Daily Inspiration: Meet Katie Kludac

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Kludac.

Katie , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Patrick And I met serving tables at Olive Garden at 18. I was in the service bar industry with an eye for design. I’ve done all levels of the restaurant industry. Patrick started his limo company in 2007 in Illinois. In 2017 we made the move to nashville. We kept the limos
Running till 2019 and decided that the limos were not a hot commodity here as they were in Illinois. So we sold our fleet,
And moved on to bigger things. Literally. We created the biggest open air party bus. Patrick designed the upstage bus with concerts in mind. In 202o we had our first child. Avery grace. We then created Upstage Miss Avery Grace. That bus was designed by me and built by Patrick. Miss Avery was built by us.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth is the last word I would use. It’s been a long rough road. In 2019 we had just started out. In 2020 our business was closed due to COVID. It was a rough year trying to keep the business afloat. In 2022 the city decided to take over control of the party buses. Now every April we have to sit in front of a board in hopes that they will renew our permit so our business can run. With that comes numerous meetings with employees. At one point the city made us enclose. Causing major issues with guest and staff. The conditions were unsafe. The buses would become a heat locker and staff was constantly sick due to no circulation. Now 2025 and we are back to court trying to stay uncovered and keep our buisness open. The city has a lot of rules in the party buses.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My husband deals with all maintenance of the buses and the websites. My duties include managing staff and dealing with all back of house duties.

Upstage is known for its concert feel. We have qvc concert stereo system, concert lighting and 6 TVs that display the music videos. There is also full refrigeration and drinks on board for $2-$3.

Miss Avery was made with the girls in mind. Pink, sparkly and even has a photographer on board.

Both buses run 2 hour tours and have photo booths on board.

We wanted our buses to be upscale. Classy not trashy.

Coming soon. Upstage will be getting a new look. Will be taking donations through the scanner on the back of the bus to help the 22 a day that loose their lives after returning to civilization after leaving the military. It will be dedicated to Paul Kludac, Patrick’s brother who was a marine, and lost the battle to ptsd. Will be teaming up with grunt style who is big in giving back to the soldiers.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What not to love about this beautiful city!

We cannot grow our business because the city is not giving anymore permits. So once the buses are gone… they are gone. Sadly.

Pricing:

• Private tours starting at $30 a person.
• Shared tours start at $45

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.upstagepartybus.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upstagemissaverygrace?igsh=NTVremlpNmxrcWli&utm_source=qr