Meier began sculpting professionally at the age of 15 and won his first H.G. Wells award just two years later. His earliest work was in the bulky style of Heritage Miniatures for whom he briefly worked. After the founding of Ral Partha in 1975, he was inspired by the art in fables and fairy tales and developed a style which emphasized beauty and natural proportion. A second lasting contribution was the popularization of sculpting in two-part ribbon epoxy putty designed for automotive repair. Commonly known as "green stuff," the epoxy held detail better than traditional media. Between 1977 and 1992 Tom's work won more than two dozen awards and he was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in 1991. In 1988, he left Ral Partha to start up his own company, Thunderbolt Mountain and does commission work for large and small game manufacturers.