Thomas Lopez

Thomas Lopez is a multidisciplinary creator defined by industrial precision and narrative depth. An Arizona native, Thomas has spent three decades at the forefront of aquaculture engineering. As the founder of national brands POOL PATCH and AQUAVIDA, he has secured over twenty U.S. patents, with several of his proprietary designs acquired by global industry leaders such as Pentair.

His creative house, HOOTLUM, represents a strategic pivot into high-fidelity intellectual property. It is the intersection where the gritty heritage of the American Southwest meets the polished world of “Kidult” collectible culture. As an industrial designer, Thomas is the visionary behind the HOOTLUM art toy—a minimalist form protected by U.S. Patent D1,074,862 that distills the desert’s spirit into a modernist collectible.

This passion for the West is a hands-on pursuit. His debut title, Rusty the Ringtail, was born from a four-year meticulous restoration of a 1914 UVX Miner’s home on the rugged cliffs of Cleopatra Hill in Jerome, Arizona. By merging a veteran inventor’s eye for manufacturing with a personal mission to honor the heritage of the Verde Valley, Thomas creates premium experiences that celebrate the raw history of the West through contemporary, award-nominated storytelling.