Kristina Rosalez & Josh King

Kristina: Owner/Beautician, Graceful Beauty Lounge
Josh: Maintenance Supervisor, Daimler Freightliner

Native of
Kristina: Clovis, California
Josh: Fairfax, Vermont

Industry: Manufacturing & Beauty

Kristina Rosalez and Josh King have adopted Rowan County, arriving here by way of California where they met while Josh was stationed there. Josh had decided at a young age he would settle down in North Carolina. “I was introduced to North Carolina at a young age and fell in love with the weather, activities, and geography of the area.” he says. “The Navy gave me humanitarian orders to finish my active duty out in Charlotte and after I was out, we decided to stay.”

Kristina says she was extremely nervous about her move across the country two and a half years ago. She owned a salon in Clovis, CA, that she opened at the age of 21 and had a full clientele but knew she could take her talent and skills across the country and still thrive. North Carolina was never her goal, but she has fallen in love with the state and the area. “I have fallen in love with the community and feel of the town,” she says. “I love the small-town feel without actually being a small town. The community is very involved and becomes more like a family the more you get to know everyone. Both living and working here has been a great experience.”

Josh says that his job at Daimier Freightliner aligned with the work he did with the Navy, from the structure to camaraderie. He helped to start an apprenticeship program that trains employees in the skilled trades needed by the truck manufacturer and works with the Rowan Talent Task Force as the skilled trades’ hiring manager for Daimler. He enjoys the benefits, time off, and working schedule.

Kristrina and Josh are fans of Rowan County’s many parks. Dan Nicholas Park is family-friendly with mini-golf, biking with their kids, and exploring, which the kids love. They have four children: Rylee and Dominic are both 10; Scarlett is 6; and Alessandra, 1. Josh’s favorite is Salisbury Community Park, another good place for biking the trails and playing softball. Daughter Rylee was a member of the championship Rowan Little League team and Scarlett and Dominic thrive as gymnasts. 

Kristina directs new people to her favorite, Dan Nicholas. “That’s what we have my mom do when she visits,” she says. “There’s lots of stuff to do for the kids and adults. Our favorite is riding bikes and the great playground area.”

Kristina’s favorite restaurant is Ari’s Pizza in China Grove, not only for the great pizzas but also because of the relationship that she developed with the owner. “He gave me lots of advice when I opened my business,” she says. “The advice that stood out to me was to not overwork myself and put my kids first because it’s easy to lose yourself in a business.” Josh’s favorite is City Tavern for its atmosphere, good food, and the place to watch games.

The couple’s favorite event is the beer crawls and Wine About Winter, where they served wine at Kristina’s business, Graceful Beauty Lounge, and got to connect to the community more. “It was my first downtown event and did a lot to put my business name out to the community. I gained friends and clients that night.” Kristina says. 

The couple has found Salisbury/Rowan a good place to raise their family. Residents of South Rowan, they are active at their children’s school, Bostian Elementary, where Kristina works with the PTA.

Josh describes the county slogan, Be an Original,™ as meaning that Rowan is “a thriving community with a vast array of opportunities to achieve what you want.” His advice: “There’s a lot of amazing events in Rowan. Get into local groups and pages to find events going on in the area. Kristina’s business is a member of Rowan Salisbury Chamber of Commerce, and they say it’s a resourceful guide to small businesses in the area. 

Kristina says that she has found Salisbury/Rowan “a lot more connected than you would imagine. Positivity will spread like wildfire amongst the community.” She loves to support new businesses in the area.