Serving Kentuckiana tom@seelgroup.com  - 502-741-3001

Bio

BUSINESS CAREER OF THOMAS SEEL Growing business and spiritual giants around the entrepreneur such that he/she becomes the "dumbest" person on staff because he/she hired better and grew the staff well

The SeelGroup LLC  ·  Owner, President, Consultant  ·  1997 - present

  • Perform full business development analysis and consulting relationships with small businesses ranging in net annual sales up to $50 million

  • Work as an intrapreneur in $100+ million large companies

  • Work with staff to do the work of workouts, mergers, and acquisitions

  • As a business consultant, Tom sits on boards of small business and not-for-profits on retainer or as a volunteer providing niche expertise

  • Consulting relationships with:

    • Appalachian College Association, Berea, KY (higher education)

    • AquaPro Painting & Waterproofing, Inc, Louisville, KY (commercial paint contractors)

    • BIG Church, Louisville, KY (church)

    • Bluegrass Roller Service, Shelbyville, KY (manufacturing)

    • Chef Space, Louisville, KY (commercial kitchen incubator)

    • Community Ventures Corporation, Lexington, KY (affordable housing, SBA lending, business development)

    • Critically Loved LLC, grant writing for a not-for-profit seeking to provide administrative aid and comfort to families with critically ill children (healthcare)

    • Englishton Park, Lexington, IN (children and elderly services)

    • Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, Inc and its subsidiaries FAHE Capital and FAHE Consulting, Berea, KY (affordable housing, commercial bank lending, residential mortgage lending, loan servicing, low-income housing tax credits)

    • Foundation for Arts and Creative Education, Louisville, KY (art & music recording studio)

    • Future Grounds LLC, Louisville, KY (food service)

    • Kentucky Housing & Homeless Coalition, Frankfort, KY (affordable housing and homelessness services)

    • Kentucky Mountain Housing Development Company, Manchester, KY (affordable housing)

    • Launch International LLC, Louisville, KY (residential apartment housing)

    • Little Flock Performing Arts Academy, Louisville, KY (performing arts education and studio recording)

    • MC Sales & Services, Inc, Louisville, KY (commercial flooring services)

    • Miles Ahead Music, Inc, Louisville, KY (retail musical instrument sales)

    • New Directions Housing Corporation, Louisville, KY (affordable housing and job creation)

    • Next Step Network, Inc and its subsidiary Next Step Homes LLC, Louisville, KY (manufactured housing)

    • ProTecBar LLC, Louisville, KY (manufacturing industry)

    • Roy Dental Lab, Inc, New Albany, IN (dental lab)

    • Schroeder Dental, Inc, Floyds Knobs, IN (dental office)

    • Uspiritus, Louisville, KY (childrens' services for neglected and abused children in the Commonwealth of Kentucky)

  • A business professional with over 30 years' experience, consulting assignments have turned into out-sourced, part-time positions as follows:

    • Executive & Succession Coach with Bluegrass Roller Service, Inc (2016- 2018)

    • CFO Consultant with Next Step Network, Inc., and its wholly owned subsidiary Next Step Homes LLC (2015-2021)

  • Three of the consulting assignments turned into full-time positions covering 10 of 14 years as follows:

    • Consultant with Uspiritus (2013), see below

    • Consultant with ACA (2005), see below

    • Consultant with FAHE (2006-2007), see below

  • Uspiritus Chief Financial Officer and Vice President Finance · Louisville, KY 2013 - 2014 With 330 employees serving 1,100 children in Kentucky annually during a merger of two 160-year old institutions creating a $22 million annual budget.

  • The Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, Inc. · Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Treasurer · Berea, KY · 2007 - 2013 A 53-member CDFI (community development financial institution) consortium assisting 8,000 families annually with assets under management of $138 million.

  • Appalachian College Association · Chief Business Officer · Berea, KY · 2005 - 2006 A consortium of 37 small, liberal arts colleges in central Appalachian serving 39,000 students and 3,250 faculty members.

Sunlight Community Church and 222Multiply (full-time position in Florida), Executive Director, Treasurer of all including the School Board, Chief Financial Officer, and Elder, Port St. Lucie, FL (2018-2023) Led campus expansion by raising $6.3 million in grants, increased annual operating budget from $3.8 to $11.4 million during the pandemic; built a strong leadership team for natural succession planning; managed construction of an 18,000 sq ft school wing to accommodate 600+ students preK-8th grade; secured $3.1 million in PPP forgivable loans during the pandemic.

Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation  ·  Assistant Secretary (1997 - 2004), Assistant Vice President (1992 - 2004), Investment Officer (1990 - 2004), Manager of Administration (1988 - 1990), NASD (now FINRA) Series 6, Registered Investment Adviser (2002 - 2004, 1995 - 1999)  ·  Jeffersonville, IN  ·  (1988 - 2004)
As a top 30-sized American foundation, served as part of a team with investments of almost $2 billion. Also invested 10% of the unrestricted net assets of the Church on six continents in grants, loans, and equity participations to fund low-income housing, hunger relief, and job creation initiatives.

Thomas Seel, CFP  ·  Certified Financial Planner (from 1987)  ·  (1982 - 1991)
Held NASD (now FINRA) Series 7, 24, and 63, serving average moms & dads, high-net worth families, and businesses. Developed a Decalogue of Christian Financial Planning "Commandments." Also have written an unpublished book entitled "Pastors & Money."

 

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

Assistant Professor - Columbia College, Columbia, MO - 2024 - present Teaching online undergraduate Finance, Entrepreneurship, Risk Management, Leadership

Assistant Professor  -  Liberty University , Lynchburg, VA -  2018  -  present        Teaching online post-graduate (doctoral level) worship studies

Adjunct Professor ·  University of Phoenix  ·  2011 - 2018
Teaching MBA and undergraduate business classes

Adjunct Professor ·  Indiana Wesleyan University ·  2004 - 2011
Teaching MBA and undergraduate business & humanities classes

Instructor and Adjunct Professor  ·  1977 - 1992 and 2008 - 2013
Additional university and seminary teaching experiences at various institutions including the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (1981 - 1992)

 

EDUCATION

Master of Business Administration  ·   Entrepreneurial Studies  ·  University of Louisville  ·  Louisville, KY (2005)

  • Business study tour of Beijing and Shanghai, China, two weeks

  • Invited to take bio-med nano-technological business plan into international business plan competitions including:

    • Moot Corporation Business Plan Competition, University of Texas, won 3rd place in display booth

    • Finalist out of 130 international business plans, Rice University Business Plan Competition

    • Winner, Commonwealth Industries Venture Elevator Pitch Competition

    • Finalist, Vogt Venture Capital Competition

    • Also competed at the University of Georgia, the University of Nebraska, Rice University, and Case Western Reserve University

Doctor of Musical Arts  ·  Church Music, Christian Worship and Piano Performance  ·  The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary  ·  Louisville, KY (1990)

  • A pinched nerve in right elbow ended Tom's professional music career

  • Re-tooled career into business since 1987

  • Business consulting is enhanced owing to the creativity and people skills honed to lead up to 130-voice choirs and congregations over 1,000

Certified Financial Planner  ·  College for Financial Planning  ·  Denver, CO (1987 - 2019)

Master of Music  ·  Piano Performance  ·  Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Institute of Music, Cleveland, OH (1980).

Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Arts  ·  Piano Performance and Music History  ·  Hope College  ·  Holland, MI (1976).

 

ACTIVITIES

Hildegard House  ·  Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair of the Board  ·  Louisville, KY  ·  2015 - 2018
Hospice provider to homeless population with no family in Louisville, KY

Louisville Rescue Mission  ·  former Treasurer of the Board  ·  Louisville, KY  ·  2014 - 2018
Serving the homeless as part of the team that expanded into Southern Indiana

Appalachian IDEAS Network Entrepreneurial Competition  ·  Finalists' Judge at Berea College  ·  Berea, KY  ·  2012 - 2013

People, Inc  ·  Advisory Board Member  ·  2011 - 2013
Advisory Board Member for New Markets Tax Credits

HEAD, Human/Economic Appalachian Development, Inc  ·  Board Member, Secretary/Treasurer  ·  2010 - 2013
Focus on job creation and business startup lending

Rotary International  ·  Member and Chaplain  ·  Berea, KY  ·  2009 - 2012

Guidestone Financial Services  ·  Board Member, Investment Committee member and Insurance Committee member ·  Dallas, TX  ·  2007 - 2015
The $14 billion pension & benefits provider for the Southern Baptist Convention had an $80 million annual budget and serves 200,000 pastors, missionaries, and staff globally; created property & casualty insurance company for churches

Guidestone Trust Company, Board Member, Dallas, TX (2011 - 2015) Served as custodian for IRAs and 403(b)s

Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association  ·  Executive Team Member and Worship Team Leader  ·  2002 - 2008

Salvation Army of Southern Indiana  ·  Advisory Board Member, Marketing Chair  ·  2001 - 2008

Baptist and Methodist Churches, Minister of Music - part-time (1982-2002) Including a year-long interim stint at Walnut Street Baptist Church, Louisville, KY, where I was privileged to write, produce, and direct 13 live presentations for the Annual Living Christmas Tree with 300 singers, handbell choir, youth choir, childrens' choir, Praise Team, actors, orchestra, and prayer team

Kentucky Home Education Association  ·  Steering Committee member and Treasurer  ·  1988 - 1991

Long Run Baptist Association  ·  Finance Committee member  ·  1989 - 1990

Louisville Youth Choir  ·  Treasurer  ·  1989-1990

Kentucky Baptist Convention  ·  Convention Pianist  ·  1987
Pianist for week-long meetings of the Kentucky Baptist Convention's 150th Anniversary at Walnut Street Baptist Church, Louisville Kentucky

Southern Baptist  ·  Deacon  ·  1985 - present

Family Foreign Travel  ·  1984 - present
International travel with my wife, Diane

Running, Walking, Hiking, and extensive Reading  ·  1979 - present
Staying active and current through regular exercise and being an avid reader

 

PUBLICATIONS/RECORDINGS

A Theology of Music for Worship Derived from the Book of Revelation, expected to be expanded and re-published in 2026 with Wipf & Stock, Eugene, OR

Harmonizing the Five Senses in Christian Worship  ·  2012 - present
In the midst of researching this topic

Seeled in the Spirit—A Christmas Offering Volume III  ·  2012
Audio CD recording with sacred Christmas piano stylings, Lexington, KY.  Long Island Sound Company, Inc 

Seeled in the Spirit Volume II  ·  2006
Audio CD recording with blended Christian worship piano stylings. Louisville, KY.  Downtown Recording, Inc

Seeled in the Spirit Volume I  ·  2006
Audio CD recording with blended Christian worship piano stylings. Louisville, KY:  Downtown Recording, Inc

Pastors & Money  ·  1997
An unpublished manuscript on money matters for pastors and church staff

A Theology of Music for Worship Derived from the New Testament  ·  1996
An unpublished manuscript expanding on my work in the Book of Revelation

A Theology of Music for Worship Derived from the Book of Revelation  ·  1995
Edited by Dr. Robin Leaver. Metuchen, NJ and London, England:  Scarecrow Press (University Press of America)

Towards a Theology of Music for Worship Derived from the Book of Revelation  ·  1990
DMA dissertation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY

The Jewish Temple Worship Motif as a Literary Device in the Book of Revelation  ·  1989
An unpublished manuscript