Originally from Wroclaw, Poland, Robert Krolikiewicz has built a successful life for himself in the U.S., but it didn’t come without its share of struggles. He first immigrated to Chicago when he was in his early twenties. With the English language being a challenge, he enrolled in English classes and took a job cleaning stores to earn a living. After some time, Krolikiewicz left the city and migrated to Florida after remembering a postcard his father once sent while visiting there. Once settled, he founded International Artistic Stone in Sarasota, FL, in 1999 — a full-service stone fabrication shop offering an elite palette of natural stone and quartz materials.
“I came from a small world and landed in the immigration department in the middle of Chicago,” explained Krolikiewicz. “I cleaned stores for five to six months and then I said, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ “