Her Story
About Krystal
Krystal Kish entered the defense industry in 2008 after beginning her career in corporate roles right out of high school. She started as a receptionist at KUCA and advanced into accounting while pursuing studies in finance, later becoming project controller for the company's aerospace unit. During her time there, she gained experience in ITAR compliance and government regulations. After KUCA was acquired by AIT, she built an ITAR policy and procedures from scratch for the new organization. Recognizing gaps in supplier compliance, she founded her own company in 2018 to provide comprehensive consulting services in ITAR compliance, CPSR, registration, training, and related government compliance needs. As a business owner, she handles all aspects of operations and credits her success to delivering a unique service that clients need, combined with strong networking and establishing a specialized niche. Krystal values giving her all, maintaining honesty, and fairness in her work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Krystal
01What do you attribute your success to?
My success comes from having a unique service that people need, combined with networking and carving out a niche in government compliance. Networking has been key to building my business through referrals.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice is that there's never a 'you can't.' There's a 'you won't,' but there's never a 'you can't.' You can always do something regardless of the direction.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't give up. There's going to be challenges, especially as a young woman in manufacturing or defense fields where you might be judged or not taken seriously. Believe in yourself, prove yourself to you, and keep going. It's a good ol' boys club but things are changing.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is politics and how rules and regulations change from one administration to another, affecting small businesses' pocketbooks. There's also a lack of structure and too much interpretation in ITAR compliance. The opportunity is for the government to create more structured guidance, audits, and mandatory training/certification for ITAR similar to CPSR to help small businesses.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Giving it my all, being an honest business person, and being fair.
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