Laura Kreisman

President, Universi-T’s/Corporate Identi-T’s

Joel Kreisman

Vice President, Universi-T’s/Corporate Identi-T’s; President, Five Star Land Investment

AGE: Laura: 40; Joel: 45  |  YEARS LIVED IN MID-MISSOURI: Laura: 22; Joel: 27
ORIGINAL HOMETOWN: Both: St. Louis
EDUCATION: Laura: St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Louis; bachelor’s degree in journalism from MU in 1992. Joel: Ladue High School in St. Louis; bachelor’s degree in fine art from MU in 1987
JOB DESCRIPTION: Laura: I handle the day-to-day business operations of the business, including employee matters, invoicing, payroll, health insurance and accounts payable — the glamorous side of things. Joel: I direct sales and marketing for the company.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Laura: Right now my greatest involvement is the work I do at Grant Elementary School, my children’s home away from home. Joel: I second what Laura said. We look at our kids’ activities as our primary “causes” currently. I love helping coach my son’s soccer team. We also donate and work with many local nonprofits to better those organizations through the business. We are big supporters of Boys & Girls Club and the United Way.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: Laura: After graduating in 1992, I spent the next eight years working on public health policy. With a federal grant, I worked with the Department of Health and MU. When our first child was less than a year old, I made the move to work at Universi-T’s/Corporate Identi-T’s with Joel. It was a natural transition because of my advertising and public relations background. I’m also a little better with managing the paperwork than my other half. Joel: While finishing my education at MU, I was working for the local screen printer Creative Sportswear. When the owner decided to relocate to Florida, I decided to open my own screen-printing business, Universi-T’s. As I evolved as a businessperson, the business followed suit and moved us from mostly college apparel to all sorts of corporate and small-business work. We incorporated under Corporate Identi-T’s in 1997. In 2005, Laura had become more involved in the day-to-day operations of the business, and I had more time to follow my passion for design and building. I started Five Star Land development, and our first big project was the 10,000-square-foot building that is the new home of Universi-T’s/Corporate Identi-T’s Inc.
A COLUMBIA BUSINESSPERSON I ADMIRE AND WHY: Laura: We meet so many fascinating people through the business, as well as our friends. I could never just pick one. I will say all the people whom I admire the most share some common traits: They are creative, have vision for their business and the community, are problem solvers, have incredible integrity and have a good sense of humor. Joel: I really admire Dennis Harper. He was the landlord of the building my boss was renting during college. I admired his business sense and entrepreneurial spirit. I admire the integrity that he shows with everything he does. When I started my own business, he was generous with his knowledge and encouragement. I think he is a great person and a huge asset to the Columbia business community.
WHY I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT MY JOB: Laura: I love all the different interesting people we meet every day. No two days are the same, and it makes coming to work very stimulating. I also like that I get to work with my husband; it makes getting a day off for my sick kids pretty easy! Joel: I think of myself as a problem solver. I love that I get to use my creative side with my problem-solving skills to find solutions for my customers. I consider their successes to be my successes.
IF I WEREN’T DOING THIS FOR A LIVING, I WOULD: Laura: In my dreams, I’m a writer. Joel: I’d be a chef in my own restaurant in Healdsburg, Calif.
BIGGEST CAREER OBSTACLE I’VE OVERCOME AND HOW: Laura: For me it is sort of twofold. I have been working more in the past few years because our kids are both now in school, so I was transitioning from being more home-focused to more work-focused while trying to rediscover my strengths in the workplace. All the while we were experiencing one of the most difficult economic periods to be in business of our generation. Joel: Losing my dad a month into owning my business was really a blow. He taught me everything I know about this industry, and losing him, his encouragement, his wisdom, his industry knowledge… losing that voice was really tough.
A FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT: Laura: Potty-training two new puppies in the house. We’ll see how it turns out. Joel: Restoring a 1978 FJ40 Land Cruiser to better-than-new condition.
FAMILY: We have been married for 15 years, and we have a 10-year-old daughter in fifth grade and a 7-year-old son in first grade. We also have three dogs: Teddy, Mac and Stella.
WHAT TACTICS DO YOU USE TO BALANCE WORKPLACE AND FAMILY DEMANDS: Laura: I try to leave work at work and focus on my home and family when I’m there. My dad was especially good at this and set a great example of when you walk in the door, you are a parent and not a businessperson. Your kids don’t need to know or care about what happened today at work or what is in store tomorrow. They just want to tell you about their day, show you their work and have you focus on them. Joel: Ditto.
WHAT WE DO FOR FUN: Laura: We try to spend a lot of time with friends. We do a lot of family activities with our friends and their kids. We also love Paul’s wine tastings at Top Ten Wines, MU football games, Murry’s. We have also taken many amazing trips. Joel: I love to play golf when I get the chance, which is not very often these days. We also love taking great trips: wine country in California, the beach, the desert in Arizona.
FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA: Laura: Ragtag Cinema: A glass of wine, a few friends and a great movie is perfect. Joel: Tailgating at an MU football game on a beautiful fall afternoon.
ACCOMPLISHMENT I’M MOST PROUD OF: Laura: I guess I’d say I’m proud of my family. I had no idea how difficult it was to have a strong marriage, raise kids, work, maintain your home, have friends, spend time with your extended family, to balance all the things that make life worth living. But I think we are managing to keep all the balls in the air and have a pretty good time in the process. Joel: I’d say having been in business in Columbia for 21 years, 15 years of marriage and 10 years as a parent — that is, when they aren’t driving me crazy!
MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT I: Laura: Now if I tell you, everyone will know. Joel: That I traveled to see more than 60 Grateful Dead shows from 1984 to 1995 and saw Jerry Garcia’s last performance at Soldier Field in Chicago.