Meet Tom Neely | Entrepenuer & Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tom Neely and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tom, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I Graduated from Burbank High School in 1984. Started Junior College in the Fall of 1984 with the
intention of getting into the Automotive Design School at Pasadena Art Center. Later in January
1985, I was 18, still living at home with my parents, and after one semester of Junior College, I
dropped out with the intention of finding a more interesting life in the Automotive Industry. After
informing my parents of quitting school, they responded quickly by putting a 3-day eviction
notice on my bedroom door, demanding I pay $200.00 a month in rent or go back to school
and carry 12 units to avoid paying rent.
I was never going back to College, so I proceeded quickly to get a full-time job in a paint and body shop for $3.00 an hour. Illegal
Aliens at the time were making that wage, although minimum wage was near $3.50. I had to beg
my way and negotiate to get the job and take the under-the-table cash rate of $3.00 to get the job.
I worked there until September 1985 and proceeded to open up my own paint and body shop
with only $265.00 of my own money. I opened it on a property in the middle of a Burbank
residential area. This would give me a place to maintain my race car and work on customers’ projects.
The landlord who owned the property had nearly 70 feral cats and a jungle of unmaintained
trees and weeds. I agreed to maintain the property and cull the herd of feral cats, take the cats
that were healthy, and get them spayed and neutered, and keep the cat herd maintained at around
20. I also worked a deal as the shop’s tenure grew on the property to paint the landlord’s car, pay
the utilities, and build some decorative fences. Overall, it was a great deal, and my cash out of
pocket for monthly rent was around $150.00 a month, with the rest being bartered in traded
labor.
Originally, I wanted to open my own business so I could control my schedule to allow me
to play guitar in various bands and do gigs with a flexible schedule, something that business
ownership gives you. This was in the middle of the heyday of the hair metal scene in Los
Angeles and most musicians at the time all thought they would eventually have to go on tour, so
we needed jobs that would understand that condition. Times were good, and my business and
music endeavors proceeded to expand throughout the years. I had no idea at the time that my
business would eventually become a corporation with stockholders and investors.
Eventually, the business grew and moved into larger facilities and evolved into becoming more
fabrication-oriented with some supply sales. By 1994, I was incorporated as Neely Motorsports
Inc. with stockholders, and a few years later, launched our website ANplumbing.com. We
would specialize in the supply of U.S-made AN fittings and hoses for use in Motorsports,
Aerospace and many other applications. I started to acquire smaller businesses, inventories, and
equipment as many companies moved out of California or retired. From 2004 to 2010, We grew
an average of 18% annually year over year, placing the corporation in the top 1000 of the nation
in growth. We continue to grow annually at a more manageable pace.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
September 9 th, 2025, will be our 40th year in business. What I started the business as is not what
it became over the years. It evolved from vintage car metal and paint restoration to racing,
engineering, and race car tube chassis construction, eventually segueing with the advent of the
internet, simultaneously into aerospace & motorsports supply and distribution through ANplumbing.com.

Throughout the tremendous growth periods of the business, it gave me flexibility for musical
endeavors. I still maintained a strong foothold in the music industry with ownership in a small
record label named Roxbury Records, while continuing to play live and record several albums and
tour in my own group: “The B.O.S.” With Help from our music producer, Neil Citron, The B.O.S
has managed to record many great songs, and we continue stronger than ever to this day.
In motorsports, we were quite successful, winning 6 national championships among many other
accomplishments in sports car racing as car constructors primarily for Nissans. We developed a
tubular frame chassis that could be campaigned in 3 different classes and configurations. We
manufactured 31 chassis of this type between 1993 and 2014. The long line of Neely “Predator”
Chassis’ from series 1 through series 7 are still active today and competing at a high level.
Over the years, we evolved into hands-on management and consulting for other larger
manufacturing corporations domestically and internationally, who were trying to solve similar
problems in their own product growth strategies that we also encountered over the years.
It was hard in some years more than others to the point where you think that the walls are
closing in and your time in business would be over. Eventually, we got through those hard times.
We encountered corruption, theft, and intimidation by City Officials along the way, always
coming out on top.
I would never do it again to be honest. It is, however, the path that I took, and although it
provided me with many opportunities and see the world, many things took a toll on me. To
name a few that I will remember every day of my existence, one is the never-ending encounters
of City Government Corruption. Two, the recession following the 9/11 attacks, and several
heinous and opportunistic litigations against us that we were able to defeat, but at a great cost.
This is not to mention the sometimes weekly encounters with the many various unhealthy
personalities and criminals that litter the landscape of an area like Los Angeles. You can easily
succumb to becoming negative and jaded like so many others. Keeping your attitude positive and
having great situational awareness, where the devil is in the details, keeps you on top of the issues.
My final stage as a business owner over the next 12 years is to retire debt-free and never
looking back. I enjoy problem-solving for customers more than solving our problems as
time goes on. You get tired of the same old issues that keep popping up from a broken system
that California has become for business owners.
If I could give two pieces of advice to any Entrepreneurs reading this or someone looking to
start a business. Number one: I would say always pay your staff more than the market levels to
get the best staff available and keep turnover to a bare minimum. I’ve been so blessed to have
incredible staff for my entire business career. Granted, there are always going to be a few bad
employees, but you will get better at detecting them early on and avoiding the hiring of them.
Number two: Banks can be your worst enemies at times, but they can also be a great source for
growth. You need to be overly cautious when dealing with banks every step of the way, and you
need to keep rock-solid books and budgets to maintain the business as it grows beyond your
immediate awareness of the day-to-day financial transactions.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Manhattan Beach without a doubt. Have them stay at the Shade Hotel and branch out from there to all of the great establishments in Manhattan Beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Barry Sylvester my CPA for the first 20+ years. Joe Sanchez @ Classic Beverage Distribution an
initial stockholder. Fred Knez @ Knez Law Group our incredible lawyer along with his Sons Matt and Andrew.
Frank Honsowetz (retired) @ Nissan Motorsports USA for the secrets of racing. Tom Tomlinson CEO
(retired) @ Holley for great mentorship over my 5 years consulting for Holley. & My Parents for
kicking me in the butt at 18 years old.

Website: www.anplumbing.com & www.bosrocks.com

Instagram: The_B.O.S_Band