Tom Gary began his career in 1977, after graduating from Loyola University in Los Angeles with a Business degree in Marketing, working for one of the largest business interior design and furnishing companies in Southern California.  When this enterprise was acquired,  Tom took the initiative to advance his career by working for an independent sales representative company.  The knowledge and skills he experienced provided the foundation necessary to be successful in dealing with varied customers to fulfill their furniture requirements, satisfying not only the expectations of the customer but also those of the manufacturers.

      In 1990, Tom relocated from Southern California, with his wife Mary Ellen and two young daughters, Jaqueline and Kathleen, to Central Florida.  They began their sunshine state adventure with Tom establishing The Gary Group as an independent contract sales representation company in the state of Florida and the Caribbean, representing two of the largest global brands of casual and outdoor furniture manufacturers.

     Over the years, additional lines of contract hospitality furnishings were added to his line list.  After mergers and acquisitions of several of the nationally known casegood lines, and the closing of many of the manufacturing plants in the Southeast USA, Tom made the decision to specialize in, and exclusively concentrate on, the representation of manufacturers of outdoor furnishings.

Providing contract outdoor furniture for the past 40 years to a varied customer base - Hotels & Resorts, Timeshares, Cruise Lines, Multi-Housing, Country Clubs, Theme Parks & Water Parks, Parks & Recreation, Procurement Firms, Design Firms and Landscape Architects - Tom gained the essential understanding of the necessary design specifications and material requirements of outdoor furnishings to successfully withstand the unique climates and environments, particularly those of Florida for many seasons. 

With this expertise, Tom assembled a line list of Extruded Aluminum, Cast Aluminum, Recycled Plastic, Woven Wicker, and Outdoor Upholstery manufacturers to provide the best solutions of outdoor furnishings.

    In 2019, The Gary Group, LLC became a second generation family business, and certified Women Owned, with the partnership of Tom and youngest daughter Kathleen.  Along with Mary Ellen as Accountant & Office Manager, Kathleen and Tom are well positioned to build on the reputation established over the past 40 years of hard work, professionalism and excellent customer service that contract customers, as well as the manufacturers represented, have come to expect from The Gary Group, LLC.