Built to Last: The People-First Story Behind the Glen A. Davidson Legacy Award

For more than 35 years, PATLive has operated on a simple idea: exceptional customer experiences are built by exceptional people. That idea took us from a founder-led startup to a trusted, long-term partner for thousands of businesses across the country. The Glen A. Davidson Legacy Award reflects the values that shaped PATLive from the start and honors the people who continue to bring them to life.

Grab a coffee. We’re sharing a story about a founder, two standout humans, and why the culture behind your calls matters.

The Long Game of Trust 

In business, trust isn’t a faucet you can turn on; it’s more like a well you dig inch by inch, day by day. And if you don’t maintain it, it runs dry. Our founder, Glen A. Davidson, built a company on that idea. Around here, character counts: integrity, ownership, hospitality, and accountability guide who we hire, how we measure quality, and how we show up for each other and for our customers.

The Glen A. Davidson Legacy Award exists to honor that origin story and, crucially, to keep it alive. Because legacies don’t sustain themselves; people do.

Why We Made an Award Out of a Value

Values are only as good as your willingness to defend them when it’s inconvenient. As we grew, we faced a tough question: How do we make sure the values that got us here don’t get diluted as we expand and add people, products, and customers?

We landed on two answers: 

1. Write them down clearly, publicly, where they can be held up and held to, and 
2. Celebrate the people who live them habitually, visibly, and meaningfully.

So we did both. We articulated guiding principles that set the tone for how we serve customers and how we treat one another. Things like:

• We answer to our customers, not distant investors.
• We never sacrifice customer experience nor compromise on quality.
• We share the data and earn the trust.
• We put ourselves in our customer’s shoes.

The award takes those principles out of the poster frame on the wall and into day-to-day work. It recognizes individuals who go above and beyond to serve our customers with care, accountability, and professionalism every single day. 

Nominations come from peers and leaders who’ve seen their colleagues embodying these guiding principles that make PATLive who we are. The evaluation looks beyond numbers to how the work gets done. Did someone put the customer first by putting themselves in the customer’s shoes, earn trust through transparency or protect quality, even under pressure?

That’s the heart of the Glen A. Davidson Legacy Award: a spotlight for consistent character that builds trust in our clients.

Meet the Inaugural Recipients: Two Different Roles, One Shared Compass

“Duane and Jessica represent the very best of who we are as an organization. They don’t just live our values, they strengthen them. Their leadership, accountability, and care for both customers and teammates reflect the legacy Glen built and the future we are committed to protecting.” — PATLive CEO Jackie Gonzalez, Esq.

Choosing our first honoree was harder than expected, in the best way. The nominations were deep, detailed, and heartfelt. Instead of selecting a single winner, we honored two people who exemplify the same values in very different arenas:

• Jessica Brennan — Client Experience Manager, Signature Service
• Duane Gilbert — Senior Developer & Engineer

Let’s talk about what they do, how they do it, and why they stood out.

Jessica Brennan: Clarity, Ownership, and Care

Since joining PATLive in 2019, Jessica has built a reputation for raising her hand whenever help is needed and doing the work to make things better. She tackles complex customer issues, helps teammates navigate change, and even launched a weekly internal newsletter that turns a flood of updates into clear, usable guidance for staff across the US. Colleagues routinely recognize her for being open and kind, for making it feel safe to ask for help, and for pitching in wherever a new team or new responsibility needs momentum. 

What sets Jessica apart shows up in small, steady habits:

1. Clarity over noise. She communicates plainly and consistently, so everyone walks away understanding next steps.
2. Ownership without ego. She takes on hard problems and stays with them until they’re fully resolved (and never expects credit for it).
3. Empathy that lifts others. She makes asking for help feel safe. Internally, that accelerates problem-solving with colleagues. Externally, that turns tense moments into trust-building moments.

Today, as Client Experience Manager for our Signature Service team, Jessica designs and safeguards high-touch experiences for customers with complex, evolving needs. Her professional hospitality shows up in every interaction and brings our vision and mission to life.

Duane Gilbert: Reliability, Stability, and Integrity 

Duane joined PATLive in 2000, and for more than a quarter century (!) he’s been a steady force behind the scenes building, maintaining, and modernizing the systems that keep us running. From legacy architecture to today’s platforms (including PATLive Flex), he connects dots across eras of our technology so calls route correctly, data flows seamlessly, and teams can do their best work. Ask around and you’ll hear the same themes: when an alert pings at 1:00 a.m., Duane responds; when a teammate is stuck, he sets aside his own tasks to help; when stability is on the line, he chooses the “right” fix over the fast one. 

Duane’s signature traits :

1. Responsiveness without hesitation. He’s always there to troubleshoot when challenges arise, even off-hours. 
2. Solutions over shortcuts. He focuses on delivering the “right” solution, prioritizes stability over quick fixes.
3. Knowledge that empowers others. He openly shares what he knows so others can keep things running, too.

That ethos translates to stability the entire team depends on and a seamless experience for our customers, even if they never see the work behind it. Beneath the technical mastery is a simple through‑line: integrity. Duane does the right thing, even when it costs him extra time, because that’s who he is. 

If Jessica is the visible, human interface of how quality feels, Duane is the invisible scaffolding that keeps those experiences standing strong, rain or shine.

Carrying the Legacy Forward

The Glen A. Davidson Legacy Award takes a founder’s vision and puts it into motion, celebrating teammates whose character shows up in the small moments and the big wins. It turns “people-first” from a principle we admire into a practice we honor; highlighting character, rewarding consistency, and treating trust like the priceless asset it is.

For us, this award isn’t about criteria or checking a box. It’s about recognizing the people whose daily choices strengthen the culture Glen helped create, where integrity guides decisions, kindness shapes interactions, and doing the right thing never feels optional.

And here’s the simple truth: the more we uplift people who work this way, the more that legacy carries forward.  At the heart of this award is our commitment to remain a company where exceptional people build exceptional experiences; and where your callers can feel the difference.