Before they founded Winthrop, Kay and John Sullivan were like so many young parents looking to make the best possible life for their family. In 1989, they moved with their two young daughters from St. Petersburg — where Kay was born and raised, and where John had lived since age 13 — to the greater Brandon area. Kay was a social worker and counselor; John, a CPA and tax attorney. They moved across the Bay to set up a new law office for John in the budding suburbs of Brandon.
John fixed up a dilapidated old house and turned it into his gorgeous law office on Paul’s Drive. He had so much fun with the design that the couple bought the property next door, and over several years in the 1990s, the Sullivans designed and built ten beautiful office buildings. Their love for design and beautiful buildings was born.
All the while, they did everything you do to plug into a new place. Kay started an active Girl Scout troop and joined the PTA. John served in the Rotary Club and at the Chamber of Commerce. But despite doing everything right, they didn’t feel the kinds of connections they were used to in St. Pete. They both felt something missing.