cleaning gloves

Tricia Holderman

The Germ Girl

As CEO of Elite Facility Systems, Tricia Holderman creates environments that allow people to work, meet, and live free from an overwhelming fear of germs. A 43-year veteran of the cleaning services industry, Tricia’s company has served NBA and NFL arenas, offices, hospitals, and luxury homes across the country.

Tricia Holderman 2022 Advocate of the Year award - ISSA

“I’ve always been a little obsessed with cleanliness,” Tricia remembers. As a teenager teaching aerobics to earn money for college, Tricia’s diligence about cleaning between classes caught the attention of a student who asked if Tricia could clean her house. “When I found out it paid five times as much as teaching aerobics, I was in.” Four decades later, Tricia grew that summer job into an industry-leading corporation with two regional branches. 

At the outset of her new career, sanitization in the industry amounted to wiping things down with bleach and water. Dissatisfied with the status quo, Tricia educated herself on infection prevention. By 33, Tricia’s expertise earned her a position developing new, safer, more effective cleaning solutions as a member of Procter and Gamble’s advisory board for commercial products.

In addition to her work actively sanitizing some of our most vulnerable shared spaces, Tricia educates audiences across the country on the best ways to get to germs before they get to us. Her keynotes help shed light on what people need to do in order to keep themselves safe in their homes, in the office, out shopping, or traveling—and explains what is a waste of time and money.

Tricia holds a Certificate of Mastery in Infection Prevention (CMIP) from the Association for the Health Care Environment (AHE), a Professional Membership Group of the American Hospital Association. She is based in Dallas, though her business also operates a branch in Virginia.