Aerospace
Eight AS9100D/NADCAP plants in the U.S., Canada and Germany supplying Boeing 787, Airbus A320/A350/A220, T-7A and AH-64 programs.
Global IT Executive
LonnieThomas
Shared Services · Cybersecurity · ERP · M&A · AI Governance
28 years in IT, from developer and DBA to leading enterprise IT at TriMas, a NASDAQ-listed $1B+ multi-business company: reporting to the CEO and CFO, presenting to the Board, and building global IT shared services across 13 countries.
Open to CIO, VP, Head of IT, Director-level IT and AI leadership roles
#1
Rated the #1 leader/manager among all TriMas managers in Gallup employee surveys, multiple years running, with zero voluntary team turnover.
Impact at a glance
Scale, measured.
13
countries supported
3,900+
employees served
45–70
sites worldwide
8
M&A transactions led for IT
$1.45B
Aerospace divestiture, IT lead
99%+
uptime, follow-the-sun
5 → 1
helpdesks consolidated
<10
vulnerabilities per device
Career timeline · 1998 – 2026
From the help desk to the boardroom.
Every role built the next one: support, networks, databases, ERP code, and then the whole enterprise. Select a role on the flight line.
TriMas deep dive · Aug 2014 – Jan 2026
Over a decade leading IT for a multi-business company.
Aerospace & defense, packaging, medical/life sciences and specialty/energy businesses, from siloed division IT to one global shared-services function.
01
Siloed division IT
Each business ran its own IT and helpdesk
02
IT Council
One of 3 members driving standards across all sites
03
Global shared services
One ITIL-aligned platform for every business
Packaging
About 2,200 people at 26 locations in 11 countries making dispensers, closures and bag-in-box systems for global consumer brands.
Life Sciences
FDA-registered, ISO 13485 medical-device sites with ISO Class 8 cleanrooms.
Specialty & Energy
Norris Cylinder high-pressure cylinders, Arrow Engine wellhead engines, and Lamons gaskets and bolting.
Programs & deals
The work, case by case.
Each card opens into the problem, what he did, the result and the tools. Filter by theme.
Stretch role · Houston, TX
Interim Head of IT / VP of IT, Lamons
Running IT for an energy business through its divestiture.
Moved to Houston to run IT for TriMas's energy business through its divestiture, then was offered the permanent Head of IT / VP of IT role and chose to stay with TriMas.
~220,000 sq ft
Houston headquarters plant, billed as the world's largest metallic-gasket plant, with a 3.5-acre American flag on its roof
8–12
Houston-area sites, plus branches in Canada, Belgium, Spain, Thailand, Singapore and India
Refining & petrochemical
Gaskets and specialty bolts for customers including ExxonMobil, Dow, BP, Valero and LyondellBasell
Carve-out
Led IT through the separation, one of the three divestitures in his M&A record
Modern Tech Solutions · Founder & Owner · 2020 – Sep 2026
Enterprise IT, small-business scale.
His own IT consulting firm in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, built on one belief: every business, whatever its size, deserves IT that just works. For a concrete construction client he modernized servers, email, network and security hands-on.
Client
Concrete construction company
Role
IT consultant, end to end
Scope
Servers · Exchange · Network · DNS · Security
Featured work · Thermal Dynamics Calibration
A website and an app, built with AI.
Built with AI under Modern Tech Solutions: a public website and an interactive aerospace-compliance app concept. Both open live in a new tab.
tdccalibration.com
tdccalibration.com
Website for Thermal Dynamics Calibration (TDC), an Oklahoma-based field pyrometry service. It covers instrument calibration, system accuracy testing, temperature uniformity surveys and recurring service programs, plus a scope-first project request that drafts an email instead of storing visitors' data.
Open the site
tdccalibration.com/app
TDC App: aerospace compliance workspace
An interactive app concept running on sample data. It has an equipment register, a test workspace for TUS, SAT and calibration workflows, reports and technical review, and thermocouple tracking. Drafts stay in the browser, and it's labeled clearly as a demo, not a compliance determination.
Open the appBook series · Lonnie Thomas, Author
IT in Overdrive by Lonnie Thomas
A six-book series, now being written, spanning AI, security, cloud, delivery, data and emerging tech. Select a cover to see it larger.
Leadership & people
People first. Results follow.
Rated the #1 leader/manager among all TriMas managers in annual Gallup employee surveys, multiple years running.
With zero voluntary team turnover over a decade at TriMas.
Leading leaders
15–25 direct reports (IT managers, engineering teams and analysts) and 25–55 people including global contractors and vendors, across three regions.
Building the bench
Hired to fill capability gaps for the shared-services build-out and promoted several staff into senior and lead roles, with full talent authority from recruiting to performance and career paths.
Operating rhythm
Daily IT round tables with every direct report, a weekly Change Advisory Board, and KPIs and executive dashboards in ServiceDesk Plus and Power BI.
Executive partner
Reported to the CEO and CFO, briefed the Board and Audit Committee, and partnered with the Presidents of the Aerospace, Packaging, Life Sciences and Specialty businesses.
Teaching
Ran AI training sessions and global security-awareness training himself, including on-site sessions at plants.
Speaking
Presented "TriMas IT Security and Infrastructure" at the Chicago IT Summit (2023), plus IT Council strategy decks and IT updates at leadership and finance conferences.
Tech stack & tool wall
Executive scope, hands-on depth.
Platforms he has led, run, or built on, from the boardroom down to the SQL.
Industries served
Regulated, 24/7, global.
Each industry shown with the employer where he worked in it.
Education & certifications
Foundations.
Oklahoma State University
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Management Information Systems
Tulsa Technology Center
Programming, website design and multimedia applications · Broken Arrow, OK · 1996–1998
Professional development (coursework)
MIT Open Learning: AI, computer science and Python, algorithms, data science, systems and network security, cryptography · CIO Open Learning: executive IT leadership and technology strategy · TriMas Leadership Immersion Program
Certifications
MCSEMCSAMCDSTMCPDell Technician Certification
Recent work (2026): built a live website and aerospace compliance web app for Thermal Dynamics with AI (tdccalibration.com).
Contact
Let's talk about what's next.
Open to remote, hybrid or relocation, and willing to travel.
Connect on LinkedIn
lonnie.thomas@gmail.com