tom moved to Atlanta to attend Emory University, from which he earned his bachelor's degree in English in 1983. Shortly thereafter, he started working full-time at Emory, which began a series of promotions spanning the next 15 years. In 1998, he resigned as administrative director for Emory's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to relocate to Tucson.

. . . to the Copper State
Not too long after arriving in Tucson, Tom secured a temporary staff position with the University of Arizona's School of Music.  Simultaneously, he began to explore the possibility of a career in real estate by assisting the real estate agent (a 25-year veteran of the industry) who helped him with the purchase of his first home in Tucson. The opportunity to change careers and learn from a seasoned professional was too good to pass up.

. . . and Real Estate