Meet Kevin – An Entrepreneur with a Focus on Family and Community
Kevin was born and raised in Milford, CT. He attended college at Central Connecticut State University and has lived with his family in Southington, CT since 1992.
A Chemistry degree from Central Connecticut State University as well as an MBA from the University of Connecticut provided Kevin with the necessary tools for a career leading professional global teams in negotiations and acquisitions of goods and services. Kevin’s professional experience has centered on the development and implementation of Global Procurement and Global Sourcing strategies and tactics to ensure supply continuity at the lowest cost of acquisition, driving supply side competitive advantages for major multinational companies. His resume includes high ranking positions at companies like Duracell (P&G/Gillette), Stanley Black & Decker, and Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, to name a few.
Think Global, Act Local
Although Kevin has a resume that many would envy, his real sense of pride comes from his family and helping others.
Kevin met his wife Laura while attending college in 1976. It was an instant connection. The couple decided to get married in 1984. They recently celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary and 43 years of happiness. Laura is from New Britain, CT and has a degree in Marketing. She worked as a marketing manager for The Hartford Insurance Company for many years before transitioning to become a stay at home mom. She happily took on the role of Household CEO, responsible for the success of their home and family, which includes their two children – Michael and Erin. Michael is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He has a degree in Actuarial Mathematics and is employed at The Travelers in Hartford. Michael’s interest in Actuarial began in high school, where he attended the Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science. Erin is in her senior year at Boston University studying Healthcare Sciences and will pursue a Masters as an Occupational Therapist, hoping to work with and help children.
The Sullivan family has a variety of shared as well as individual interests. They all consider health and exercise to be a top priority, embracing the theory that health is true wealth. Laura is an avid swimmer and enjoys gardening, decorating, and landscaping. Michael enjoys track, soccer, and club sports activities as well as hiking and camping. He also enjoys adventurous travel that may include skiing, camping and other outdoor adventure. Erin was always involved in dance of all types since the age of 4 and even attended the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts in High School where she excelled in dance. At her first college (Salve Regina in Newport) she was accepted in the local dance company as a freshman. Kevin enjoys the outdoors, golf, and motorcycles. He unfortunately lost his lower left leg in a motorcycle accident in June of 2015, which led to a career change. His interest in helping others and improving his local community meant that CertaPro Painters® was the logical next step in his career path.
Why Did Kevin Join the CertaPro® Family?
CertaPro Painters provided him with the opportunity to not only take hold of his own destiny but to also provide a service in the community of general need. The support of CertaPro Corporate and that of fellow Franchise Owners is unparalleled and compelling for a new business owner.
A Man with a Plan and a Passion for Customer Service
Kevin is building his business, working to create a great customer experience, and investing in quality employees. He plans to build a solid foundation for his business – this includes scaling up and employing office assistants, estimators and production managers, as well as a deep bench of quality painting subcontractors that will make up a successful team for this business. Why? Because he recognizes that it is people that will drive the success of this business. Kevin is Lead Safe Home Renovator certified, and he plans to hire experts with additional skills and certifications to help his team excel and meet all possible customer needs.
Success is measured in customer satisfaction. He takes most pride in the jobs where they were able to solve a problem by doing what other companies were unable or unwilling to do for their customer. His team recently had a client who struggled to find subcontractors to do the work she needed. Kevin’s team responded to all of her needs quickly and efficiently. She was thrilled and actually bought lunch for the paint crew. She even took the time to give an outstanding review for the service she received.
“The best relationships with the customer is where we build a rapport and find a common interest outside of painting where can share in experiences, family or interests. That is what I enjoy as well as to help satisfy a need for the customer.”
A Sports Fan with a Refined Culinary Pallet and an Eye for Style
The benefit of owning your own business is the ability to establish a work-life balance. Kevin enjoys a variety of sports. You can find him watching professional golf (particularly now that Tiger Woods is making a comeback) and cheering on his favorite NASCAR driver, Joey Logano. He is a traditional New York sports fan, claiming allegiances to the Giants and Yankees, and he also follows UCONN basketball. But if you think Kevin is a typical sports fan, sitting in front of the television with nachos and a soda – you are incorrect. Kevin has a passion for food. He enjoys cooking, visiting new restaurants, trying new flavors, and understanding the cultural impacts on food.
Finally, Kevin has distinct opinions on style and design. He likes neutral colors on homes and for decorating purposes such as grey, taupe, yellow, and beige. These colors are known to make a room look bigger and when used together can create a cohesive, unified, clean aesthetic. But those opinions only apply to home design. On cars he likes sleek, sporty red and black colors. He still dreams of his Harley Davidson, which was a beautiful root beer color.
