On Tuesday, April 16th, Glenn and Beverly Kafka celebrated their 30th Wedding Anniversary. If it wasn’t for their union, Kafka Granite would not be the successful family owned and operated business it is today.
Soon after her boyfriend had started his own business in 1979, Beverly Starzinski switched her course of study from fashion merchandising to business administration, in hopes that her skills could be supplemental to Glenn’s new start-up. On the weekends and during the summer, Bev would often come home from college and help Glenn work in his new decomposed granite pit. The day Beverly graduated from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Glenn had proposed. Less than one year later, on April 16th, 1983, they were married in Glenn’s hometown of Stratford, Wisconsin.
Beverly was one of Glenn’s first employees, and she soon learned that marrying an entrepreneur wasn’t a very lavish lifestyle. Every morning before the sun came up, Glenn and Beverly would head to work. While Glenn was off bidding road jobs and searching for new raw material, Bev would load trucks in the quarry and do paperwork from her car. Early on, Beverly has memories of standing on the crusher on Easter Sunday. Nearly everyday for about 7 years, Beverly would come home with dusty, dirty hair and without a paycheck, all in hope that her husband’s new business could someday be a success.
As the company grew, Bev was soon able to secure an office job, where she managed all of Kafka Granite’s administrative functions. In conjunction with the growth of the company, Beverly’s responsibility has increased significantly. Although she is often behind the scenes, her strong character and work ethic have been instrumental in building the company to what it is today.
While growing a successful small business, Glenn and Beverly also raised two children: Christopher, 26, and Tiffany, 21. With their parents’ support and guidance, Chris and Tiffany have both found passion in the business, and are actively involved. Kafka Granite is positioning itself to continue into the next generation.
Congratulations on 30 years, Glenn and Beverly!
