New Pinckneyville chamber director a great fit for town

Before this month Genevieve Brammeier and her family had attended the Mardi Gras festival in Pinckneyville and even marched in the parade with the Boy Scouts troop.

As the new Executive Director for the Pinckneyville Chamber of Commerce, Brammeier finds herself organizing the parade and car show, meeting chamber members and sending out fliers.

"There's a learning curve," Brammeier said. However, it's not a steep one. Basically, the new chamber director is acquainting herself with the filing preferences of those who held the job before her. Someday she may take the office paperless, but for now there's more than enough to keep her busy.

Brammeier said she planned to look for part-time work as soon as her youngest child headed to pre-school this fall. The Chamber Director position popped up before pre-school started, but it was a great fit.

Brammeier, 35, came from Chicago to Carbondale to attend SIU. While seeking medical attention for an ear infection, she met the service technician who maintained the computer dictation system for the hospital. The rest is history.

Three children later, the Brammeiers decided they needed a bigger home and decided to move closer to his parents who still reside in Okawville.

They have a 10-year-old daughter and two sons, ages 9 and 4. They ended up seven miles west of Pinckneyville.

Brammeier has been a stay-at-home mom and regular classroom volunteer for many years. Before moving to their current home, she also worked from home for Big Frontier Communications of Chicago. The lack of internet service in the rural community made it impossible to continue working from home.

The new part-time position with the Chamber allows her to be home when her children get home from school and to still help out in school.