Timothy W. Sullivan '75
2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award for Professional Achievement
When Tim Sullivan '75 considered his company’s state in the 2009 downed economy, he
drew inspiration from a famous children’s fairy tale. “Remember the story of the three
pigs? Well, we built our house of brick and we’re in pretty good shape right now,”
said Sullivan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bucyrus International, in
a story published in Milwaukee in the May issue of The Business Journal.
Sullivan started building Bucyrus’ strong foundation shortly after he graduated from
Carroll with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in 1975. He received
his Master’s degree in business administration at the American Graduate School of
International Management in 1976—now the Thunderbird School of Global Management located
in Glendale, Arizona. That same year he joined Bucyrus.
He held various positions within the mining equipment manufacturing company, including
executive vice president of marketing, vice president of marketing and sales, director
of business development, director of parts sales and subsidiary operations, product
manager of electric mining shovels and manager of international sales. In 1998, he
took his talents and experience to United Container Machinery, Inc., where he was
President and Chief Executive Officer.
Sullivan later rejoined Bucyrus in 2000, when he became President and CEO. Under Sullivan’s
leadership and with an emphasis on international business, the company increased its
annual sales from $280 million at the start of his tenure to an expected $2.5 billion
in fiscal 2009. In 2007, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle appointed Sullivan as chair
of the Wisconsin Council on Workforce Investment, which advises the Governor on workforce
investment strategies, policies, and programs. It was Doyle who would later be the
keynote speaker in May 2009 when Sullivan was named the 2009 Business Leader of the
Year by the Harvard Business School Club of Wisconsin.
While the award clearly recognized his business accomplishments, it also noted his
civic contributions as well. Sullivan has served on the boards of Northwestern Mutual
Life Insurance, Aurora Healthcare, Children’s Hospital, Medical College of Wisconsin,
United Way of Greater Milwaukee, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Milwaukee, chairman of
the Milwaukee Metropolitan Association of Commerce, and St. Ann Center for Intergenerational
Care of Milwaukee.
He was elected to the Carroll Board of Trustees in October 2008, and less than a year
later gave the commencement address to Carroll’s more than 600 graduates in May of
2009. Other professional accomplishments include the recognition of Rotary Person
of the Year in 2009 and Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. Management Excellence Award to
Bucyrus International Inc. in 2008. Sullivan’s business acumen remains widely recognized
while his insight has been sought throughout local and national media such as appearances
on CNBC’s “Mad Money” with Jim Cramer.
Currently, Sullivan and his wife, Vivian, live in Scottsdale, Arizona. His brothers,
Brian and Robert, also graduated from Carroll in 1979 and 1980 respectively, as well
as his sister, Patricia Santiago, in 1974.
