Cullen legacy lives on as a woman-owned business

Woman-Owned Businesses of the Year –
JP Cullen

JP Cullen has been a family owned business in southeastern Wisconsin since 1892, and over the years the company has celebrated a number of significant milestones.

Last year, the company marked a major milestone in its rich history: the passing of the torch from the fourth to the fifth generation of Cullen owners.

Jeannie Cullen Schultz, the first female co-president, and Laura Cullen, training and development director, assumed ownership from their father, Mark Cullen.

“I am very thankful for this opportunity,” said Laura Cullen. “Each generation of owners of JP Cullen before me have accomplished so much and have taken JP Cullen to a new and exciting level. Having women ownership is an incredible next level we have taken the business to and are very proud of.”

“I feel incredibly blessed to be an owner of JP Cullen alongside my sister, brother, two cousins and uncle,” Jeannie Cullen Shultz. “To be a fifth-generation business in the construction industry is special and not something we take lightly. We are thankful for the generations that have come before us and set us up for success.

“I also know that as a woman in construction that my position as an owner and co-president is relatively rare. I take that very seriously and look to set an example, not just for women in the industry, but in the communities we live and service.”

The number of women on JP Cullen’s Executive and Strategic Planning team and women in key leadership positions has also grown exponentially over the last five years. They include Katie Muth, marketing director; Sam Potts, chief estimator; Marissa Young and Tricia Braun, directors of business development in their markets; and Kelsey Bull, training and development engineer.

Additionally, the two new owners have created an Employee Resource Group for women co-workers, which meets every six weeks for leadership training and personal and professional development.