Please welcome the fabulous Katie Kral who will be representing Kirk & Kirk on the West Coast of America.
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Katie is wearing Hana in Violet
1) How did you get into optics?
I’ve long been a lover of great glasses, in both style and quality. I was offered a role with Luxottica and even though I knew that was not where I wanted to stay, it was certainly a great start in the industry.
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2) What have you done within the profession?
I started out as an eyewear consultant, then moved into a management position with Luxottica, from there I quickly moved to private practice where I managed two large offices. I used to oversee frame buying and all things optical, before getting the chance to be a rep, and I’m just thrilled!
My favourite part of private practice was being much more hands on with patients and important causes. We did a lot of work and support with Retinoblastoma in children and even though sometimes those were challenging cases to see, the reward far outweighed the negatives.
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3) What have you done outside of the profession?
I was a civilian contractor of the US Navy for years and was fortunate enough to travel to many places during that time…Hawaii, Germany, Florida, and Italy. I was in charge of programming for youth and teen camps as well as the MWR division of the military.
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4) What do you love outside of optics?
I love anything outdoors, I love being with my family, I love to travel (which is a good thing being in the rep business!), and I LOVE my fur kids!
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5) An unusual interest/hobby?
My husband and I love antiques, and love to junk hunt!
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