Kristin Calandra
Vice President, Calandra’s Enterprises
Kristin Calandra knows the value of hard work. Since childhood, she has contributed to her family’s burgeoning business, Calandra’s Enterprises. The company began with a bakery started by her grandfather in 1958. Over the years, the enterprise has grown to include the three bakeries, four hotels, and three restaurants.
Now Vice President of Calandra’s Enterprises, Kristin has spent years preparing for her role. “I loved the business from childhood and knew that this would become my life’s work. So, I prepared for my future early on,” she says. As a child, she worked in the bakery as a cashier and at the hotels’ front desks. She studied at Farleigh Dickenson University, receiving a bachelor’s and master’s degree in hospitality management. Her degrees armed her with the necessary information to manage a successful business.
Kristin shares the operations of Calandra’s Enterprises with her father, uncle, brother, and cousin. As the first female in ownership, she represents
the third generation, bringing a woman’s touch to the table but with a keen
sense of business. She introduced
the company to social media, thus expanding its advertising.
Kristin values all seven hundred workers at Calandra Enterprises, whom she calls Team Calandra Members. She works side by side with the employees, doing whatever is necessary to ensure the smooth operation of the business. “It’s what I love, and I’ve always done whatever I can to make it work,”
she says.
Calandra’s Enterprises,
www.calandras.com
