Patty Piatak: Our commitment to Carlisle United & community

And the businesswoman says they intend to embed themselves fully into the Blues’ community.

The Piataks were househunting in the Carlisle area yesterday as they aim to set up a long-term base in the area.

It follows their takeover of the Blues and their statement of long-term ambitions for the Brunton Park club.

Moving to Carlisle

“I need to be here. We feel our presence is needed,” said Patty.

“You have to be here to learn and understand some of the different things we can do for the community and how we can build on what’s already there.

“It’s not like it’s not there, we just need to build on it, make it better and shine that diamond.

“It’s going to be for years and years. I’m excited to have my family engrained more and more in this community. I was telling Tom and Alice [our son and daughter-in-law] how exciting it could be for potential grandkids to have time in schools here, and the States, and maybe just here – they may say, ‘Hey, I’m staying in Carlisle’.

“All these opportunities are open and we’re going to make sure we take advantage of every opportunity we have to build the club and our family experiences.”

Patty and the six-strong family are in the early stages of their ownership, having received a huge welcome from United supporters.

She reaffirmed the family’s belief in the club’s existing staff but said the potential for growth was also there.

Patty Piatak (Image: Barbara Abbott)

“We dig in when we do business ventures. We have not done anything without thorough thought, planning and bringing the right teams together,” she said.

“We’re so blessed to have such a strong home base with the Brunton Park people, the folks that are in place – there will be no changes there because they’re wonderful.

“So it’s just building on what exists. If that means bringing on more people as we grow and change, it will be wonderful opportunities for the people of Carlisle.”

Dividing their time

Patty said she and the family are confident they can give all the time needed to the Blues despite also overseeing their logistics businesses back home in Jacksonville, Florida.

“It’s like any family – you spend your time where it’s most needed. If you have five children and one needs you more, you tend to spend a little more time with that one,” she said.

“In this case, our business in Jacksonville, Florida runs beautifully – we’ve got the right people in place, and that’s why we took our time in moving into the sport venture that we knew we were going to eventually do.

“We knew we had to get our home base and business into a position where it would be able to support us being away.

“We all play critical roles in the business but we can do it remotely and we have the right people there to get the day to day done.

“So this is going to be our focus and that’s why we are actively looking for a home. We have to be here.”

Aiming for success

Patty said the family have big ambitions for United but stressed that the sort of long-term changes they want to oversee will take time.

“We’re going to go through it very methodically,” she said.

“We’re going to address the things we need to do right away for League One, for Paul [Simpson], the players, their families – they’re very important.

“We need to work on that training facility, we need to find the land. We need the community to help us with that.

Patty Piatak and her family have been speaking to the media (Image: Barbara Abbott)

“It’s about moving forward in the right direction, slowly, calculated, getting done what we need at the right time.

“But getting through the list, I don’t want to stop at top five. It’s going to take time, so I would ask everyone, have a little patience. And patience is hard, but that’s what we need, because it’s going to happen.”

Skill sets

Patty explained her own business role and the kind of skill sets she intends to bring to United.

“When you’re in business you wear many hats,” she said.

“We’re blessed that our children went through university and trusted us to come back and work at the business [Magellan Transport Logistics].

“And then we were able to give them some of the hats – Alice took HR, which is booming, and she absolutely wanted to take that and run with it, even though she graduated in finance.

“Our son Tom is in risk management and daughter Jenna in marketing, and we’re blessed they came back, because they didn’t have to.

“Wearing all the hats…that’s how you know your business, if you’ve been involved in different aspects.

“Now, I do a lot of the diversity – we are veteran owned – and sustainability, and corporate responsibility. Those are buzzwords, and in corporate American – we’re privately held – sometimes they do the bare minimum.

“Sometimes Patty will spend a little bit more because she wants to do it the right way. I’m in that building too. I care about Mother Earth. That’s my role – that lady right now, the overseer.

“But I’m still very involved in sales, and with our people at Magellan, I’m engrossed in that.

“I want our people to have a good day, I want their families to be happy, I want them to have time off with their families – family first, in our opinion. I want our people happy and I want them to stay. Having longevity in a job shows something.”

Patty and Tom Piatak meet young fans before the Charlton game (Image: Barbara Abbott)

Patty accepts the family has much to learn as they adjust to life as United’s owners, but she is confident they have good people to consult along the way.

“We have met community leaders, some business leaders, and the fabulous Nigel [Clibbens, United’s chief executive] and Suzanne [Kidd, finance director] who have driven this club when they didn’t have much to do from a financial standpoint, and couldn’t always say yes.

“I’m hoping we are able to help with the word yes, and positivity, and smiles – that is my mantra.”

Family and business interests

Patty said the family’s long-held passion for sport will be satisfied by their venture with the Blues – while they are also considering expanding their logistics business into the UK.

“We are a sports family – we’ve always been involved in every kind of sport,” she said.

“Tom II was always more on the football side – we’re involved in football, tennis, baseball, but with football, T II was driving it, and when we looked at it as a family long-term about what are we going to invest in, we thought that this is going to be a family affair, not just Tom and Patty – this is the Piatak family.

“That’s how we got here.”

On the potential of growing their business interests in the UK, Patty added: “It is something Tom and I have discussed. There’s the time changes, that presents challenges for us, but there are opportunities because logistics is 24/7.

“Tom and I have talked about opening a satellite office here and continuing to grow Magellan, which could also help Carlisle, the community, jobs and a whole different skill set for folks who have maybe never worked in logistics. It’s fast moving, exciting and an opportunity for growth.”

The welcome from Blues fans

Patty, meanwhile, said the welcome the family received from fans at the Charlton Athletic game on Saturday was an overwhelming experience.

“It was surreal. I had such a wonderful time and warm welcome. I could not feel more blessed or my heart be fuller,” she said.

“It’s truly been an unbelievable experience and one of the best days of my life.

“The warm welcome has been truly from the beginning when everyone started to find out who we are.

“Everyone has brought great ideas forward, given us plans from their perspective. I appreciate that because they have been here so long, they know what was, what will be and can be.

“And to have the game day experience with everyone, and the energy and electricity, it was unparalleled.”