The hand protection industry has no shortage
of consultants who have analyzed it.
Very few have actually run it.
Operating experience that changes the quality of the advice.
Industrial hand protection is a specialized market. Success depends on more than product knowledge — it requires understanding how manufacturers, distributors, end users, sourcing partners, and investors actually make decisions.
APA was created to bring that operating perspective to companies and investors facing important growth, channel, private-label, market-entry, or transaction decisions.
Best-Fit Engagements
APA is especially well suited for:
- ✓ Investors evaluating PPE, glove, safety, or distribution assets
- ✓ Distributors building or improving private-label glove programs
- ✓ International manufacturers entering the U.S. market
- ✓ Founder-owned companies seeking sharper growth direction
- ✓ Leadership teams needing operator-level support without adding a full-time executive
Tom Draskovics
Founder & Principal
~$300M
Global Business Unit P&L — world's largest hand protection company
25+ Years
Senior executive leadership in industrial hand protection
~$900M
M&A transactions led or supported at senior executive level
Tom Draskovics is the Founder and Principal of Applied Protection Advisory. He brings more than 25 years of senior executive experience in industrial hand protection and PPE, including two President and General Manager roles at leading companies in the industry.
President & General Manager — Twice
Global Business Unit — World's Largest Hand Protection Company
Led a global industrial hand protection business unit from ~$175M to $300M in revenue with full P&L responsibility — spanning commercial strategy, product portfolio, channel management, and market operations across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Directly involved in acquisition activity and post-close integration during a period of significant platform growth.
Leading U.S. Industrial Brand — Marmon Group / Berkshire Hathaway
Led U.S., Canadian, and French operations with full P&L, commercial leadership, and multi-entity organizational management across three countries.
Commercial & Strategic Leadership
Chief Marketing Officer — U.S. Operations
Led marketing and commercial strategy for U.S. operations, with responsibility for brand positioning, channel development, and distributor engagement.
Founder — Boutique Strategy Consultancy (2018–2019)
Founded and operated a boutique strategy consultancy engaged by a major independent U.S. hand protection manufacturer — the direct proof of concept for Applied Protection Advisory.
Earlier Career
Global Commercial Director at Fisher Scientific. Global Business Director at National Starch & Chemical. Work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Hart Energy E&P, and World of Oil.
Across both roles, he managed major distributor relationships at scale — as an operator who designed the programs, negotiated the terms, and sat across the table from distributors making sourcing, pricing, and private label decisions.
"APA works best with experienced teams that already understand their business, but need an outside operator perspective to sharpen growth, channel execution, positioning, or transaction decisions."
Ready to talk through your situation?
Every APA conversation is confidential and led directly by the principal.
Schedule a Conversation