Patty can do anything she sets her mind to because she is Patty “Effing” Clisham! Tune in to find out about her show and tell projects and how she leads her Ductz and UPS employees!
This is Patty “effing” Clisham! Her exuberance and relatability are inspiring, and she has a lot of experience paving the way as a woman in a male-dominated industry. She tells us her dirty stories, talks leadership and makes us laugh. Tune in and tell us how you motivate yourself!
Ok, here’s a drive-thru version of how I got here. Or at least my kind of drive-thru! Use whatever you need, it’s hard to keep me from talking about my businesses. Can’t wait for this afternoon!
I have always kind of had non-normal jobs for a woman. Very first job at 16 I worked at a full-service gas station and pumped gas, checked the oil and washed the windows. I loved it! I also worked right next door at a restaurant as a waitress. That taught me the importance of time management and priorities. And also working with the public. That experience came in very handy later in life. I was a soils technician on the groundbreaking building of a General Motors plant here in Missouri, that was fun and educational. I took drafting at Tech School high school because my father would not sign the paperwork for me to be in the auto mechanics program. But having that experience got me a drafting job for Honeywell International where I learned anything and everything about building automation and temperature control.
Interesting, but I did not want to sit at a desk for the rest of my life. I went back to school so I could be a field service technician. Bingo! That was my calling. Troubleshooting electronics and making things work. Great career, but I still wanted more. I had difficulty getting promoted so I went to another company that appreciated my ability to be technical and also manage people. That was short-lived when that company was bought by Johnson Controls. So here I was back at another large male-dominated company and no chance at being promoted.
It was here that I decided that if I was going to work this hard, I wanted to work for myself. So I started looking at owning a franchise. I found DUCTZ! There was not one in my area so I saw an opportunity to use my background in building operations and my desire to control my own destiny to start my new career. I purchased the very first DUCTZ Franchise in St. Louis in 2007. No one had ever even heard of DUCTZ before then. We are practically a family name to many HVAC companies, mechanical contractors, general contractors, luxury home builders and the list goes on.
About 6 years ago, I had the opportunity to purchase a UPS Store Franchise as an investment for the future. I saw a great deal of potential in growing that store and I have had double-digit growth each year. The UPS Store is a completely different animal than the DUCTZ Franchise. One retail and one service-oriented. Different set of skills to manage each which is interesting.
Along the way, I have been involved in many industry organizations and networking opportunities to educate others about my businesses and connect people. I have lived in the St. Louis area all my life and have never met a stranger. My mother told me when I was very young that I would talk to anyone about anything… and she was right and I believe it has served me well.
Sounds crazy, but I couldn’t be happier!  I work long, hard hours some weeks. But I’m working for me and holding myself accountable. Who knows where I’ll end up. I feel like I’m just getting warmed up!
