east valley
Volume 2 Issue 34 Mesa, AZ
March 22, 2020
Mesa Navy vet achieves her longtime goal BY CONNOR DZIAWURA
Tribune Staff Writer
L
IN THE BIZ
ocal businesswoman Kris Piotrowski’s background may not be what one initially expects from someone running a mobile flooring showroom. Now a local franchisee for the Atlanta-based Floor Coverings International, the Scottsdale woman brings with her a wealth of experience – both in the Navy and in the corporate world, including earning a Harvard MBA. Her new Floor Coverings International Mesa, which opened near the end of December, serves clients throughout the Valley. Long before she ever got her shot at a franchise, though, she said she wanted to be a stockbroker. But she was too short – literally. Piotrowski said her short stature stood in the way of her goal, as the busy stocktrading environment was heavily reliant on hand signaling. And though she earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from DePaul and hoped to run her own business – taking after her cobbler father – she felt she was too young for such a venture. So, she joined the Navy in 1994. “Even with a college degree, the market just wasn’t great with jobs I wanted to do,” Piotrowski said. “I decided to do something different and it was the Navy, and so I just took the plunge and went for it, kind of like Public Notices ............... page 2 © Copyright, 2020 East Valley Tribune
Kris Piotrowski is a Navy veteran of more than 20 years, Harvard MBA holder and now franchisee of Floor Coverings International Mesa. (Courtesy Sanderson & Associates)
the franchise. You just have to take a risk sometimes.” Though she only planned to enlist for a couple of years, she wound up giving the Navy more than two decades. She was deployed seven times, served in Iraq in 2006, and was stationed on four different ships: a cruiser, a destroyer and two carriers. She was awarded a Bronze Star for her time in Iraq. Her positions over the years included House liaison between U.S. Navy and members of Congress, joint contracting officer, Navy acquisition and contracting officer, assistant supply/logistics director, director of supply chain logistics aboard the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower, and director of logistics and operations – aviation at U.S. Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, (USPS 004-616) is published weekly
Mailing Address: 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282
(480) 898-6500 Steven Strickbine, publisher Paul Maryniak, executive editor
Virginia. “I ran basically the supply department on different ships,” she recalled. “It’s everything from paper to aviation engines to food – anything logistics or supply related. “At my height, I had a team of almost 600 sailors and it was when I was the supply officer on the (U.S.S.) Dwight D. Eisenhower,” she continued. “And so, it was a huge tour.” While in the Navy, however, her entrepreneurial goals remained intact. She pursued a Harvard MBA while enlisted. “One of the things they test you on is your Myers–Briggs (Type Indicator) and all your different tests and they tell you what you’re good at, and they said I was an entrepreneur,” she said. “And then, of course, my dad had his own business growing up, and so it always kind Subscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: East Valley Tribune, 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 291, Tempe, AZ 85282