Author Nicolas Thomley

Nicolas Thomley graduated from public high school and two weeks later left for Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego. Following boot camp Nicolas became a member of a reserve unit at Fort Snelling. Nicolas attended college where he studied organizational management and communication and received a Bachelors of Arts degree. While attending college Nicolas worked at a home for people with developmental disabilities. It was at this job that he decided to start a business of his own. Passionate about making a difference in the lives of others, Nicolas founded Pinnacle Services in 1999 at the age of 19 to provide housing services to people with developmental disabilities. As the company has grown Nicolas has broadened the scope of serving people with disabilities to include people with serious and persistent mental illness, traumatic brain injuries, people with chronic illnesses and seniors. Nicolas’s desire for continuing his education drew him to enroll in a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program in 2005, which he completed in less than two years. Nicolas was also accepted in to “The Birthing of Giants” three‐year executive entrepreneurship program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Today, Pinnacle Services and its affiliated companies serve over 1,200 disabled individuals and seniors and have a range of services that includes, housing, financial management, in‐home services and employment services. Pinnacle Services and its affiliates employ over six hundred people in the State of Minnesota and are recognized as leaders in their industry. Nicolas has been recognized for his leadership with numerous awards. In June of 2004 Pinnacle Services was named by Entrepreneur magazine and Dunn and Bradstreet as number ninety‐three of the one hundred fastest growing new businesses in America. In 2006 Nicolas was recognized by the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Business Journal as one of the “Forty Under 40” top business leaders under forty years of age. Concordia University, Nicolas’s alma mater, awarded Nicolas with The Loma R. Meyer Award for Purposeful Leadership. Nicolas was also recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the “30 Under 30: America’s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs.” In addition to these honors Nicolas was recognized by the non‐profit organization Winning Workplaces and Fortune Small Business magazine as one of their Best Bosses for 2006. In 2007 Nicolas was recognized by Twin Cities Business magazine as one of their Small Business Success stories. In 2008 Pinnacle Services was recognized by Minnesota Monthly as one of their Great Places to Work. Also in 2008 Nicolas was recognized by Upsize magazine with the Business Builder Best Practices in Community Impact award. In 2009 Nicolas was honored with the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s first ever Young Entrepreneurs award. In 2010 Nicolas received the First Decade award from Augsburg College where he completed him MBA.