By Brandi Wylie ’24
Josh Riley ’11 could once be found cheering on the Terriers in Boss’ uniform.
Now, Riley wears a different boss’ uniform as chief operating officer of Sully’s Steamers, a bagel sandwich shop with locations throughout the Carolinas. The shop opened its newest location in Suite C of The Hub, located at 578 N. Church St., directly across from Wofford College’s campus.
The restaurant officially opened on Dec. 1 and proved to be a hit with the Wofford community, with students and faculty alike frequenting the shop for breakfast and lunch during the last two weeks of the fall semester.
Riley attended middle school, high school and college in Spartanburg, so he says it was always in the plans to open a location in the area. When The Hub opened so close to his alma mater, he seized the opportunity.
“I encourage all members of the Wofford and surrounding community to come and enjoy the food,” Riley says. “Hang out and fill up your stomachs.”
Riley, who ran cross country and track while at Wofford, was a mathematics major.
He started work with Sully’s five years ago after frequenting the bagel shop’s location across from a bank where he worked in Greenville, South Carolina. He enjoyed the food so much that he would eat at the location two or three times a day.
Through his frequent visits, Riley became friends with “Sully” himself – Robert Sullivan.
“After many talks over coffee, we decided that we wanted to work together,” Riley says. “I left banking and partnered with him to take Sully’s from a one-store location to a franchise.”
Riley credits Wofford’s liberal arts education and emphasis on soft skill development for much of his success. He also supports the college’s mission to develop successful graduates. He served as a judge in the Terrier Startup Challenge in November, a contest that assists students with entrepreneurship funding.
He encourages students to apply for part-time jobs at the shop and to potentially go into franchise work with the company after graduation.
“We like to work with college graduates, especially those who come from a college like Wofford,” Riley says.