Daniel A. Cotter
Chairman &CEO
TruServ Corporation
Sales: $15 billion retail,
Approx. $4.5 billion wholesale
Employees: 5,000
As chairman and chief executive officer of TruServ, Daniel Cotter heads the largest cooperative hardware chain in the United States. TruServ is a 100 percent retailer-owned wholesale distributor of hardware and related lines to over 10,000 True Value Hardware, ServiStar, and Coast to Coast stores throughout the world, including two True Value stores in Ireland. The company was formed in 1997, when Cotter &Company, founded by Cotter’s father, merged with ServiStar Coast to Coast.
Daniel Cotter was born in Duluth, Minnesota. A second-generation Irish American, he traces his roots on his father’s side to Co. Cork and on his mother’s to Co. Meath. He began his career as a teenager, working for Cotter &Company on a part-time basis. After graduating from Marquette University with a B.A. degree in Business Administration, he began working for Cotter &Company full-time in 1958 as assistant sporting goods buyer. In 1960, he developed Cotter &Company’s first automotive department. That same year, he completed his M.B.A. at Northwestern University.
Gradually working his way up through the company, Cotter was elected president and chief operating officer in 1978 and president and chief executive officer in 1982. He was elected to Cotter &Company’s board of directors in 1989 and then chairman of the board of TruServ after the merger.
Cotter’s love for children is apparent in his community involvement – he is chairman emeritus of the board of the Daniel A. Cotter Boys’ &Girls’ Club of Chicago. He was also a moving force in establishing a new Jesuit high school, Cristo Rey, in Chicago.
A huge fan of car racing, Cotter sponsored the winning car in the 1983 Indianapolis 500. He is on the board of governors of the Indy Racing League (IRL) and is also a member of the board of Automobile Competition Commission for the U.S. The father of three, he is looking forward to ringing in the millennium with his family in Ireland.
John J. Cullinane
President
The Cullinane Group, Inc.
Revenue: N/A
Employees: N/A
From his early days as founder of Cullinet Software, Inc., John Cullinane established himself as an entrepreneur to watch. Named three times as CEO of the Year in the computer software products industry by the Wall Street Transcrtpt, Cullinane is now involved in another venture: The Cullinane Group, Inc.
Founded in 1989, the Cullinane Group specializes in high-tech investments and community activities. In 1997, Cullinane joined the board of directors of IONA Technologies, PLC. He also created the Friends of Belfast, an organization dedicated to peace in Northern Ireland through jobs and economic development.
Cullinane was honored by Boston’s Irish Immigration Center in recognition of his efforts to further economic development in Ireland and his commitment to a lasting peace there. He was named Irishman of the Year by the Friends of JFK Library in Boston.
Born in Massachusetts to Waterford natives. Cullinane is a graduate of Northeastern University. He is a member of The American Ireland Fund and a former chairman of the Massachusetts Trade Mission to Ireland. He and his wife have two children.
James P. Cunningham
Senior Vice President, Off Shore Sourcing
and Managing Director for Gap
International Sourcing Ltd.
The Gap, Inc.
Total Revenue: $9 Billion (U.S.)
Total Employees: 110, 000
As senior vice president, off shore sourcing, and managing director for Gap International Sourcing Ltd., James P. Cunningham controls all sourcing from the Asian Pacific region for the internationally popular brand name The Gap, Inc.
A 17-year resident of Hong Kong, Cunningham has been with The Gap, Inc. since 1990 and prior to that was the director (North America) for Inchcape Pacific’s buying office where he directed sourcing and buying for over 20 countries in the Asian Pacific region. With his extensive experience in the textile and garment industry, Cunningham is a 12-year member of the Textile Executive Committee, of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, and the Young Presidents’ Organization (Hong Kong).
Cunningham holds his AAS degree in business administration from the State University of New York (Farmingdale) and a B.S. in Business Administration from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. Married with one child, he traces his third-generation Irish lineage to Limerick on his father’s side, and Tyrone on his mother’s side.
Darlene Daggett
Executive Vice President, Merchandising/Sales &Product Planning QVC
Revenue: 2.4 billion
Employees: 9,000
As executive vice president for merchandising/sales and product planning, Darlene Daggett’s responsibilities include overall strategic planning and direction for all QVC product categories, developing new business avenues, and enhancing relationships with established vendors. Recently, Daggett created and introduced the first annual Q Star Awards, which were bestowed on QVC vendors in recognition of product creativity and sales success.
Daggett joined QVC in 1989. Recognized as a leading expert in the electronic retailing industry, she regularly guest lectures at both the Harvard and the Wharton Business School. Her community involvement includes Mommy’s Light Fund, a special fund for children of mothers terminally ill with cancer and Habitat for Humanity.
A second-generation Irish American whose grandparents come from Counties Sligo and Mayo, Daggett regards her Irish heritage as “a source of tremendous pride.” She adds: “Ireland is a country of great warmth, passion and indefatigable spirit.” She is married with three children.♦
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