Local Business Leader, Honorary Commander Hosts Workshop For Local Reservists

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Shawn Rhodes
  • 927th Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  "For the first month when we opened our business, there were hardly any customers. It was more like tumbleweeds blowing through the door," said Kevin Kruzsewski to the Airmen gathered in front of him. Kevin is the co-owner of Pane Rustica, a restaurant in Tampa, and also the 927th Air Refueling Squadron's honorary commander. He continued, "For a while, I didn't know if we would make it."

Kevin and his wife Karyn shared the story of their restaurant with members of the 927th Air Refueling Wing during a 'Lunch and Learn' session of the unit training assembly on September 7, 2013. The sessions bring in members of the community to present on topics of interest to the reservists of the 927th ARW. Because the Kruszewski family runs a successful restaurant in South Tampa, they were invited to speak to the Airmen on entrepreneurship.

"I had culinary training and my wife was managing a retail business when we decided to fly to Tampa in 1997 to scout out a location for a bakery," said Kevin.

The soft-spoken man in the white shirt was easy to pick out from the Airmen gathered around him, but they each had something to learn from the successful businessman.
"We investigated the bakeries here in Tampa at the time, and decided we could do something really over-the-top," Kevin said.

Without having the money to begin their business, Kevin and Karyn left their jobs and moved to Tampa to follow their dreams. Little did they know the hard road ahead would test their resolve.

"We both worked jobs to make ends meet while we scouted out locations and looked for funding," Kevin said. "We just had a feeling it would work out."

His wife Karyn, co-owner of their restaurant, said that they were at the perfect point in their lives to follow their dreams.

"The beauty of being young is you don't overthink a plan," Karyn said. "You feel it in your gut, and you go for it."

And go for it they did. Unfortunately, like many new businesses, they had to spread the word about their new bakery and deal with the established bakeries in Tampa.

"We opened on July 15, 1999 and didn't have much business," Kevin said. "I knew we had to do something outrageous if we wanted to stay open."

Without a budget to advertise, the couple began thinking outside traiditonal marketing methods to spread the word about the quality of their baked products.

"I stood out on the corner and passed free baguettes to people through their car windows, telling them to stop by our bakery," Kevin told the assembled Airmen.

It was not until a story about their restaurant appeared in a local newspaper that Kevin and Karyn began to see a light at the end of their tunnel.

"Sometimes you have to throw fear to the wind, if it's in your gut and you know you can do it," Kevin said.

After the couple shared their story with the gathered Airmen, they answered questions about what it takes to build a business from the ground up.