Organization Man
Navy vet goes where he’s needed most
Long before Dean Gonsior retired from the Navy in
April ’02, he knew he wanted a second—
nonmilitary—career. “A lot of people retire and stay involved
as a consultant, etc.,” he says. “I always wanted to open
my own business.”
Gonsior explored many franchise concepts, as well
as starting an independent business, before deciding on
Tropical Smoothie Café. And with the help of his wife
Sue, and her 20-plus years in the restaurant business,
they opened their first Tropical Smoothie Café in June
2001, nine months before he left the Navy. At retirement,
they already had two open.
“Knowing whether or not we’d be successful from day
one helped us with the transition,” he says. “My wife
and I have gone full-blown since our first location.”
Going full-blown is how Gonsior seems to approach
life. Fresh out of Navy life, they opened 16 stores in
3 years in their Hampton Roads, Va., territory. In the
beginning, Sue ran the day operations and he worked
nights. “She’s very hands-on,” says Gonsior, who now
Title: Area Developer, Hampton Roads, Va., and Chicago
Company: Tropical Smoothie Café
Years in franchising: 6 1/2
Years in current position: 6 1/2
No. of units (by brand): 32 in Hampton Roads; Chicago starting 2008
focuses on development and strategic planning.
During his time in the Navy, where he was a cryptologic
technician—encoding, decoding, and handling military
communications—Gonsior worked hard and rose quickly.
He retired after 22 years with the rank of Master Chief
Petty Officer, the highest enlisted rank. “Only 1 percent
are ever Master Chiefs,” he says.
“My position as Master Chief allowed me to be
more of a leader for junior sailors, and even junior officers,
to train and mentor them,” Gonsior says. His experience
in Pensacola, Fla., instructing junior officers in cryptology
for four years, also taught him to speak in front of people,
he adds.
In the Navy, he also had to deal constantly with different
people and personalities. “That’s the same in the
restaurant business—not only the kids we hire, but also
the customers coming in the door. You learn to adjust very
quickly,” he says.
In July 2004, with his 16 units the largest territory
in the system, Gonsior received a call from the company’s
