Thomas "Tad" Hicks has lived in Powhatan County, Virginia a majority of his life. He graduated from Powhatan High School in 1990. Upon graduation, Tad decided to serve his country by enlisting in the United States Marine Corps where he served until 1999. In the Marine Corps, Tad was a combat engineer where he specialized in demolition, mine warfare, and light construction. When completing his service in the Marine Corps, Tad worked several construction jobs while attending VCU. Tad graduated from VCU in 1996 and landed a job with a commercial construction company named W.H. Stovall. After two years, Wilton Construction offered Tad a job overseeing construction for fire and water restoration. In 2000, Tad opened the doors to Ty West Builders. His business has grown steadily and he continues to enjoy serving the entire Central Virginia region with quality building and customer service.