Tom Martin is co-founder of Pod Pack International LLC, which specializes in manufacturing single serve coffee and tea products for most of the coffee and tea brands in North America. In February 2021, Tom retired from Pod Pack as its president and CEO.
Launched in 1996, Pod Pack partnered with LongueVue Capital, a New Orleans private equity firm, in 2018 to assist the company’s growth, which was averaging over 30% per year. Pod Pack shipped its 1 billionth unit in September 2019.
Pod Pack has a long list of recognitions, including five years on the LSU100’s list of fastest growing companies and being named a Louisiana Growth Leader in 2019 and 2020. It received the 2015 LED Lantern Award, the 2014 Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s (BRAC) Companies to Watch award, the 2014 BRAC Project of the Year award, and the 2013 LBTC Silver Anniversary Graduate award.
Prior to Pod Pack, Tom spent 11 years at Community Coffee Co. in various operations roles, and he started its mergers and acquisitions department. During the mid-1990s, he started and operated Martin and Associates, a mergers and acquisition consulting firm. Other work experience includes Procter and Gamble, Weyerhaeuser Co. and Hyster Co.
Since the early 1980s, Tom has been an active member in various coffee-related trade organizations, including the National Coffee Association, Specialty Coffee Association, Pacific Coast Coffee Association, Southern Coffee Association and National Automatic Merchandising Association.
He has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Mississippi State University and an MBA from Louisiana State University. Tom has been married for 45 years and has three children. His two sons have contributed to the success of Pod Pack for nearly 15 years each.