Meet Pat Smith | Founder and Chief Executive Officer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pat Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pat, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought was how to make social services more accessible to find for people in need while improving the quality of the places where nonprofits work. Nonprofits often use poor spaces in poor locations because that’s what they can afford. I thought, “What if we flipped the script?” Give nonprofits quality spaces and the support to do what they do best, and have someone else do the rest–take care of the building, the copier/printer, and provide a common receptionist. Do it at an affordable cost in a good location. Would that be a game-changer? The answer is YES! People can live 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, 3 minutes without air, but they can’t live 3 seconds without hope. We strive for Serve Denton and Serve Lewisville to be places of hope–where people KNOW they will find help here.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I retired from the Air Force as a colonel in 2008. During my career, I focused on large-scale construction and program management at various U.S. and Middle East locations. A few of those career highlights include working on the $1.5 billion Peace Shield command and control system for Saudi Arabia from 1987 to 1992. After Hurricane Andrew, I led the $125 million project to rebuild Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. I also served at the Pentagon, where he managed a $2.8 billion program for real property maintenance and services for all Air Force installations. I commanded the DoD Fire Academy in San Angelo, Texas, from 2000 to 2002. In this position, I led a significant expansion of graduates after 9/11 and created advanced training in weapons of mass destruction response and urban search and rescue. From 2002 to 2004, I served as Base Civil Engineer and commander of the 578-person 60th Civil Engineer Squadron at Travis Air Force Base in California. In 2003, I led Sheik Isa Air Base, Bahrain, build-up to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. This build-up involved completing $55 million of construction in six months. In 2004, I returned to Denton to command the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps detachment at the University of North Texas. In 2006, I led the Air Force’s housing privatization program, managing a $3.7 billion portfolio of homes and completing 10 $100M+ projects in two years.

It wasn’t easy. It meant four years of separation from my wife, Jana, and three sons–Matt, Drew, and Tim. Our faith in Jesus Christ kept us together.

My leadership style as a servant leader has set me apart. My mission statement is “To be a servant leader serving others for God’s glory.” That’s what I wake up thinking every morning. I share a leadership philosophy with everyone I work with that guides my daily actions and how I treat people. I have learned you must go slow if you want to go far and spend more time listening than talking. Plant seeds of ideas, let them grow, and ask others, “What do you think?”

I am most proud of Serve Denton and what it has become for Denton, and an example for other communities to follow.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take to Denton County Independent Hamburger for lunch followed by a visit to the Square and get Beth Marie’s ice cream. We would hang out at East Side Bar the next night and have a beer or two. We would spend a morning volunteering at Shiloh Field Community Garden and help harvest fruit and vegetables and take them to the local food pantries. I would take them to the Denton-Lake Cities Rotary breakfast on Tuesdays at the Oakmont Country Club and they could listen to me tell Boudreaux jokes, then go to Rudy’s BBQ for Kiwanis. We would catch the Mean Green Football Coach’s Show at Rudy’s on Thursday evening and hang out with Hank Dickenson and Dave Barnett. We would probably grab breakfast on a Friday morning at Seven Mile Cafe and enjoy our fire pit at home in the evening with a nice dinner.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate my shout-out to my Dad. He passed away in 2009. After he passed, I learned about his struggles as a young man. Eventually, he got a job and met Mom. When he retired from Xerox in 1979, he started a restaurant in Denton called Jim’s Diner that became popular. While he fed many people who came through the front door, he helped dozens through the back door as well who were struggling. When he passed away, people from across the country came to his memorial service to express their gratitude. When I asked them why they came so far, they all said, “Your Dad saved my life.” That convicted me, and I decided to leave my corporate job and enter full-time ministry. Out of that experience, the idea of Serve Denton was born.

Website: https://servedenton.org

Linkedin: Serve Denton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.smith.7967