“Ranie’s greatest strengths are her communication skills, including her ability to listen,” says Barry Schlecker, festival organizer.
When Barry hired Ranie to help him revive a popular state festival in Delaware, he knew she would be an integral part of the process; he didn’t realize she would end up being more of a partner. Together, they built the festival from the ground up—taking an empty space and building a county fair complete with vendors, music, transportation, etc. The first Rockwood Ice Cream Festival was a tremendous success, despite record summer temperatures that year. Thanks to the groundwork that Ranie laid, the festival has attracted larger and larger crowds every year since. It was also featured on the Food Network and named a top 10 food festival by USA Today.
“Within three months, Ranie had built the same rapport in our community that it had taken me 30 years to build,” Barry explains. “She captured the respect of the community. I had the contacts and opened doors, but Ranie followed through. Her years of experience in marketing allowed her to translate my imagination into reality.
“Ranie is the best partner I’ve ever had on anything I’ve ever done,” he adds.