Tom Sullivan

CEO

Tom has worked with community banks, large and small, for over 35 years, helping them to win market share by accelerating the performance of their brand, culture, marketing and product-service innovation. His experience as an agency-side marketing innovator, entrepreneur, business owner and community leader have helped advance the growth of community banks and the people, businesses and communities they serve.

Early in his career as the agency marketing lead for Philadelphia’s largest retail bank, Tom learned the banking business from an institution that viewed marketing as a strategic practice to support long-term growth goals. He was offered an opportunity to join the bank after recommending and implementing a new initiative that resulted in the most successful loan acquisition program in its history. He chose instead to follow the agency track which led to many other opportunities to help community banks grow.

As president of Princeton Partners, Tom helped his bank clients reinvent their brands, increase awareness and customer acquisition, manage roll-ups, expand into new markets, train retail staff, and use data-driven digital marketing to gain market share from targeted competitors.  His client success enable him to grow and transform Princeton Partners from a boutique retail agency into a strategic marketing partner for financial, consumer, and business services clients across the country. He acquired the firm in 2001 and led the growth of its digital innovation and experiential marketing groups serving clients including PNC Bank, Sherwin Williams, Western Pest (Orkin) and LL Bean.

Tom has also been a leader in educational, economic and community development initiatives focused on underserved communities in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Houston. He is the co-founder of Activity Works, an online classroom-based movement-learning platform, and an investor in start-ups. He has served many non-profits in a leadership capacity including The Boys and Girls Club of Trenton and Mercer County, and Special Olympics New Jersey where, as board chair, he initiated the plan and early fundraising for what is now a $10 million Sportsplex in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.  Tom is dedicated to helping banks to succeed in their mission to invest in and serve the people and organizations that make vibrant communities.