Patricia Shaw was born in Santiago, Chile South America. She came to the United States in 1991, where she began her career in the transportation industry. Working for a small transportation company based in Southern California, Patricia honed her customer service skills and gained her operations knowledge as a client service representative to the fleet industry.   

In 2005, Patricia co-founded CLR with her husband, and long-time owner-operator, Chester LaPierre. Patricia jumped at the chance to build a company where her level of client care and strong work ethic, plus her ability to speak Spanish, would be the cornerstone for the future success CLR would earn. Her knowledge of the fleet industry, extensive experience in transportation operations and her tireless work ethic became the hallmark for both the culture and reputation CLR holds in the fleet industry today.  

In December of 2020, after the passing of her husband Chester, Patricia took over the role of President of CLR, along with complete ownership of the company, “My husband’s wishes were to continue what he and I set out to accomplish back in 2005,” says Patricia. “We set out to become the leading fleet transport partner, not the biggest. This is rooted in our culture; then and now.” “Early on, we faced the challenges of being a newcomer business and both a woman and minority owned enterprise,” continues Pat. “We never relented. We took our bumps and bruises. We learned and we grew.”  

Today, CLR’s significant growth and client portfolio are true testaments to how, when given the chance, a small minority woman-owned business can perform at the levels and volumes required to be included in some of the largest or most time-sensitive fleet deployment and relocation programs in the world.  

“In 2019, one of our now key accounts, took a chance on CLR to be part of a major fleet rollout,” explains Patricia. “Over the years, our team’s top performance in this program has opened the doors for CLR to work with many new clients and earn an expanded roll within our client’s own client base.” 

“We owe much of our successes to clients who commitment to giving minority and woman-owned businesses opportunities to prove themselves!”       

Honors 

·       Selected over hundreds of hopefuls to participate in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, in which Patricia Shaw is now a distinguished graduate. “Goldman Sachs made us all rethink our business model because our business and industry was continuously changing,” explains Patricia. 

·       Other important Awards & Recognitions: Woman of the Year given on 2012 by National Association of Professional Women. 

·       Winner of the Most Changed & Evolved Business 2013 Goldman Sachs Program 10,000 Small Business Program.