Meet Louise
Empowering Women in the Workplace
Louise O'Sullivan, an accomplished entrepreneur and award-winning industry executive, has a new career as a Leadership Speaker.
O’Sullivan’s key presentations are designed to help young executives flourish in leadership roles and to assist leadership teams in empowering women in the workplace. Speaking engagement topics include:
- Things Are Really Different Now...Aren't They?
- Can Women Flourish in a Male Dominated Industry?
- Unveil Your Corporate Culture: Make Sure Every Employee Flourishes, Especially the Women, in Your Company
- Get the Most from your Female Team Members AND Maximize Your Company Reputation
O'Sullivan founded Prime Advantage in 1997, following a 22-year management career in industrial manufacturing. Prime Advantage, a manufacturer's buying consortium (GPO), negotiated supply chain programs with Endorsed Suppliers of raw materials, components, services and supplies for its 2000+ manufacturing member companies. In 2017 O’Sullivan, the company’s Chairman and CEO, sold Prime Advantage to OMNIA Partners, a GPO with over 150,000 members.
Prior to founding Prime Advantage, O'Sullivan was president of a Dover Corporation (DOV) company, Groen, an OEM manufacturer of commercial food service and industrial processing equipment, for more than 12 years, 1985-1997. A former elementary school teacher, she joined Groen in 1975 as a part-time advertising writer. During the next 10 years O’Sullivan rose rapidly through the ranks, serving as Vice-President of Sales, Marketing and Engineering immediately before being appointed President.
O'Sullivan has a distinguished history as an industry leader. In 2021, NAFEM changed the name of its long-standing President's Award to the "Louise O'Sullivan Award of Excellence." She was named 2013 "Pro to Know of the Year" by Supply and Demand Chain Executive Magazine. She is past President of NAFEM (North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers) with 700+ Members, and past Director of the Illinois Racing Board.
Louise is the 2005 winner of NAFEM's highest honor, the William W. Carpenter Award, Louise served on the boards of Taylor Capital Holdings and The Entrepreneurial Advisory Board for University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business. She was Vice President of the University of Chicago's Executive Program Alumni Club, received the "Pacesetter of the Year" award for Women in Marketing, as well as MAFSI's "Market Mover Award".
O'Sullivan is referenced in General Managers in Action, 1992, by Harvard Professor Frank Aquilar, as well as in Managing Corporate Ethics, published in 1994 by Oxford University Press, and in Lessons in Leadership by Charles Bernstein, 1993. In 1987, Harvard Business School published a case study on O'Sullivan and her management challenges at Groen.