If you've ever had the pleasure of spending time with Dan "Sully" Sullivan, perhaps following him on Mt. Ellen runs at Sugarbush, his home mountain, or talking shop while listening to a Red Sox game, you're astutely aware of the very bright light of this snowboarding luminary.
From his business acumen to his love of snowboarding to his unmatched anecdotes, Sully is one of our industry's finest. And he's has a deft hand in helping to shape it since the nineties.
Sophie Burt/St. Michael's College
On March 22nd, Sully shared his wisdom with the next generation as the keynote speaker at a career symposium at his alma mater, St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont. Sully graduated from St. Mike's in 1987 and has been an influential indvidual in snowboarding ever since.
Originally from New Hampshire, Sully had planned to go out West for college, but when he visited St. Mike's, which is just over the Winooski River from Burlington, he elected to stay in New England. He saw a snowboard in a shop in Burlington, bought it, and never looked back.
Sully's career rose at the same time snowboarding was being allowed onto more mountains in New England. While he has had numerous impactful roles throughout his tenure, including at O-Sin back in the day, Sully has been at the helm of Rome Snowboards since it began in 2001, leading the brand's sales strategy while being a gravitational force for others who love snowboarding and who love working in the industry.
Sully was the keynote speaker for St. Michael's career symposium and offered this advice to college students, when asked by fellow alum Jill Charest, who was moderating the session, “How would you say your liberal arts education prepared you for after college?”
“All of those courses really matter, even the ones you don’t necessarily want to take,” Sullivan said. “I think anybody going into business thinks it is textbook driven, but that’s not what plays out. There are so many different experiences that weigh into your job, and the liberal arts education helps prepare you for that.”
If you haven't met Sully yet, we recommend trying to spot him in the liftline before work at Sugarbush. Say hello, he'll be genuinely stoked to meet a fellow boarder who loves it just as much as he does. And follow @romesnowboards to stay up to date with the work he and the crew at 1 Derby Lane are doing.
You can read the full recap from Sully's talk on St. Michael's website.
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