People you ought to know - Carolyn Ruth Kempf

Carolyn Ruth Kempf, owner of Elite Travel

Age: 40

Key responsibilities: Gosh, were do I start? An owner of any small-to-medium size travel business wears many hats: sales person, travel consultant, customer service, human resources manager, sales and marketing director, technological support, office manager, interior decorator ... you get the picture.

How long have you lived in Cape: About 12 years.

Original hometown: I was born in Minneapolis, Minn., but spent most of my life in BORING, Oregon. Yes there really is a town called Boring in Oregon, and yes, it was boring! Boring is actually a suburb outside of Portland, Oregon, at the base of Mount Hood. I did live in Hawaii and North Dakota and Texas as well.

Education: My education is certainly a strange mix: A degree in hospitality and tourism from Mount Hood College with a focus on sales and marketing, and a second degree in theology from Christ for the Nations in Dallas, Texas.

Community involvement: Having a business and family leaves little time for community involvement. During this period in my life, I feel my family should be my first priority. I have belonged to Optimist International, and am a member of the Chamber of Commerce. Going to La Croix Church has really given me a great opportunity to help in my community when I have time. They are very active in supporting various needs throughout Cape Girardeau.

Professional background: I have been in the travel and service industry for most of my life. Prior to my travel career I worked in the hospitality industry in the sales department at the Portland Hilton and the famous Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Most of my career has been as a travel and cruise consultant.

Name a Cape Girardeau business person you admire and why: This was difficult because there are so many people in Cape Girardeau I admire. I'd have to say Marcia Ritter and Dr. C.J. Ritter. Marcia for her grace and poise and kind heart. And Dr. C.J. Ritter for the compassion he has shown to others less fortunate by being a medical missionary to Third World countries, giving up personal comfort to help others all over the world.

Last book read: With my schedule I tend to grab small bits of time reading, I don't seem to have the luxury with kids and work to just sit and read, which is funny since I was a very avid reader as a child. Currently my reading material tends to be the Southeast Missourian and "People" magazine -- not overly impressive, I know. The last hard book I read was "End Time Prophecies of the Bible," by David Haggith. Actually I read some every day, but it is a huge and rather in-depth book, so my goal is to finish it by the time I am 60, ha!

What did you want to be when you were a child: Actually I wanted to be either David Cassidy's or Donny Osmond's wife. Such are those silly pre-teen years! My mother always instilled in me I could do anything in life and be anything I wanted. I did dream of living on a farm, since I had spent summers on my grandparents farm in North Dakota. Now that I live on one, I've discovered farm life is really hard work! So I let Dennis do all of that!

How I chose this career: A friend of mine was the director of sales at a travel agency and I love to travel, the rest is history.

Biggest obstacle you've overcome and how: Insecurity as a child. I've learned in life that most people who succeed are not necessarily the brightest or most talented. I got over my insecurity by realizing that God made me unique with unique talents and not to compare myself to others. The people who usually succeed are people who have a dream and keep trying. And being different or unique is not a bad thing. In business for every one of my successes I had nine failures. The key is to look at failure as a learning experience on how not to do it the next time. Every time I would succeed or reach a goal it would make me more secure in who I am and to be comfortable with how God created me.

Best advice to someone new in your field: Find something you love to do and go make money at it. Be a person determined to learn, no matter what your age, learn something new and unique every day. Don't spend your life in a career that doesn't make you happy and that you don't enjoy.

Hobbies and interest: Obviously I love to travel, I love seeing new and interesting things. But I am my happiest either snow skiing, spending time with my children or riding behind my husband on his Harley. Animals interest me, I love watching them and taking care of them.

Accomplishments you're most proud of: Any mother is obviously going to say her children. Besides being a good parent, I am proud of the company I have built. It is no small task to be a working mother and a successful woman in business. For a working mother, success often comes at great personal cost. So the fact that I and my staff have put Cape Girardeau on the map in our industry by becoming one of the largest leisure agencies in Missouri is something I am especially proud of.

Secret ambition: I was very active in theater and music in my youth. I would love to be able not to work and still travel, enjoy the arts, paint, listen to classical music, work in local theater and music. I'd love to have the time to enjoy my children and husband's company. Maybe even learn to cook. Gosh, it sounds like I want to be Martha Stewart. If you know me you realize how funny that is.

WHO DO YOU KNOW?

If you know someone who should be featured in "People You Should Know," contact Scott Moyers at 335-6611, ext. 137, or by e-mail at smoyers@semissourian.com.