Her Story
About Marisa
Marisa Patch serves as Business Development Manager for a landscape contractor in San Diego, where she has worked for nearly one year. In this role, she manages client communications for ongoing jobs while dedicating significant time to prospecting new opportunities and growing the maintenance division. Prior to her current position, Patch spent two years in business development at another California-based landscape contractor, building on earlier experience in sales for mortgage and real estate companies as well as office management. A San Diego State graduate who relocated to the area in 2012, she is actively involved in industry organizations including BOMA San Diego on the Programs Committee, CAI on the Social Events Committee, and BIA San Diego. Patch attributes her professional drive to the example set by her mother and grandmother, both strong, educated women who overcame early challenges. She values integrity, authenticity, and maintaining high standards in her work, and she draws on her natural hosting skills to build relationships across diverse groups. As a woman in the male-dominated construction field, she emphasizes adaptability, continuous learning, and perseverance when facing challenges such as implementing new technologies alongside experienced colleagues.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Marisa
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say my mom and my grandmother. I come from a long lineage of very strong women. My mom was a single mom, and she had me pretty young, and she still went to school, got a master's degree, has been really successful, and same with my grandma. She also had my mom pretty young, went to school, not just a bachelor's, but also got a master's. Watching them also be very strong, like, successful women in their roles, and just watching them the ladder, and through their struggles, and just perseverance, never giving up. I feel like that really made me strong in who I am.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Always be ready to learn and put on your student hat. Even when you've been doing it for a long time, there's always so much to learn from experience, from shadowing other people. When you're shadowing other people, like, being a helping hand. Because then it gets people to tell you more, they bring you around more. Always being a student of your work, but also making sure that you're always learning from other people who've been doing it longer than you, but while you are learning from them, you're not just taking, you're also giving something back. Never giving up. A no is not always a no. If it's a no right then table that conversation and come back to it another time. Usually if it's something that you're like, no, I really feel like this could be a yes, just taking the time to table it, and bringing back your facts. Don't take no for an answer.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is being a woman in a very male-dominated industry like construction. Earning my stripes, working with people older than me who have been doing this their whole lives. Being adaptable while making the work environment cohesive when implementing new technologies and innovation tactfully. On the flip side, the opportunity is learning from people who are walking encyclopedias with all the experience. There's so much opportunity for women now to be in high-level positions like VP, President, CEO, which was almost unheard of before, especially in construction.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Definitely integrity, authenticity. Having a high morale, even when it's hard to do the right thing, like doing the right thing and not cut corners. Making sure you're going to do a good job so the person is going to recommend you to other people, not just for the recommendation but because that's what I value, being a good person and making good decisions. I'm very much a host and like to host, which takes me pretty far in my sales career as I'm really able to get along with people from all walks of life.
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