Technology >> CEO Interviews >> May 8, 2000
PAT SULLIVAN is CEO of Interact Commerce Corp., formerly SalesLogix.
Prior to founding SalesLogix, he was co-Founder, President and CEO of
Contact Software International (CSI), the original developer and
marketer of the best-selling contact manager, ACT!'. Mr. Sullivan
oversaw the evolution of ACT! until 1993 when he sold it to Symantec
Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC) for US $45 million. In December 1999, SalesLogix
announced an agreement to acquire ACT! from Symantec Corp., marking the
return of the software to Mr. Sullivan. In 1998, he was recognized as
One of 80 Most Influential People in Sales and Marketing History by
Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Mr. Sullivan received the
coveted Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 1999 for his
work at the helm of SalesLogix and also in 1993 in recognition of his
success at CSI. Mr. Sullivan began his career in sales in the printing
industry and maintains that he's still a salesperson at heart. He
attributes real-world experience to much of his success in understanding
what salespeople really need from technology to help them sell more.
This interview was conducted prior to 4/26/00 at which time the company
was called SalesLogix Corp. Profile
SalesLogix, just to set the stage for the readers?
Mr. Sullivan: Back in the mid-1980s, I was the original co-founder of a
company
