Lieutenant Colonel Nora Garono has taken many paths in life, though she never seems to choose the easy ones.  LTC Garono is an American hero, an officer in the U.S. Army, a corporate America pro and an entrepreneur.

LTC Garono spent 20 years as a member of the U.S. Army, completing 6 tours of duty to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Italy, Germany and Korea.

During her first combat tours of duty to Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, LTC Garono’s job was to render safe unexploded munitions and disarm bombs just like in The Hurt Locker (a 2008 Oscar winner), though the technology was not as advanced then.

In her most recent tour to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, her mission was to advise an Iraqi General who ran a prominent Iraqi military school, critical to equipping and sustaining the Iraqi Security Ministries in the country.

Between tours, LTC Garono spent several years in the Army Reserves.  During that time, she worked with International Paper as a supply chain analyst.

In 2008, LTC Garono decided she was ready to own her own business, and she bought a Fibrenew territory in Memphis, Tennessee.  As a Fibrenew franchisee, she has developed the skill and craft of refurbishing damaged leather furniture, car and boat seats and leather office furniture.

She can also work on repairing damaged plastic parts.

Shortly after she opened her business, LTC Garono was called to serve another tour in Iraq.  She returned to Memphis in the fall of 2010 and is jumping right back into the community and into her business.  She is actively plugged into the community, a member of a number of business and social organizations, and her business is quickly gaining speed.