WO M EN I N FR A NCH I S I N G fe at u r e
HAVE YOUR SAY: Katie Kool | CEO of Tide Cleaners
From Intern to
CEO of Tide Cleaners Katie Kool, a mother, wife, daughter, friend, mentor, and CEO of Tide Cleaners. Katie is a woman who wears many hats, both personally and professionally. A native Midwesterner, she’s maintained a steadfast career with Proctor & Gamble after taking a leap with a summer internship. When she isn’t dedicating herself to growing Tide Cleaners, she’s the proud finance director of a Haitian nonprofit that has given hundreds of schoolchildren a brighter future and provides clean water to their community. With more than 25 years at Proctor & Gamble, Katie Kool, CEO of Tide Cleaners, has proven herself a proactive leader and visionary gamechanger. Katie has surprised even herself with her long and abundant career that started with an internship. With a double major in psychology and economics, she decided to pursue her MBA at Washington University in St. Louis. During that time, she began an internship with Proctor & Gamble in finance and accounting. From there, her prosperous, life-long career began. “At P&G, they pushed me to be a master in finance and accounting,” said Katie, “But that wasn’t all. I became exposed to every aspect of the business. I’d work on the floor with producers. I’d work with sales and learn firsthand about our customers. I had the opportunity to work in marketing and research and so much more. I never stopped learning.” Rising rapidly in ranks, Katie advanced from her summer internship into positions like Laundry Financial Analysis Director, America’s General Ledger, Affiliates Senior Director, Global Operations Sales
34 Franchising MAGAZINE USA
Finance Director, and Investor Relations Vice President. Now the current CEO, it’s safe to say Katie has worn many hats in this industry-leading company. Her influence is undeniable. What started as only 35 Tide Cleaners locations when Katie joined the team has now skyrocketed to 187 stores, 16 cities with locker dropoff locations, a presence on 27 college campuses, and is only growing.
Adjusting and Growing in the Face of Challenges The dry-cleaning industry is making strides after being stressed by the COVID19 pandemic. While working to navigate the effects that the virus had on the world, Katie and her team decided to reinvent and rejuvenate dry-cleaning by leaning heavily into seeing how technology could help the customers they serve. “ ’Life, not Laundry’ was born because we recognize everyone needs clean clothes, but everyone is also hungry for convenience,” says Katie. “We believe that through technology and excellent service we’ve created a solid foundation built to thrive.” Throughout Katie’s extraordinary career, she has made it her mission to turn Tide Cleaners into the nation’s leading ondemand dry cleaning and laundry service franchise. Even before COVID-19, Tide was brimming with ideas of contactless features to benefit customers’ convenience. Just one of their many services that were ahead of the curve is the wash-and-fold option. The service gives people their valuable time back to spend with their families and friends. Customers can drop off their dirty laundry and pick it up with their belongings washed and ready to be put away. With services like this one, Tide Cleaners is changing how they interact with their customers’ daily lives.
