The TSM story begins in 2006 when Jeff Moran, a former US Army Intelligence Officer, launched the company after earning his MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School as part of an entrepreneurship-oriented assistance program sponsored by the US Veterans Benefits Administration.

Since its founding, TSM has continuously evolved relevant and timely services in response to, and in anticipation of, changing business conditions and emerging opportunities. TSM’s evolutionary history consists of four phases of opportunistic adaptation.

Phase 1 | Marketing & Customer Management | 2006-2010
Hennipen County, MN

TSM transitioned from an experimental sole proprietorship focused on local & regional marketing and sales services to an industry-oriented LLC leveraging Mr. Moran’s prior military, Big 4 accounting/consulting, Fortune 100 experiences, and professional network.

• Engagements during this time were functionally focused on product marketing and sales, and related project consulting and research.
• Partners included start-ups, small machine shops and retailers, and non-profit trade and sport associations operating in the broader small-arms & ammunition, hunting, and outdoor products and services industries.
• Sample project deliverables from this period can be found here.

Phase 2 | International Advocacy & Research | 2010-2015
Canton Geneva, Switzerland

TSM internationalized and developed a multi-industry and policy-oriented competency leveraging Mr. Moran’s prior industry and diplomatic background, and professional network.

• Engagements primarily entailed strategic representational advocacy and research in and around International Geneva. This is where national governments, international organizations, international trade & industry groups, and civil society advocacy groups come together to exchange views, negotiate, and monitor the implementation of informal and formal international law affecting not only states but also non-state actors (e.g. businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private citizens).
• Partners included aerospace, defense & security industry stakeholders engaged in or specially affected by existing and emerging formal and informal international lawmaking processes such as United Nations-led treaty negotiation and international standards-setting, and Swiss-led industry governance initiatives.
• One line of service during this phase was participating in and reporting on meeting fora in and around International Geneva. Sample project deliverables from this period can be found here.

The photo above was taken during a meeting with diplomats, academics, and humanitarian civil society groups related to the UN’s Arms Trade Treaty and the Small Arms processes. As was the case in Geneva for these processes throughout this phase, Mr. Moran was the only industry person in the room to watch, listen, take notes, and give voice to the views, interests, and concerns of specially-affected industry, collector, sporting, and other civil society organizations.

Phase 3 | Sustainability & Risk Management | 2015-2018
North Holland, The Netherlands

TSM reorganized its international efforts into a sustainability services portfolio building upon the capabilities and relationships Mr. Moran developed researching, advising, and advocating while residing in Switzerland.

• Engagements primarily entailed complex investigations, training, and other capacity-building designed to minimize risks associated with highly regulated international trade and complex international supply chains.
• Partners were engaged in cooperative endeavors involving industry, government, and civil-society stakeholders highly motivated to improve corporate reputation and business outcomes through enhanced internal anti-corruption-, anti-money laundering-, sanctions- and trade controls-compliance; and risk analyses & assessment.
• One line of work during this time was advisory and assistance to a selection of stakeholding members of the World Forum on Shooting Activities (WFSA), an official United Nations NGO recognized by the Economic and Social Council of the UN General Assembly. Sample project deliverables from this period can be found here.

The photo above was taken during consultation meetings on the 20th anniversary of the WFSA. The WFSA is a global association of over 50 national and international hunting, shooting, and industry organizations committed to the study, preservation, promotion, and protection of the future of all sport shooting activities.

Phase 4 | Consulting & Venturing Services | 2018-Present
Pine County, MN

TSM re-oriented on the US market and adapted its strategy and business model to serve sustainability-conscious contract building construction and precision manufacturing partners by delivering managerial and decision analytics services.

• Engagements are a mix of business strategy-, operations-, and contracting-related strategic venturing projects. They focus on managerial and related decision analytics services for applied field and shop engineering and technical service delivery, capital investment/expenditure, COVID-19-related business continuity, regulatory compliance, and associated corporate process development.
• Partners are commercial and government contracting parties seeking to cultivate long-term strategic relationships with a reliable, internationally experienced, and credentialed service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) located in a historically underutilized federal business zone (HUBZone).
• Sample project deliverables from this period can be found here.

For more information on the range of work we can do in the building construction and precision manufacturing space, please check out TSM’s capabilities page here.