Title: Franchise Owner
Company: Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa
Location: Hummelstown, PA United States

After retiring from corporate America, Penny Patterson Smith decided she wanted a career in a feel-good industry where she could use her knowledge and expertise to provide services that people would enjoy.  Thus, she felt it was a natural progression to join Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, a health, wellness and fitness company that specializes in massages, facials and hair removal. Ms. Patterson Smith currently owns two franchises, one in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and the other in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is inspired in her career by her own internal drive; when she sees the impact she makes on companies and people, it validates what she does and why.

Prior to her current role, Ms. Patterson Smith worked for The Hershey Company, where she gained a unique ability to solve problems and forecast trends and dynamics before they happened. She also has a strong marketing background, and adds a human component to the mix. Ms. Patterson Smith attributes her success to her mother, who showed her that she could do anything she wanted to do in life. Furthermore, she is willing to explore outside her comfort zone, and feels that living on the edge is where the fun begins.

Looking to the future, Ms. Patterson Smith’s professional goal is to have her two spas be sustainable and profitable. On a more personal level, she wants to continue to give back. Ms. Patterson Smith already participates in the Woman’s Unlimited Master Network, and supports the Central Food Bank, the Boy Scouts, Go Red, the Avon Breast Walk, and United Way. When she isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her sons at their sports venues and events, reading, photography, cooking, and hiking.

Along the way, Ms. Patterson Smith earned an MBA in business and policy studies from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in government and economics from Skidmore College.