Tag Archives: Tim Sullivan

by | August 6, 2013 · 1:37 pm

New Job For Tim Sullivan

Tim Sullivan, the former head of Bucyrus International, is heading to Pennsylvania to become CEO of Gardner Denver Inc.

The Business Journal has the story.

Here is the press release. From it:

“I am enthusiastic about leading Gardner Denver and I am confident in the near- and long-term potential of the business,” said Mr. Sullivan. “Gardner Denver has a highly diversified business portfolio of market-leading products and solutions, strong customer relationships and a passionate team of highly talented employees. Under Michael’s leadership, the Company expanded its global footprint and leveraged its best-in-class technologies to become a worldwide industry leader. I look forward to working closely with the Board and leadership team to refine the Company’s strategy, enhance performance and build upon the Company’s positive momentum. I believe Gardner Denver is very well positioned to capitalize on the many opportunities ahead.”

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by | August 21, 2012 · 9:58 pm

More On Black’s Firing And Other Headlines

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke with South Shore Supervisor Pat Jursik about the firing Milwaukee County Parks Director on Monday. According to the story:

Supervisor Jursik, who is a lawyer, said she feared that Abele’s firing of Black exposed the county to potential damages. Jursik said Black likely has a good argument that her 2011 raise given to keep her in her county job created a contractual right to her job. If a judge or jury agreed, the county would be forced to argue the firing was justified for cause, Jursik said.

Check out the full story here … and these other local headlines.

Also, NOW has published a new police blotter, including reference to a $3,000 theft from a safe on Southtown Place.

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by | March 27, 2012 · 10:17 pm

Sullivan Turns Focus To Worker Training

Former Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan has long championed worker training as a key issue for growing Wisconsin’s economy.

Now, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he is “drafting set of recommendations that will change how Wisconsin allocates hundreds of millions of dollars each year in federal job training funds and simultaneously reform the state’s education system.”

“It’s a big task with a lot of moving parts,” he told the newspaper.

Is it ever.

One key part of Sullivan’s work is taking a fresh look at high school curriculum, better matching student skills with companies’ needs — something that I know the South Milwaukee School District is already focused on as part of its long-range planning process. From the newspaper:

He cited a study by Georgetown University that found that Wisconsin will need an estimated 925,000 skilled workers by 2018 just to replace those on the verge of retiring or meet the creation of new jobs. At least 588,000 of those jobs will require a minimum of a two-year technical training degree.

But the state’s schools don’t produce those numbers – which is all the more troublesome in a state that leads the nation in per-capita manufacturing employment, Sullivan said. Starting in the 1980s, many high schools discontinued shop classes, industrial arts, and trade and technical schools. Educators, parents and students focused on curriculum that prepared students for four-year college degrees, even though a degree in the humanities will not land anyone a job on a production line, he said.

That will require a new approach to the way high schools structure their curriculum. It also means a renewed educational push in grade school to supply high schools with students that have basic math and reading skills.

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by | March 6, 2012 · 9:41 pm

Sullivan On His New Job, Honadel On The Mining Bill And More Local Headlines

The Business Journal has an interesting story about former Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan’s decision not to enter politics (for now).

Check it out here. From it:

The name of Tim Sullivan, former CEO of Bucyrus International Inc.    , arose early and often as a possible candidate for U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl’s seat. There also was talk that he might run for governor in a recall election.

He opted instead for a unpaid job as a special consultant to the state of Wisconsin for business and work force development, and he says he has no regrets with the decision.

“I really didn’t want to go out and do the rubber chicken circuit and go through all the pain and suffering and spend a ton of money to get elected to public office,” Sullivan told me during a recent in-person conversation.

And check out these local headlines:

Also, NOW has published a new police blotter.

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by | February 16, 2012 · 5:55 pm

New State Post For Sullivan

Gov. Scott Walker’s newest adviser is former Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan.

Sullivan will head Walker’s office of business development, it was announced Thursday.

Check out coverage in the Journal Sentinel and the Business Journal, and here is the press release.

From the release:

Job creators from all across Wisconsin have identified a skills gap between the jobs they have available and the workers applying to fill them. Manufacturers, in particular, identify this skills gap as one of the top barriers to business growth. Similarly, our technical colleges report difficulty in filling many of their manufacturing training courses with qualified students. That’s why Governor Walker has worked closely with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and the Department of Workforce Development on ongoing strategies for tackling the problem.

To help develop and drive these strategies across a variety of agencies and institutions, the Administration is utilizing the expertise of a consultant who brings a track record of private sector success and vast experience and understanding of the workforce development issues job creators look at when deciding where to grow.

As Special Consultant for Business and Workforce Development, Sullivan will be help identify barriers to business development and job growth in Wisconsin. He will focus especially on workforce, employment environment, and policy issues. He will also help identify and cultivate business prospects for expansion and relocation to Wisconsin.

Sullivan will also head up the Office of Business Development, serve as Chairman of the Council on Workforce Investment and as member of the College and Workforce Readiness Council. Sullivan is serving the state as a volunteer.

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by | November 28, 2011 · 3:35 pm

Sullivan: No On Gubernatorial Bid, U.S. Senate Bid “Unlikely”

I just came across a recent Business Journal story on Tim Sullivan’s political future.

The former Bucyrus CEO told the newspaper that a run against Gov. Scott Walker in a gubernatorial recall election is not in the cards, and he said a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2012 is still uncertain at best.

Check out the story here, keeping in mind that in the print edition of this story, Sullivan labeled his chances at running to replace Sen. Herb Kohl “unlikely.”

What do think of Sullivan as a candidate? Post your comments below!

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by | October 3, 2011 · 11:58 am

Sullivan To Lead Mining Committee

Former Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan has kept a relatively low profile in the past couple of months, following the closing of the Caterpillar deal.

He did speak briefly at an event on Sept. 24 unveiling the Bucyrus plaque being erected at Heritage Park on 10th and Milwaukee Avenues.

Now, Sullivan has been named chairman of a group studying the mine regulatory process and pushing for legislation to streamline the approval process.

Here is the story. From it:

Sullivan said the association would not lobby for legislative changes, not serve as a conduit to funnel political donations and wouldn’t fund advertising touting the benefits of mining to the Wisconsin economy.

The association also would not accept funding or be represented on the board by Gogebic, Sullivan said.

“We want to be completely independent of any potential investors (in the mine),” Sullivan said.

The association expects to provide data and information that shows how iron ore mining can be done without harming the environment, Sullivan said.

Sullivan said the association isn’t being formed solely because of Gogebic, noting that Aquila Resources, a German company, began exploring for gold in Marathon County in June.

“It’s pretty clear that commodity prices are driving all of this interest right now,” Sullivan said.

As I’ve posted before, this pending legislation has me concerned, especially if it means a significant reduction in environmental reviews done before a mine is built, as previous legislation floated did.

I hope lawmakers find the right balance on this issue. I fear they won’t.

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by | May 17, 2011 · 10:52 am

Tim Sullivan for Senate?

I must admit, I did not see this coming.

But he certainly has a strong business background, and Ron Johnson has proven you can win a Senate seat with those credentials. And with Paul Ryan announcing he is not running, the field is a bit more open.

Check out the story from WTMJ-TV here.

What do you think? Post your comments below, and vote in my new poll!

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by | February 18, 2011 · 2:14 pm

Report: Sullivan to Leave Bucyrus After Acquisition

Update: Here is a Journal Sentinel story, four days late.

Apparently, Tim Sullivan will not be sticking around Bucyrus International once the company is formally acquired by Catperillar Inc.

Check out the story from BizTimes.com here. From it:

In January, Bucyrus announced that it will be acquired by Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar Inc. When the acquisition was announced, there was speculation that Sullivan may stay with Caterpillar in some capacity.

But today Sullivan said that he and Craig Mackus, chief financial officer and secretary of the company, would not be staying with Bucyrus once its acquisition by Caterpillar is complete.

“We’re done at closing,” Sullivan said. “I think that’s for certain.”

This is concerning to me, given Sullivan’s close ties to the community and area charity efforts. Losing him in a public role with the company is a blow to South Milwaukee and the region.

I am anxious to see who the “new face of Bucyrus” will be once the deal is done, if there even is one. Indeed, how active will Bucyrus be in the city with new corporate ownership? That remains to be seen.

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by | January 14, 2011 · 11:30 pm

Local Mining Jobs in Question … Again

The U.S. Export-Import Bank is back in the news again, and that has not meant good news for South Milwaukee-based Bucyrus recently.

At issue is the bank’s potential funding of a mining project in South Africa — and the potential impact that that decision could have on jobs at either Bucyrus or Milwaukee-based Joy Global (which would likely make the shovel needed for the project). Read more in this Journal Sentinel story. From it:

If the plant gets financed, either Bucyrus or Joy Global would likely win a contract to build a coal mining dragline – a huge machine that Bucyrus says would take 30 months to manufacture at a cost of roughly $120 million.

It is work that could be started this year, said Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan.

“We know the mine would need a dragline,” he said. “If the Export-Import Bank processes this decision the way we hope they will, it means jobs in Milwaukee one way or the other.”

Sound familiar?

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by | December 17, 2010 · 10:51 pm

Sullivan is Paper’s Exec of the Year and Other Headlines …

The Business Journal of Milwaukee has named Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan its Executive of the Year.

Read the story here (subscription required to read full version).

And check out these other South Shore headlines:

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by | November 16, 2010 · 11:32 pm

R.I.P., KRM Commuter Rail Line … and Its Potential

I’m giving up on the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail line. It’s dead, certainly for the next four years.

Of course, my heart still harbors a modicum of hope that political leaders will come to their senses and see that southeastern Wisconsin deserves a transportation system competitive with other major urban areas, one that includes a real commitment to rail and other forms of mass transit as a complement to the almighty car.

I still want to believe that political leaders will see this as an economic development issue, that they’ll realize what Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan and numerous other business leaders have said consistently: that the KRM is first and foremost about jobs, about keeping and attracting employers who need to get people to and from work.

I still want to believe that people will see that the KRM is not the Milwaukee-to-Madison high-speed rail line … despite election-year attempts by politicians and right-wing talkers to unfairly vilify and denigrate all rail and all rail supporters, even though not all rail projects are the same, nor of the same value and need.

I still want to believe that people will see just what kind of impact the commuter rail line can have on downtowns like South Milwaukee, which would stand to reap significant development benefits from a KRM station.

I still want to believe that the 20 years of detailed discussion and study of the KRM line — almost all pointing to the viability of the commuter line over the long term — means something and wasn’t wasted.

I still want to believe, against my better judgment, that politicians will realize that we need a viable and permanent regional transit authority to make this all happen, taking buses and other transit options off the property tax rolls and delivering the proper funding source for transit systems that nearly all major population centers across the country already employ.

I still want to believe all of this. But I really don’t. Not anymore.

Not with a Republican governor and Republican legislature bent on spending every last transportation dollar on roads. Not when even Democratic politicians like U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore speak out against the KRM. Not with little other vocal local support for commuter rail.

No, I’m a realist, and KRM is dead. Rest in peace. I hope those who killed it are proud.

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by | November 15, 2010 · 9:55 am

Caterpillar Acquires Bucyrus: What Does That Mean for South Milwaukee?

Caterpillar is acquiring Bucyrus International in a $7.6 billion deal.

Here is the press press release, and check out coverage from Reuters and the Journal Sentinel.

So, what does this mean for South Milwaukee? I wish I knew. I was as surprised as anyone with this announcement. But this quote from Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan is telling:

This is an outstanding and financially compelling transaction for our shareholders. More fundamentally, it is a testament to the tremendous value our talented team of employees has created over the past several years and to the strength of our brand in the global mining machinery marketplace. I am confident that we have found an excellent partner in Caterpillar. Caterpillar is a first-rate global company and it shares our commitment to providing innovative products and exceptional service to customers, creating a collaborative and safe work environment for employees and minimizing the impact on the environment.

We are very pleased that Caterpillar has committed to locate its mining business headquarters in Milwaukee and we are confident that the combined global platform will be extremely well positioned to capitalize on the substantial growth opportunities in this market in the years ahead.

Headquarters in Milwaukee? Not sure what that means. Maybe “Milwaukee area”? After all Bucyrus now has operations in South Milwaukee, Oak Creek and Milwaukee after recently acquiring the former Midwest Airlines headquarters building on Howell Avenue.

The Reuters story says: “Caterpillar said it would locate its mining business in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin.”

I tend to believe that South Milwaukee will continue to play a major role here. With the hundreds of millions of dollars Bucyrus recently put into its local manufacturing operations, I can’t envision much of a change there. The South Milwaukee and Oak Creek office complexes are another story, however, and it remains to be seen what amount of change we’ll see there going forward.

After all, how many white collar workers will Bucyrus need now that it’s part of a global behemoth like Caterpillar?

There is an 11 a.m. CT teleconference that I am sure will yield more details on this. I’ll keep you posted.

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