A great decision!

For six years he stayed away from the inspection industry, but then he longed to get back in business again.

Even as a little boy, Tom Fournier was fascinated by how things worked, so the choice to study technology and science came quite naturally. He was involved in starting Applus+Technologies, sold the company and studied philosophy, and also spent some time doing acrobatic flying.

He then came into contact with Opus, and in 2012 he was back in the vehicle inspection industry again, this time as Chief Technical Officer for Opus Inspection in Hartford, CT, USA. Tom has also been involved in Envirotest and holds a number of patents within emissions control.

“My first contact with vehicle inspection was when I worked at a development laboratory working on gas analysis instruments for the measurement of exhaust emissions. The lab job fascinated me and was considerably more interesting than Ford’s production lines, where I worked to finance my studies. I later discovered that it was even more interesting and more challenging to lead people on technical projects than to do the practical engineering work. So I worked as a technical manager and development manager at companies like Envirotest and Sensors, and was involved in starting Applus+Technologies.

When I turned 55, I sold my share of the company intending to retire, study philosophy, and devote myself to acrobatic flying. But it was hard to stop working on what I’d spent my whole life doing, so after six years I started at Opus. I personally knew the senior management, the company had launched a number of interesting projects and their reputation in the industry was high and climbing. I value working with competent people in a dynamic growth environment, and my decision to start at Opus was a great one! The company had strong financial backing which positioned them to grow through acquisition as well as through new contract wins.

As Chief Technical Officer, I am responsible for around 60 technicians and engineers who develop hardware and software for vehicle inspection and emissions measurement. This also includes the development and implementation of new vehicle inspection programs and support for the 30 programs that Opus Inspection is already running. In addition to ensuring that the project sticks to time, cost, and quality forecasts, much of my work involves providing a creative environment, where we work together to find new, innovative solutions.

I have lived with my wife Betty for 40 years, and we have four adult sons and three grandchildren. I still study philosophy, and hope to publish in the field, and to fly – ideally acrobatics”.