Thank you to everyone who attended our Convention in New Orleans
Feb 26 - 29.We hope to see all of you next year in
Las Vegas February 10-12, 2013!

Tom Petrosewicz
Genvac
1935-

Tom Petrosewicz, chairman of the board of Genvac, started in the floor care industry in 1966 with the Singer Company in Anderson, SC. In 1969 he was promoted to vice president and general manager of Singer’s floor care division. During this time, Singer became a leading floor care supplier to such companies as Sears, Sunbeam, and Westinghouse and continued to manufacture floor care products for the Singer Company retail stores under the Singer Company name.

In 1972, Tom left Singer to join General Electric and became part of a venture capital group that bought General Electric’s vacuum cleaner division. The company was renamed Premier Electric and Tom served as CEO and chairman of the board until 1978, when he sold out his ownership position to become a partner in the consulting firm of A.T. Oxford.

Obviously, the floor care industry had a certain draw for Tom, for he joined The Regina Company during the 1980s as executive vice president of operations. While with the Regina Company, he was instrumental in the introduction of the first on-board tools upright vacuum cleaners in the U.S.

In 1985, Tom assisted his son, Dean Petrosewicz, in establishing Genvac, a company that has grown into a leading distributor of floor care and environmental products to independent vacuum cleaner and sewing machine dealers. In 1989 he joined Genvac on a full-time basis, serving initially as president and later on as president of the board.

Tom brings many years of experience and knowledge of the industry. He has been an active, long-time member of the Vacuum Dealers Trade Association and has contributed to its betterment by regularly attending and participating in the VDTA conventions. He has taken part in convention roundtable discussions and seminars and has always been a strong supporter in the promotion of association membership. He served on the VDTA Board of Directors, beginning in 2000.

Tom has also been instrumental in establishing the VDTA/Bernie Epstein College Scholarship Charity Program. He has been invaluable as the program’s fundraising chairman and golf tournament director since its inception in 1998. Because of his tremendous dedication, he has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the scholarship program which allows students to pursue their dreams of pursuing a college education. The entire industry has benefited from Tom’s efforts and the great success he has brought to providing college assistance for the youth of the floor care/sewing industries.

2002 Vacuum & Sewing Hall of Fame Inductee