Broomfield, CO – Vail Resorts this week announced the appointment of Greg Sullivan as the company’s new Retail chief operating officer, effective Sept. 26.
Sullivan joins the company following a nearly 20-year career with Walmart from 1993-2013; most recently as a division president where he was responsible for $24 billion in revenue, 325 retail stores and more than 100,000 employees. Since 2013, Sullivan was an executive with casual footwear brand Crocs, serving as their global transformation senior vice president responsible for driving the company’s operational, market and strategic transformation, supplying all-season products to consumers in more than 90 countries.
“I want to welcome Greg to Vail Resorts. I am confident that Greg’s extensive experience and expertise in retail and his leadership track record will help continue to re-imagine the future potential of Vail Resorts Retail and drive success for our retail group, including the integration of Whistler Blackcomb’s retail operations, upon the closing of that acquisition,” stated Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts.
Sullivan holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Denver and earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. He is currently a member of Executive Leadership Development for the American Diabetes Association and serves as a mentor for the University of Colorado’s Leeds Business Council.
Sullivan replaces the current Vail Resorts Retail chief operating officer, Kat Jobanputra, who has been with Vail Resorts since 2010, when the Company acquired Specialty Sports Venture, where Jobanputra worked since 1994.
“Kat has been a part of Specialty Sports Venture for more than 20 years and an integral part of its growth and success. Since the acquisition of Specialty Sports Venture by Vail Resorts in 2010, Kat has led our retail business and achieved strong results that have meaningfully advanced Vail Resorts and our guest experience. On behalf of the Company, I want to thank Kat for his leadership and partnership to create what Vail Resorts Retail is today,” said Katz.
Vail Resorts Retail operates more than 185 specialty stores in and around its 12 resorts in Colorado, Utah, Lake Tahoe and the Midwest as well as in the metropolitan areas of Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Minneapolis. In addition to renting and selling ski and snowboarding equipment, the stores offer gear for a variety of outdoor recreational activities, including hiking, camping, cycling and tennis and outdoor furniture.