Tom Peters, who was a partner at McKinsey & Co during the research that led to In Search of Excellence, left halfway through the writing of the book to found his own companies. Now called the Tom Peters Group, they include Palo Alto Consulting Center; the Center for Management Excellence, which conducts the intensive four-day seminars for top management (known to alumni as Skunk Camp); and Not Just Another Publishing Company. Tom and his family live in Palo Alto, California.