J. Patrick Spainhour
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
The ServiceMaster Company

Pat Spainhour was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the ServiceMaster Company in July 2006 after serving this role in an interim capacity. He has been a member of the ServiceMaster Board of Directors since 2005.

Previously, Pat served as Chairman and CEO of Ann Taylor Stores Corporation, where he started serving in that capacity in August of 1996. Prior to this appointment, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of the company.

As Chairman and CEO at Ann Taylor Corporation, Pat spearheaded a strategic plan to strengthen the company's operational foundation and focus all associates' efforts toward creating a service culture for Ann Taylor clients. He also made great strides in evolving the company's organizational approach toward a values-based culture focused on collaboration and innovation.

Pat's career began in 1972 at the Kellwood Company upon graduation from Mississippi State University. There he rose to the position of Vice President/Finance and Administration in the St. Louis office by the early 1980s. In 1983, he began a 5-year stint as Executive Vice President/Finance and Operations for Seminole Manufacturing.

In August 1988, Pat became Senior Vice President of Sourcing at Gap, Inc. in San Francisco and in early 1993 moved to Boston as Executive Vice President/Finance and Operations for the Stride Rite Corporation. In August 1994, he was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Donna Karan Company.

Pat and his wife live in the Memphis area.

Return to Executive Leader Biographies