front¢er Pam Rantisi
Membership more than doubles under Maumelle Chamber director
By Sara Greene
LITTLE ROCK — Shyness in children is cute, but shyness in adults can
be crippling, especially when a job requires lots of in
teraction with strangers.
Being the executive director for the Maumelle Area
Chamber of Commerce has made Pam Rantisi deal with
her shyness on a daily basis, but the job requirement of
having to interact with so many people has gifted Rantisi
with self-confidence and charm.
“It’s changed from an administrative job into more
of a networking job because of all the events we’re in
volved in. I’ve learned how to fight my way through the
shyness; that’s one of the reasons this job is good for
me,” Rantisi said.
Judy Keller, director of community and economic
development, said Rantisi’s attitude makes all the dif
ference.
“Pam does a great job of keeping all the Chamber
officers, volunteers and members organized and on
task. She loves Maumelle and her job, and it is obvious
in her attitude and the efficient manner in which she
operates,” Keller said.
When Rantisi first took the 30-hour-a-week job, her
goal was providing structure for the office.
“The biggest challenge so far has been admitting
to myself that the job has grown to the point where I
needed help here in the office,” Rantisi said.
In the six years since Rantisi has been the director,
membership has more than doubled from 135 members
to 312 members. The Chamber is now made of up Ran
tisi and marketing coordinator Louise West.
West said, “We complement each other so well we
couldn’t ask for a better arrangement. My strengths
in marketing and her strengths in finances and office
management really work well together.” Rantisi said although most businesses contact the
Chamber about membership, West is outgoing and will
stop at new businesses to introduce herself and invite
them to join.
This arrangement allows Rantisi to spend quite a bit
of time in the office coordinating Chamber events and
performing office duties, such as paying bills and keeping the membership database updated.
“We always have a Chamber luncheon the last Thursday of every month except December, and we average about 65 people at each luncheon,” Rantisi said.
Rantisi, 60, was raised in Paramus, N.J. Her father was a mailman and her mother, Jean Pratt, 83, is a retired bookkeeper who lives in Maumelle.
“I grew up right outside of New York City and I loved it and still do. The people there are genuine. They say what they mean and mean what they say,” Rantisi said.
Her younger sister, Debbie Stegmayer, is retired from the Social Security Administration and still lives in New Jersey.
After graduating from Paramus High School in 1969, Rantisi earned a bachelor’s in speech therapy from William Patterson University in Wayne, N.J.
When she was 25 and on vacation in the Bahamas, Rantisi met her husband, Joe, who lived and worked on the islands. The couple exchanged letters before Joe, who is a naturalized citizen of Palestine and Jordanian descent, moved to the United States.
“My husband is calm, focused and kind. I try to be more like him,” Rantisi said.
Rantisi worked in New Jersey public schools for more than a dozen years, with a few years spent as a stay-athome mother raising their daughter, Allison.
“Becoming a mother really changed my life. You’re not just concentrating on yourself anymore; suddenly there’s someone in the world who is more important that you are,” Rantisi said.
The Rantisi family moved to Knoxville, Tenn., for a few years. While there, she worked as a service coordinator in special education.
“I like problem-solving, and that job involved a lot of finding out what makes these kids tick,” Rantisi said.
The move from New Jerseyto Tennessee wasn’t the culture shock she was expecting it to be.
“People are people, and everywhere you go you have the chance to meet wonderful people,” Rantisi said.
The Rantisi family moved to Maumelle 13 years ago. Joe Rantisi is president of the Capitol Hotel in Little Rock and Pam worked for Sylvan Learning Centers before becoming the executive director of the Chamber.
This classic-rock-loving girlfrom Jersey said she likes living in Maumelle because of the quiet hometown atmosphere.
“We just have great, friendly people who appreciate what we have here,” Rantisi said.
She excused herself to answer a telephone call, which turned out to be a resident inquiring how to get another garbage can, so Rantisi referred him to the Maumelle Public Works Department. A few minutes later her phone rang again, and thistime she gave the caller detailed directions from Little Rock to Maumelle.
It was her sister, Debbie, who is in town for Allison’s wedding to Adam Gladden of Maumelle.
From wedding receptions to events such as the Maumelle Business Expo, which will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Jess Odom Community Center, Rantisi’s shyness will be eclipsed by her warm smile and genial attitude.
matter of
fact
Name: Pamela Jean Rantisi
Born: May 30, 1948.
I am named after: A little girl my father met
while he was on rest and relaxation in Australia
during World War II. He wrote to mother and said
Pamela was one of the prettiest names he ever
heard.
My family includes: My mother, Jean Pratt, my
sister, Debbie Stegmayer, my husband, Joe,
my daughter, Allison, and her husband, Adam
Gladden, and two cats: Mattie and Muriel.
My favorite cat joke is: “A dog hears ‘Yadda
yadda yadda Rover.’ A cat hears ‘Yadda yadda
yadda yadda.’”
One thing not many people know about me is:
I’m a good dancer.
My biggest fear is: Rats.
I cannot live without: The Home and Garden
Television (HGTV) network.
I am most comfortable in: My home.
The last book I read was: A Ken Follett novel. It
wasn’t Pillars of the Earth, though.
This article was published Sunday, October 5, 2008.
River Valley Ozark, Pages 136, 137 on 10/05/2008
