New CEO takes helm of SANCA

W

hen Robert Sullivan and his wife, Pat, looked to retire in Florida, they took their time exploring the state, hunting for the perfect community.

Ultimately, the arts and culture of Sarasota, amenities in Lakewood Ranch and the pristine waters at Nathan Benderson Park brought them to Rosedale in January.

“My wife was a kayaker in college,” Robert Sullivan said. “One of the reasons we came to the community was this park.”

Although Sullivan had planned to spend his “retirement” doing consulting and other work, those thoughts quickly ended. Sullivan is the new president and CEO of Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center and Associates, the nonprofit that operates Nathan Benderson Park. He replaces Paul Blackketter, who stepped down to pursue his own consulting business.

Sullivan comes to the park at a busy time. A year remains until the park hosts the 2017 World Rowing Championships.

“All the elements you need for a successful event are in a single place — shopping, the arts, the beaches, hotels. We can build on that.”

He will be building with a park already recognized as the country's top rowing facility.

“We want the rowers to say this is the best facility in the world,” he said. “We want the spectators to say that we take care of their needs. Are the restrooms clean? Is it safe?”

Sullivan understands the job he does has economic implications, and not just connected to the World Rowing Championships.

“We want to bring people here to stay at local hotels, eat at restaurants,” he said. “That’s why we go after so many national and international events. That’s how you drive economic impact. But, you can’t do just those. There’s community events. We continually make ourselves available for the cancer runs, festivals and other events.”

He wants to make sure Nathan Benderson Park is a go-to destination for everyone in the area.

“I want to run this place so people say, ‘I wonder what’s going on there this week?’ or they just show up for events,” Sullivan said. “That means success. I used to work with Bill Graham in San Francisco. He treated people so well, his reputation was such that people would come for concerts even if they didn’t know who was performing.”

The park will be a change of direction for him.

“My experience is in indoor facilities, but I’ve done a lot of outdoor shows, as well,” he said. “At one point, I did a Metallica show in a corn field in Illinois for 35,000 people. It was a great show.

“I’ve done 2,000-odd concerts over the years. Every event has a different character. To me, the best event is when you take somebody who can’t believe they are going to that event and you see the excitement they have — people can’t believe it’s actually happening.”

He knows he will face challenges in a new area, and a new field, but that's OK.

“I like preparing for the fires because if your staff is good, the audience shouldn’t know when there are problems because the plan is already in place to take care of it.”

Sullivan, 62, comes from Wichita Falls, Texas, where for 11 years he managed the Multi-Purpose Events Center, consisting of an arena, convention center, horse exhibition center and memorial auditorium. Over his career, he has staged amateur and professional events and programs, has been involved in regional and international events and has organized concerts.

“It seemed like the perfect opportunity, with my background and what their needs are,” he said. “They built a magnificent facility here.”

“My goal is to make this the standard by which others are compared,” he said. “We need to enhance the facility, provide more spectacular amenities. It’s an ongoing process. We’ll never be done.

“I’m most excited about the future. We’re only limited by our imagination. I love the magic of entertaining. That’s what keeps everybody young.”