Christine Tomey Sullivan is the respected owner and chief compliance officer of the Tomey Group LLC, in Farmington Hills, Michigan, where she has flourished in the leadership roles for more than 20 years. Through the company, she and her family operate more than 45 Jimmy John’s sandwich chain locations throughout Michigan. Ms. Sullivan credits her success in food service and the restaurant industry to her passion for her profession and visible work ethic. Her dedication is a shining example to others, as she is a prolific entrepreneur—the owner of TTD Enterprises since 2018, Sully Homes LLC since 2021, and Sully’s on the Lake since 2022.
Overall, Ms. Sullivan leads hundreds of employees across dozens of locations. Her responsibilities across her businesses are wide-ranging and include, yet are not limited to, overseeing human resources, payroll, regulatory compliance, talent acquisition, performance reviews, and health insurance matters. As an experienced and compassionate leader, Ms. Sullivan is absolutely committed to ensuring the equitable and fair treatment of all her staff.
Owing her success, in part, to what she remembers was an “incredible upbringing” and to the values instilled by her parents, Ms. Sullivan’s father, Fawzi, and her mother, Georgette, emphasized the importance of finishing everything she started, always valuing her work, keeping others in mind, and, above all else, maintaining her integrity. These lessons have empowered Ms. Sullivan to find success in multiple areas, including teaching and business. Along with the benefit of strong parental guidance, she is grateful to her entire family, including her uncle, brothers, and husband, who comprise her invaluable support system.
Having enjoyed a career as an educator, Ms. Sullivan was a beloved English teacher for North Farmington High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan, from 2006 to 2008 and for University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, from 2008 to 2012. She was inspired early by the mentorship of her own history teacher, Rick Jones, and takes immense pride in the impact she had on her students. Ms. Sullivan still considers her teaching career to be one of her most valuable accomplishments. Yet, as the family business grew, she decided to choose between the two careers and ultimately went to work with the Tomey Group LLC. Despite leaving education years ago, she maintains close relationships with many of her former students, including one who has worked for her company for more than a decade. Ms. Sullivan even keeps track of her former students’ progress and often receives emails from them updating her on their lives. No matter what her professional pursuits have been, she has always strived to help as many people as possible and make a difference in others’ lives.
In preparation for her career as an educator, Ms. Sullivan earned a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2006 and a master’s degree in educational technology in 2011, both from Michigan State University. After achieving higher education and diving into decades of varied professional experiences, she has grown most significantly in the area of managing human resources. She is proud to have improved Tomey Group LLC’s payroll system and values the relationships she has built with her employees, contributing to the company’s success. Seeking to always be available for employees, she even spent time fulfilling work duties and answering calls from the hospital shortly after childbirth.
In recent news, Tomey Group LLC opened its first Chicken Guy! franchise in Michigan in 2023. Pondering the future, Ms. Sullivan looks forward to continuing to raise her children with her husband, Ryan, who is the chief personnel officer for Tomey Group LLC and runs Sully’s on the Lake, a barbeque restaurant located inside the Cedar Oaks Lakeside Resort. The couple hopes to set up their children for personal and professional success, teaching them to work hard and have empathy for those in need.
