Tom Crooks
Portfolio CFO, MBA
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
- Career Highlights: Built a multi-specialty physician business from 13 to 70 providers and successfully sold it.
- Mission: My mission in life has always been balance: work hard and play hard, because you have one life.
- Specialties: Financial analysis like a detective; strategic growth; finding a way around “can’t be done.” Industries include healthcare, consumer products, and distribution.
- Education: B.S. in Finance (Rutgers University). MBA in Finance & International Business, with honors (NYU Stern School of Business).
- Favorite Quote: “You have 24 hours to grieve any negative thing, and then look forward.” A quote I came up with and have lived by.
CAREER JOURNEY
Tom Crooks brings over 30 years of experience in finance and operations, with deep expertise across healthcare, technology, consumer goods, and manufacturing. He has served in senior leadership roles—including CEO and CFO—where he has consistently driven growth, strengthened financial operations, and led major turnaround and integration initiatives.
Most recently, Tom served as CEO of Coastal Healthcare in New Jersey, where he transformed the organization from a near-bankrupt state into a thriving multispecialty medical group. Under his leadership, the company grew from 13 to more than 70 providers, increased revenue by over 200 percent, and moved from a $683,000 loss to a $170,000 profit in his first year. Tom also oversaw the successful integration of Coastal Healthcare into Optum Riverside following its 2021 sale, exceeding financial and volume targets despite pandemic challenges.
Before leading Coastal Healthcare, Tom was CFO at Datacolor International, a publicly traded Swiss-owned software and hardware company. There, he improved financial reporting, integrated multiple European operations into the U.S. business, reduced DSO from 85 to 61 days, shortened the monthly close cycle from 30 to 6 days, and implemented financial processes that strengthened cash flow and operational efficiency.
Earlier in his career, Tom served as CFO of Langeveld International, a $100 million pre-IPO flower bulb distributor. He led financial planning, foreign exchange, and inventory management; increased sales by 15 percent; improved operating profit by 50 percent; reduced operating expenses by $1 million; and successfully integrated multiple acquisitions.
Tom also held senior roles in the consumer goods industry, including at Unilever, where he contributed to major acquisition integrations such as Good Humor and Breyers. He helped develop an activity-based pricing system that saved over $20 million, reduced commission expenses by $500,000, and earned the Unilever Innovation Award for his work on a global financial reporting system.
Tom holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from NYU’s Stern School of Business and a BS in Finance from Rutgers University.