About BlackOpsToys
BlackOpsToys was founded as an eBay hobby on June 1, 2004 by friends, Brian Sullivan and Brian Lowy. The story goes something like this:
After an accident that led into an extended hospital stay, Brian was given some action figures to work with, to keep him busy and pass the time. Soon Brian was making custom figures and buying more. But custom figures led to an excess in pieces and parts and so Brian went on eBay to sell off the extras. Soon Brian was buying and selling on eBay and having a lot of fun. And so it goes.
And that is how BlackOpsToys began. Lemons out of lemonade and all that.
J. Brian Sullivan. - Creative Project Director
Brian has been collecting action figures all his life. His parents and grandmother's garages were full of them and the last time he moved it took three U-Haul truck loads and a full day to move. He graduated from high school in Portland, Oregon in 1993 and graduated from University of Oregon in 1998 with a degree in Psychology. He spent three months backpacking around Europe the summer before his college graduation and spent a year and a half teaching English in Japan in 2002 and 2003.
He has worked as a salesman most of his adult life. He's sold copiers, insurance, televisions and, of course, action figures. In 2010, he left his 40-hour-week job in Big Box retail and took the leap. He now works for BlackOpsToys full time and aims to be the premiere provider of 1/6 scale loose parts in the world. He will accept no less than global domination.
In his spare time, Brian plays Call of Duty on his xBox (gamer tag: blackopstoys1), he enjoys watching movies, walking and spending time with his friends. He loves to travel, ride roller coasters, camp and listen to books on CD. He has been known to disappear for hours in Powell's City of Books. You can visit him on his Facebook and on occasion he posts on the 1/6 Warrior Forum. His latest social find is Instagram, where he posts his kitbash projects.
Brian L. - Sales and Marketing
It was the summer of 2004 when Brian L. asked Brian S. why he couldn’t come out to Happy Hour more often. When he learned about this new eBay toy business Brian S. had started under the name “eclipse hobbies”, Brian L. was intrigued and wanted to know more. He came over a few times and saw how the entire operation was run from how physical inventory was being stored to how online listings were created. This operational process drew him in and he immediately took over certain responsibilities and worked closely with Brian S. to increase sales and streamline the invoice to shipping process. Many iterations of the business have passed since then, with memorable lessons learned along the way. Every day is a learning experience and that challenge is what keeps him interested.