Photo by Michael Williams
Pat Bondurant
Bondurant, CEO and president of Bondurant Racing School, is at the forefront, along with her husband Bob, at the world-famous, Valley-based racing school that brings tens of millions of dollars to the Phoenix-area economy each year. Prior to her current career, Bondurant found success in the fields of aerospace, architecture, television, fashion and more. Most important, though, she has a passion for giving and has raised millions of dollars for hundreds of charities in the Valley and beyond.
You have worked in a variety of male-dominated fields. How did you push forward in those fields to find success?
There was no real push for me to get ahead or move forward in those male-dominated industries; it was honestly where I had the talent and hustled working the 12-hour days, seven days a week right along with the men. If the promotion or opening was there, and if it was offered to me, my responsibility was to take the challenge to do my best and advance. The bosses were not easy on each other or me, so if you carried your load, you maintained respect.
What do you hope for the future of Bondurant Racing School?
My desire for the Bondurant Racing School is to follow Bob’s lead on how he would like to see its world-renowned legacy continue. Bob is a very loved and respected celebrity world champion race car driver; he started the school 50 years ago and, as of lately, indicated that he would like to slow down. He has unapologetically spent his entire adult life working and living his passion—which has become my passion, too. As the president and CEO, I am ready to take us higher because right now we are at a real crossroads. Either start ramping up, growing in a new direction by offering much-requested Bondurant franchises around the world, continue as is or consider other options. We are a family-owned business. Our son Jason Bondurant is the VP and participates in all the family succession plan meetings on how to best direct Bondurant’s future.
You are dedicated to so many causes in the Valley. How do you decide which organizations to devote yourself to?
Charitable work is incredibly important to me and our family. My senior year in high school, I was in a very bad car accident. I was pronounced deceased at the scene of the accident. When I came back into my 17-year-old teenage body, I had been shown one profound thing about life: that it is a privilege to be here on this earth and that all of us need to live every day as if it’s our last. Once you do cross over, you better make sure that you did everything in your power to take care of those in need, both people and animals. My charity choices support my community, primarily for the children. Childhelp, St. Jude’s, Barrow’s Neurological Institute, Treasure House and Animal Healing Hearts will always be on the top of my list.
What influence do you hope to have on the Valley?
To show that it is possible to a full week, have an intense schedule to facilitate a company, all its employees, sponsors, family and yet somehow make the time to give of yourself to get involved in the charity world in any way that you can. I encourage everyone to start today, and find a charitable cause that you can relate to and give it all you have. It matters.
What are some of your free-time passions?
My free-time passions are to continue to give my husband the best days of his life right now; we are so much alike that we do everything together. Enjoy fabulous cars, friends, read good books, write daily on his autobiography, work on his racing archives, go to the movies and plays, great restaurants. My extravagant holiday-decorating skills are pretty famous and anything to do with arts and crafts just thrills me year round! Yep. I go from 7,000 RPMs in a race car shifting to full throttle on my hot glue gun trigger. You gotta love life.
