Behind the Scenes Spotlight: Founder Frank Sullivan

nat rosasco • September 22, 2016

Today we’re throwing the spotlight on our fearless founder and woodworker extraordinaire, Frank Sullivan. With an innate interest in wood and a family history of building (his grandfather was John J. Burns, partner of the Vitzhum and Burns, an architectural firm that designed several of Chicago’s iconic 1920s skyscrapers), you could say Frank was destined to own his own woodworking company. This father of two began making his way into the field in 1993, working as a carpenter on the second Maggiano’s Little Italy in Oak Brook. What started as a job where he simply repaired the restaurant, ultimately led to him becoming the senior concept design manager, overseeing the nationwide expansion of over 20 Maggiano’s restaurants.

In 2002, Frank opened his own company, Construction Solutions, which created millwork packages for restaurants in the Chicago area. Eventually, he decided to specialize in using reclaimed wood and eco-friendly materials and started Reclaimed Table in 2008. Although owning his own business wasn’t something that was initially on his radar, he wouldn’t want to be doing anything else today.

We sat down with Frank to learn a bit more about his background, Reclaimed Table’s history, and the many roles he plays as founder, partner, and head of production activities for the company.

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How did you begin woodworking?

From a very early age I always enjoyed building and fixing things. Woodworking was a natural fit for me.

Why did you decide to open Reclaimed Table?

I started Reclaimed Table in 2008 during the recession. Most of the work we were doing dried up, and I had to decide to close the doors [on Construction Solutions] or take the business in a new direction. I did not always want my own business. When I left Brinker [International, owner of Maggiano’s] in 2002, I figured I would work for myself for a while doing carpentry work before going back to the construction management field. One project lead to another and fourteen years later, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love owning a business and all that goes with it.

What has been the most challenging part of making Reclaimed Table come alive?

I don’t think it’s been challenging making Reclaimed Table come alive. What we do here is very unique and we have a great group of people who do it very well. It’s an inherently lively business.

Your job must take a lot of multitasking. Can you describe what an average day is like for you?

I spend most of my day solving problems and putting out “fires.” An average day can also include:

• Sales
• Business development
• Meeting with customers
• Materials research—we’re always looking for unique inventory
• Ordering materials
• Doing quotes
• Keeping all the shop employees productive and watching the workflow—we’re always coming up on a deadline.
• Always trying to fit in some product development
• Endless Emails
• Sharpening the planer
• Fixing/maintaining tools
• Performing any number of processes required to build our tables, paneling, live edge slabs and steel bases
• Working with vendors
• Quality control
• Finding the next great employee

Do you have a favorite project you’ve worked on thus far?

There are so many, it’s hard to say. One of our corporate live edge slab tables comes to mind first. It’s 6′ wide x 24′ long x 2 1/2″ thick and comprised of sixteen walnut slabs perfectly seamed and flattened.

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We’re extremely grateful to have such a creative, hardworking problem solver to lead our team. It looks like stripping all the woodwork in his parents’ house and refinishing it as a 15-year-old definitely paid off.

Interested in seeing some of his beautiful past projects? Visit our portfolio to learn more!

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Inventory Sale

By nat rosasco • January 22, 2019

Reclaimed Table's huge selection of one-off, custom table tops are being sold at deep discounts at our Villa Park showroom. Find the durable tables you need for your next project, at prices you won't come across again!

Client Feature: Oak Tables & Benches for Navy Pier's Centennial Vision

By nat rosasco • July 17, 2018

Chicago’s iconic Navy Pier has always been a popular attraction since it opened just over 100 years ago in 1916. It currently welcomes 9 million guests per year. As explained on the Navy Pier website, the Pier was designed by architect Charles Sumner Frost and was originally based on architect’s Daniel Burnham’s “the People’s Pier” in his 1909 Plan of Chicago . It was originally known as “Municipal Pier,” but was renamed in 1927 in honor of the World War 1 Navy personnel who were housed there. As we blogged about a couple of years ago , Navy Pier has been undergoing renovations in honor of its “Centennial Vision” to reimagine and enhance the pier. While updating the pier with new programming and a greener landscape, this vision has also been attracting more local eateries ( like Tiny Tavern ) and shops, creating a space that’s more inviting to local Chicagoans. After providing pieces for the first phase of the remodel last year, we were pleased to continue to be part of this project for the recently completed phase two. Partnering with Gensler, we provided white oak tables and benches near the main entrance and for the brand new, 200,000 square foot Family Pavilion that features over 50 businesses. Fortunately, these pieces were created not only with their visual aesthetic in mind, but also to impressively withstand this sort of high traffic area. We also built the reclaimed red and white oak blade signs flanking all of the restaurants and shops, which creates a unified look within the complex. Much like the Pier, these signs have an interesting, rich history behind them. The red and white oak wood used to make the signs were actually horse fences on a farm in Mercy County, Kentucky that dates back to the late 1800s. Mercer county was one of the first settlements in the state, and the farm itself, Shawnee Springs, was originally over 2,000 acres. In the 1970s the farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. We knew the Navy Pier project was the right one for this specific wood-- historic wood for an historic landmark. (See our other applications of reclaimed red and white oak Kentucky horse fence here .) Check out photos of our tables, benches, and signs at the recently updated and unveiled Pier below. And if you’re in the Chicagoland area, you can check them out for yourselves in person, along with a whole host of entertainment on the Pier. Interested in some durable tables and benches for a high-traffic area? Contact us here to get started on your next project.

Aging Booker's Bourbon: Finding the 'Sweet Spot' for Flavor

By nat rosasco • June 18, 2018

When it comes to aging bourbon, Booker’s small batch bourbon has the process literally down to a science. Currently produced by the Jim Beam distillery, it was Jim Beam’s grandson, Booker Noe, who founded this brand in 1992 with bourbon from barrels he personally selected. According to the Booker’s Bourbon website, Booker was actually raised at a Kentucky distillery and brought his family’s six generations of master distillery knowledge to his bourbon batches. How does Booker’s perfectly age their bourbon? As we pretty much all know, bourbon ages in wooden barrels. When the weather becomes hot and humid, like it does during those sticky Kentucky summers, the wood expands and absorbs the bourbon, allowing for a chemical interaction between the bourbon and the wood. In colder weather, the wood contracts and the bourbon escapes the barrel’s walls. This interaction changes the spirit’s taste and color. The longer bourbon is in the barrel, the smoother the taste, (up to a certain point, that is). Barrels are kept in rackhouses where temperatures can easily be regulated. Rackhouses were originally built out of stone with several wooden floors and an exposed dirt basement to control humidity and large temperature swings. The windows were designed to keep the buildings well-ventilated.