For many people, the decision to join a branch of the military is a huge commitment not to be made lightly.
It takes strength, dedication and willpower that is unique to a small group – traits that make servicemen and women exceptional small business owners and franchisees.
For Matt and Lorna Pierce, however it was a natural next-step in their lives that provided the discipline, confidence and resilience that led them to embrace their entrepreneurial spirits and open their own franchise.
Following the Family Path
Raised by fathers who both spent time in the service, Lorna and Matt were military born-and-bred. Shortly after high school, Matt enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Germany as a combat engineer, working on building bridges, construction and the demolition of enemy roads, minefields and other obstacles.
Lorna, meanwhile, began her military service with the 4th Infantry Division in Colorado Springs as an administrative specialist working with officer assignments and Division staffing. She then went to work for the 15th Postal Detachment assigned to the military post office in Karlsruhe, Germany.
As fate would have it, Lorna and Matt met at none other than a German driving school, where they were enrolled in the same course to obtain their German driver’s licenses. They were married a short time later as they continued their Army service overseas, earning two Good Conduct Medals, Overseas ribbons, and Army Achievement Medals between the duo.
Coming Full-Circle
After retiring from the military in 1987, the Pierce’s moved to Florida where they quickly found work and decided to take on yet another pursuit – obtaining their college degrees while both holding full-time jobs and raising their young sons.
Although Lorna and Matt had been out of the military for nearly three decades, the couple’s Army careers came full-circle in 2013. Feeling it was time for a change, Matt reached out to Markus Reidler, a former Army comrade and the best man at his and Lorna’s wedding, for advice.
Markus had recently joined the Kitchen Tune-Up franchise family and had mentioned to Matt what a great decision it was proving to be. Pairing Matt’s culinary background and eye for creative design with Lorna’s business acumen and keen financial strategy, the duo decided to take the leap into franchising with Kitchen Tune-Up, where they continue to see tremendous success with their business. The combination of their expertise allows them to help homeowners see their dream kitchen come to life – providing services like cabinet refacing, redooring, one-day wood restoration and more – and making the hub of the home an even more special place.
The Pierce’s military service not only provided them the confidence to take the risk to leap into entrepreneurship, but also provided them the ability to think about everything strategically. They credit their time in the Army with shaping their character, teaching them discipline, accountability and providing them a deep sense of personal integrity. These skills allow Matt and Lorna today to provide the best experience to their customers while running a successful franchise business.
Much like the bonds forged between military comrades, the bonds formed within a franchise system are strong and unique. We are proud of our veteran franchisees who stop at nothing to find success with our company. One way that Kitchen Tune-Up, and several other franchises, honors the men and women who have put their lives on the line for our freedom, is to offer a generous discount on our franchise fees.
The qualities that our veterans gain during their service align directly with our core values and trust-points, meaning our franchisees are motivated, trustworthy and compassionate.
Heidi Morrissey joined Kitchen Tune-Up, a family-owned kitchen and bath remodeling company with 170 locations nationwide, in May of 2003 at the urging of her father and Kitchen Tune-Up founder, Dave Haglund. During her tenure, she has helped the company undergo a full rebranding and activated the National Advertising Fund. Heidi has significantly grown the sales and marketing departments, allowing her to get out of the day-to-day tasks and concentrate on growing and strengthening the Kitchen Tune-Up system.
After working with the Home Office for more than a decade, Heidi interacts constantly with each individual franchise partner, all of whom she knows by name. Heidi is passionate about bringing an outstanding level of assistance and guidance to each franchise owner.