Sean Brolley, 33
Tool Stats LLC
Title: Business development manager
Location: Warren, Mich.
Birthplace: Aurora, Ill.
Social media: LinkedIn
Education: Associate's degree, University of Dayton; bachelor's in business administration-marketing and general management, Grand Valley State University.
Career highlights: Helped launch Tool Stats and get it to market in November 2012.
Q: Tell us about your family.
Brolley: My wife, Kelly, and I live in Royal Oak, Mich. We have been married for three years, and we have a dog named Rocky.
Q: What was your first plastics job and why were you interested in the industry?
Brolley: My first plastics job was my current role with Tool Stats. What fascinated me about the industry was the amount of work that goes into building even the smallest plastic part. So many different teams collaborate and in the end everything comes together to form a part that goes into our everyday lives. I was drawn to this industry because there are a lot of areas just waiting for new technologies to come and disrupt the norm.
Q: What is your greatest achievement?
Brolley: Professionally, my biggest achievement has been bootstrapping a company from the ground up and turning it into an industry-leading data management solution. Personally, it's been meeting the love of my life and marrying her.
Q: What emerging technology or market most interests you?
Brolley: Everything associated with data management technology, mobile access and cloud computing excites me. SaaS (Software as a Service) products are thriving. Using things like CDs, thumb drives, mold books and FTP sites to transfer or share information is such an old-school way of doing things. It excites me because there is a lot of room for improvement and opportunity to disrupt.
Q: What is the best advice you have ever received?
Brolley: If you want to succeed and make a big splash you will have to take some risks at some point.
Q: If you were CEO of a company what would you do first?
Brolley: Develop my team and company culture. I would make sure the appropriate training and resources were available to give the team all the opportunity and power needed to be successful.
Q: Who is your mentor, or someone you look up to?
Brolley: My Grandpa Gene, who worked his butt off day in and day out to provide for his family of five kids. That attitude carried over to his personal life. To this day, when he travels up from Florida and my mom gives him a list of chores, he gets right to work and never says no. I always looked up to that work ethic and attitude: If he sets out to accomplish something, he does it, no questions asked. Even when he got sick a few years back, he tackled that like he does everything else that comes his way.
Q: What do you do to relax?
Brolley: I enjoy being at home and spending time with my family, playing golf and basketball and catching Tigers and Lions games whenever the Chicago White Sox and Bears are in town. I also have a passion for cooking, so being able to cook and entertain at home helps me relax as well.