State Board of Examiners
of Plumbing, Heating and
Fire Sprinkler Contractors
BOARD MEMBERS
Stuart F. Schwartz
Chairman
Plumbing Contractor
Raleigh, NC
M. Randall Strother
Vice-Chairman
Fire Sprinkler Contractor
Sanford, NC
William H. Eubanks
Secretary/Treasurer
Plumbing Inspector
Wilmington, NC
Roberto A. Nunez
NCSU Engineer
Raleigh, NC
T roy A. Worrell
Heating Contractor
Raleigh, NC
Patricia K. Selby
Public Member
Raleigh, NC
William H. Sullivan III
Air Conditioning Contractor
Greensboro, NC
State Board of Examiners
of Plumbing, Heating, and
Fire Sprinkler Contractors
I 109 Dresser Court
Raleigh, NC 27609
Phone:919-875-3612
www.nclicensing.org
July 2023
Remembering W. H. “Bill” Sullivan
Ш
On June 1 4, 2023, we lost a great friend to all. Surrounded by his family,
William Henry "Bill” Sullivan III passed peacefully following a brief illness.
He was a third generation mechanical contractor and third generation
Board member, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
He also held the oldest active license issued by the Board, Number
00003. Originally issued to his grandfather in 193 I, it was transferred to
his father in 1959, and then transferred to Bill in 1991 .
A native of Greensboro, he attended Greensboro Senior High School
and Riverside Military Academy before majoring in Business Administra¬
tion and Management at Guilford College.
Upon graduation in 1 962, he joined the family business, W.H. Sullivan Company, Inc., working as a Project
Manager until 1 985. Between 1968 and 1972, Bill earned his Heating Group I - Class I, Heating Group 2,
Heating Group 3- Class I, and Plumbing Class I qualifications . In 1985 he was named President/Treasurer
and General Manager of W.H. Sullivan Company, Inc., serving in those roles until 1993. In 1 993, he found¬
ed Sullivan Mechanical, Inc. and served as President/Treasurer until his retirement in 2017.
Bill's grandfather was an original Board member, serving from 1931 until his death in 1959, including 16
years as Chairman. His father served from 1959-1961, and Bill was appointed in 2012 to fill an unexpired
term of a departing member. He was reappointed in 2014 and again in 2021, serving a total of I I years,
including terms as vice-chairman and chairman.
He was active in the North Carolina Association of Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors, named to
their Board of Directors in 1988, elected vice-president in 1998, president-elect in 1990 and president in
1991.
In true Sullivan style, at the time of his death Bill was also sitting Chairman of the Greensboro War Me¬
morial Commission, which he had served on since 2018. The idea for the war memorial was first pro¬
posed in 1944 by his grandfather, Greensboro Mayor W.H. Sullivan Sr„ who served as the first Chairman,
followed by Bill's father serving as Chairman of the Commission in 1975-1976. Bill was elected vice-
chairman in 2021 and Chairman in 2022.
He was also a member of the Greensboro Jaycees and the Greensboro 100 Club, and served as elder at
the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant and was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church at the
time of his death. His interests included Corvettes, golfing, fishing, hunting, and spending time with his
family including his wife of 6 1 years, their 3 children and 5 grandchildren.
With over 50 years in the plumbing and HVAC trades, his knowledge of the industry was immense, as was
his understanding of business management. As a Board and an industry, we all owe a great deal of grati¬
tude to three generations of the Sullivan family, who collectivey served as Board members for 41 years
Those of us who had the distinct honor and pleasure of working closely with Bill here at the Board office
describe him as a successful businessman, a terrific family man, unfailingly kind, generous, knowledgeable,
classy, honorable, a sweet man, a true Southern Gentleman, our biggest fan, a good soul, and just a plain
good person. We were extremely fortunate to have known and learned from him, and he will be greatly
missed.
