DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS

PETER PIETRAS

Favorite quote:
“You will always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”
— Wayne Gretzky

Your role: Servant - Leader. My daily motivation is to support others, and that has 1000’s of different looks. Put the needs of others ahead of yourself. It makes for an interesting journey.

Favorite movie: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The comedy was simple and pure. It had some of the greatest comedic personalities and Hollywood star power of all time. Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Buddy Hackett, Phil Silvers, Jonathan Winters, Don Knotts, Jim Backus, - and that’s just in the first scene! As a little kid, it was the only movie that my Dad would let me stay up late night to watch. I can’t say the title without laughing out loud!

Favorite characters: Indiana Jones.

Favorite restaurant: Lou Malnati’s – the deep dish, butter crust pizza with spinach, mushroom and garlic. This is its own food group. The memories this pizza congers up cover more than half of my life. The scent alone creates an emotional rush!

Favorite home-cooked meal: As a child, it was Mom’s Lasagna. She would make it for my birthday! Today, anything my wife and I cook at home. Our skills are limited but our enthusiasm is not. The camaraderie in the kitchen always brings us back for more.

Place I would like to visit: Easter Island – for the statues. Christmas Island – for the late-fall red crab migration. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – just because.

What family means: It’s who you’re connected with for whatever reason. I come from and have a small family. It’s tight, and we’re close. But those that I’d call family, the people that I’d “go to mat for” and who’d do the same for me, is a much larger group. I’m very fortunate.

KEI is a great place because: The people! I’ve worked with great teams, but there is something special here – and it all revolves around the people. A caring environment, with teammates all pulling in the same direction.

Most meaningful accomplishment: Earning my Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor licenses. There was much I learned about myself through this process, literally and figuratively.

Most important lesson I have learned: The value of listening – I’m reminded of this every single day.

Best advice I can give: Pay attention to little things – they matter.

5 people I would like to meet: Warren Buffet, Dolly Parton, My Grandparents (Mom’s parents), The Wrecking Crew (they come as a package, look ‘em up), Walt Disney

What’s your dream job: Resource Team Leader for a self-perpetuating philanthropic organization. I have a plan around that - it starts with winning the lottery!

Favorite up north spot: They are all pretty great, still looking for my favorite

If you had a time machine, where would you go: The late ‘50’s, early ‘60’s, anywhere in the United States - so much history, timeless music, a young nation finding itself and coming of age.

First job: Mowing lawns (imagine that) and delivering newspapers. They were great opportunities to learn – many of those experiences helped shape who I am today. Kudos to my parents for providing encouragement (and a kick in the butt) early on.