Alyssa Sullivan is a second-generation painting contractor out of Tacoma, Washington. This month, she sat down with Emily Howard to talk about stepping in as the head of Sullivan Painting Services, the challenges of delegation, and the importance of a family culture.
Emily Howard: Tell me about Sullivan Painting Services.
Alyssa Sullivan: We are a family-owned company in Tacoma, Washington, founded by my dad in 1983. We have about 15 employees and do a little residential work, but we are mostly commercial.
I started working with my dad in 2016, but in 2021, he had a motorcycle accident, and I took over.
During the first few weeks, we weren’t sure he was going to make it. My mom, my husband, and I were taking turns driving to Portland, so he always had one of us with him. He's really lucky to be alive, and we're lucky to still have him.
I remember I was estimating our largest project ever in the lobby of the hospital.
Taking things over was definitely an experience. I got so much support from the CPIA and my peer group, so I can't recommend or sing their praises high enough.
EH: Did growing up in the painting industry make you want to go into paint contracting?
AS: It’s kind of funny because my mom is a paint store manager and my dad had the painting company, but I was a manager at Starbucks. My dad always said that the company was there if I wanted it, but I was having fun doing my own thing.
In 2017, he decided he needed a break and wanted some separation. He asked me to come on full-time, so I left Starbucks to come work for him. The first years were tricky working for a family, especially your father.
As time went on, things went more smoothly. He was in the office less, and I had more control. Then, 2022 was my first full year taking over, and we had our largest job ever. It ended up being our largest revenue year ever.
EH: What are some of your favorite projects you’ve done over the years?
AS: Our largest job was the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Community Center, and we won an Elevation Award from the CPIA for that project. We’ve done multiple Boys and Girls Clubs, and just completed a building for the Washington State Fairgrounds. We also did an old naval station that was converted into a very high-end residential house. That was really cool.
EH: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your role over the last five years?
AS: One of my biggest challenges is finding new employees who match our culture. I say we're a family because we’re fairly small and everyone here treats each other like family.
That dynamic doesn’t allow you to just bring anyone in and hope that they fit without disrupting the culture.
Another challenge I have is figuring out how to let go of some of my control and delegate.
EH: I love that you call it family. How did you all end up with such a close culture?
My dad started it, and then I kept it. That was a big thing at Starbucks, too. Also, we are a smaller company, and we have to rely on each other. That’s something I try to instill in everyone because even something simple like calling out sick can absolutely mess up everyone else’s game plan for the day. We pay attention to how our actions will affect other people.
That culture has really helped with retention, but it does make it harder to find new people. We are growing, but I'm not willing to grow and sacrifice our family dynamic.
EH: What does the future look like for you?
AS: I’d like to bring in more office staff to help with estimating and project management. Right now, I have someone who helps me, but he's also partly in the field, so a lot of those duties still require me.
Also, I’m pregnant with my first child, so it's definitely going to get interesting. I don't plan on taking a lot of time off for maternity leave because I'm such a control freak, but I do want to build the office staff and let go of some control of estimating and project management. Relying on other people is probably one of my biggest challenges.
Also, maintaining our family culture might lead to a growth pace that others think is slow, but I definitely want to maintain our integrity and our quality over quantity.
EH: Did you join the CPIA as soon as you took over the company? How has it helped you over the last five years?
AS: My dad joined, and I think he only had one meeting with the peer group, and then his accident happened. Then I saw one of the CPIA newsletters, and I thought the association could really help me.
I absolutely feel that they all took me under their wing. Even now, I still haven't completed my buyout process, and they've been so helpful with that. My peer group also knows the things I tend to drag my feet on because they aren’t my priority. When I get busy with other aspects of the business, they hold me accountable to those things, which is something that I absolutely need.
I talk to people in my peer group every single day. Sometimes it’s just to vent to people who understand and have the same exact problems. They're not always on the same scale, but they are the same problems. My peer group keeps me sane.
