Chamber honors Giannetti family for service to Brownsville

When Philip “Chip” Giannetti was a youngster growing up in Brownsville, he recalled how his parents were involved in the community: his father was on the Brownsville Area School Board and park board while operating a garbage business and Dodge car dealership, and his mother was active at church.

Three generations of the Giannetti family, led by the late Phil and Ruth Ann Giannetti, were honored Saturday for their community service during the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce's annual membership dinner at the Brownsville Sons of Italy, Frank Ricco Lodge 731.

“We are what we are because of our parents,” both of whom grew up in Brownsville, said Chip Giannetti, 60, who is president of the family's Phil Giannetti Motors, a used car dealership along National Pike East in Brownsville.

Frank Ricco, president of the chamber of commerce, said it was appropriate that the chamber honor the Giannetti family, which he characterized as “one of the pioneers in business” in Brownsville. The chamber recognizes members who are loyal to the community, Ricco said.

The chamber of commerce is honoring the Giannetti family on behalf of the community, for their longstanding support of local projects, Ricco said.

“The Giannetti family has given a tremendous amount of time, energy and resources to Brownsville for decades, but has shied away from the spotlight,” Ricco said.

Anne Giannetti-Osborn, the dealership's bookkeeper, said that her father was deeply involved in the community and her mother was just as involved, especially at church.

“Through all the years, it was always about family and serving others, said Giannetti-Osborn, the youngest of Phil and Ruth Ann Giannetti's three children.

“We have all followed in our parents' footsteps by volunteering and helping whenever and wherever it is needed,” she said.

Although Phil Giannetti died in 1989 and Ruth Ann Giannetti passed away in 2008, the legacy of community service continues with the family.

“It's a shame they aren't around to get the award,” said Chip Giannetti, who has worked full time in the family's dealership along National Pike East since 1972.

Giannetti recalled that his father was involved in politics as well as business. He was a garbage collector in the 1950s, then bought a gas station and finally a vacant building that he remodeled into a car dealership.

“Brownsville was booming back then,” said Giannetti, who graduated from Brownsville Area High School in 1971.

While operating the Dodge dealership, Giannetti recalled that his father became friends with then Chrysler Motor Co. chairman Lee Iacocca. They knew each other from the Dodge dealership meetings and were on a first-name basis, often calling each other to talk shop, Giannetti said.

Nancy Battaglini, a 1969 graduate of Brownsville Area High School, taught nine years at Brownsville Area School District before she and her husband, Dr. Kris Battaglini, moved to Delaware, where they have retired.

Giannetti and his wife, Eva, a retired Brownsville Area elementary school teacher, live in Brownsville Township. He is a member of the Brownsville Sons of Italy and the Brownsville Planning Commission.

Giannetti-Osborn, a 1984 Brownsville Area graduate, washed and detailed the dealership's cars when she was in high school. She has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Michigan. She became the dealership's bookkeeper in 2011. Anne and her husband, Michael Osborn, reside in Irwin with their twin children.

Joe Napsha is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-836-5252 or jnapsha@tribweb.com.