---
title: "East Valley Tribune: Mesa Veteran Switches Career To New Floor Store"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/fe1f08d0-c0a0-4041-a215-e981da3f12c2
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/east-valley-tribune-mesa-veteran-switches-career-to-new-floor-store-2711660
category: "Flooring"
industry: "Home Services"
segment: "Flooring"
published: 2019-12-03T22:17:23.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:04:45.795Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/e979a61de3d0c9bb3037cc58603403b77031.jpg
---

# East Valley Tribune: Mesa Veteran Switches Career To New Floor Store

**TL;DR:** Steve Smith, a veteran with a diverse career background, has become a Footprints Floors franchisee in Mesa, Arizona. He was drawn to the flooring installation brand due to the area's flourishing housing market and his desire to connect with people.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-12-03. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/east-valley-tribune-mesa-veteran-switches-career-to-new-floor-store-2711660).*

## Story

Steve Smith, the Footprints Floors franchisee of Mesa, Arizona has lead quite the career path, according to a recent article in the East Valley Tribune . It is hard to find something he has not done. Smith is a former Air Force OB-GYN, Army field medic, junior high school science teacher and volunteer fireman, among several other positions. Now, he is looking forward to connecting with the communities of the East Valley in his latest endeavor, Footprints Floors.

“It’s the people thing,” Smith told the East Valley Tribune. “This is about people who do floors, it isn’t a flooring thing. It’s another place for me to go out and enjoy talking to people.”

Smith turned to the flooring installation brand when he saw a need in the Valley’s flourishing housing market. This is his first time owning a franchise.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Home Services (sector)
- franchisee story (topic)
- Footprints Floors (company)
- career transition (topic)
- flooring installation (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/east-valley-tribune-mesa-veteran-switches-career-to-new-floor-store-2711660). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/fe1f08d0-c0a0-4041-a215-e981da3f12c2).