CEO Bill Sullivan Reflects on 40 Years at Brin Glass
Leadership, growth and what's next for the company
When Bill Sullivan started his career at Brin Glass Company in Minneapolis, MN in July of 1984, he never imagined staying more than six months. At the time, he was a recent college graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison, ready to take on a world of opportunities. Sullivan was searching for a job that would help pay his bills in a season of transition. Then, in an instant, a newspaper ad caught his attention, and his path crossed with Brin.
For nearly 40 years, CEO Bill Sullivan has built a legacy at longtime NGA member company, Brin Glass Company, starting from the ground up. Since 1984, Bill’s leadership skills and perseverance helped the Brin team navigate through unthinkable challenges. From the economic crisis of 2008 to the hardships of a global pandemic, Bill has continually succeeded in building relationships with clients, co-workers, and vendors alike.
COLLEGE YEARS, FINDING BRIN
In 1984, Bill graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in construction management. Throughout his college career, he explored the possibilities of various industry-related careers but never considered the world of subcontracting. Bill said, “My college career was focused on learning business and on estimating, scheduling, and engineering classes all geared towards working for a general contractor.”
The summer after graduation, the trajectory of Bill’s future was changed by a single newspaper ad. Retrospecting about his college job hunt, he said, “Back then we either had to look at the job board at the university, or in my case I would go to the library and check out the Sunday newspaper.” One week, he came across a job advertisement for an estimating position at Brin. Bill said, “I applied, I mailed my resume to the hiring company and I applied for an estimating position at Brin, and I got a call from Doug Nelson, owner and president. That just tells you how involved he was back then, they didn’t have an HR department.”
Bill was informed that the position at Brin had already been filled, however, Nelson told Bill that Brin was creating a new position named service sales. In July 1984, Bill was hired as a sales representative for then Brin Northwestern Glass. He said, “I interviewed, and he (Doug) offered me the job on the spot.”
However, Bill didn’t plan on putting down roots at Brin. He said, “When I took the job at Brin, I planned to stay for six months. I stayed because of the leadership of Doug Nelson, Stan Mariska, and Pat Rome and because of the opportunities it provided for me and my family.”
Bill recalled a particular moment from his start at Brin that has stayed with him 40 years. Being hired at Brin meant that Sullivan needed to move from Wisconsin to Minnesota. However, being a recent college graduate, Sullivan didn’t have the financial resources to do so. “I had to ask if he could advance me some money because I was a poor college student,’ Bill paused to laugh, ‘and Doug floated me an advance so I could move to Minnesota.” This generous act became a piece of the cornerstone in Bill and Doug’s friendship.
FRIENDSHIP AND MENTORSHIP FROM DOUG NELSON
Stan Mariska, a former president of Brin Northwestern Glass, was hired in 1973 as a sales representative. At the beginning of Bill’s career, Stan and Bill worked together under Doug’s leadership. When Doug acquired Heartland Glass in 1990, he needed someone to oversee the division in Waite Park, near St Cloud, MN. Stan said, “Doug came to me and said, ‘Is there someone at Brin that you think could manage that?’ and I had highly recommended Bill because first of all, I felt very confident that he could do that job successfully. I also knew that he was very successful as a salesperson in those early years at Brin.” In five years, Bill increased sales by 600%.
“In the summer of 1990, Doug asked if I was interested in being a manager for a company he was planning to buy,” Sullivan said. In December of 1990, Sullivan became a general manager and a minority partner for Brin’s’ Heartland division. Within his new role, Sullivan took on more responsibility and grew in his passion for leadership. During this season, Sullivan was responsible for managing the four employees of Heartland, including two of the founders. “They were my first employees ever. Other than that, I was a shift lead at McDonald’s a couple of times,” Bill laughed. Bill would later take on the role of President at Heartland Glass.
Bill and Doug’s mentorship and friendship continued through the years though Bill’s roles shifted several times. Even when his company-specific roles weren’t under Doug’s direction, Bill continued to be mentored by him. From the beginning, Doug invested in Bill’s life and helped him to develop his leadership skills. Speaking about his early years with Brin, Bill said, “Back then, I had a sales manager who was my boss, but Doug appreciated my ambition, so he always encouraged me and brought me into his office to talk.”
Patrick Rome, another former president of Brin, was hired in 1986 shortly after Bill began his career. During their shared years at Brin, they collaborated on many projects and grew a friendship that has lasted. In an interview, Patrick retold stories about their shared collaboration that helped to problem solve and overcome obstacles like the 2008 economy. Patrick said, “Bill’s customer oriented. He’s very good at understanding where business is going and understanding the importance of culture within business.”
In 2007, Bill acquired Heartland Glass Company from Brin. Though Bill ran the company independently, Heartland continued to be a customer of Brin. Because of the economic climate in 2008-2012, Bill considered selling Heartland for a time. When he brought it up to Doug, Doug said, “I wouldn’t do it. Your best years are ahead of you. You’re coming out of the recession, and I wouldn’t sell.” But another option presented itself to Bill.
Bill said, “He (Doug) goes ‘Why don’t you let me buy you out?’ And I said ‘What are you talking about? You just said not to sell!’ And he said, “Well, I’m looking for a successor and I think you’d be a good successor, and I’m starting an ESOP.” In 2013, Heartland Glass re-merged with Brin Northwestern Glass, and the company became an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan).
