Sisters are pros at pyrotechnics

BOCA RATON, Fla. — The Zambelli sisters help run one of the nation's largest fireworks companies, a business that was traditionally the domain of men.

Their father, George Zambelli, may have been disappointed when he had four daughters and only one son to teach the art of pyrotechnics at Zambelli Fireworks Internationale.

"We were girls and girls didn't really do that kind of stuff back then," said Danabeth Zambelli, now 43.

The girls spent summers working at the company headquarters in New Castle, Pa., answering phones and inspecting orders.

They also traveled to shows with their parents and watched their father turn the family business from mostly Independence Day celebrations to a national company that caters big events year-round.

When their father died in 2003, "we put our Army boots on and knew we had to march," said Marcy Zambelli, 51, who has lived in South Florida since attending college in Boca Raton.

Now the sisters are executive vice presidents and oversee 50 employees. Another sister works in the Pennsylvania office and her husband does the choreography. Brother George Zambelli Jr. is chairman.

In the two weeks surrounding July Fourth, the company will do about 1,800 shows, including one at Mount Rushmore.

They also light up music stars like Avril Lavigne, movie sets and sporting events like the 1997 World Series. Their company has organized displays for the Times Square's ball drop on New Year's Eve, the Kentucky Derby and every president since John F. Kennedy.

Their office is filled with presidential memorabilia: A thank you note from the first President Bush for lighting up his 80th birthday party. A mention in Jackie Kennedy's memoir, which refers to George Zambelli as the "fireworks guru of the day" after a show at a White House state dinner hosting Afghanistan's king.

Every fireworks shell is still handmade. There are no machines in the plant. But the shows are now choreographed and launched through a computerized firing system.

Though often in the numbers side of the business, the sisters also love to put on a good show — finding barges, bridges and unorthodox places to launch from.

Thunder Over Louisville, held each spring at the Kentucky Derby Festival, is launched with 10 computers, eight barges and a 3,200 foot bridge.

"We still get that feeling. When you watch it, your heart just flutters," said Danabeth Zambelli.

The annual show has always been a family event. Now it's attended by all the siblings and about a dozen grandchildren.

There's always a theme and everyone dresses alike. Last year, it was pink.

"They bring the sparkle to the business. They catch more details than we would," said Tom Faulk, director of event planning for Marshall, Minn.-based Schwan Food, a client.

"They understand the business as good as anybody in it. They were taught by the best."

Their mother, Connie Zambelli, often joins them at the office, splitting her time between the Boca Raton and New Castle branches and working 10-hour days when she's around her daughters.

They talk about dieting and working out, clothes and old boyfriends, but conversations always wind up back to dad and fireworks.

"We're the Zambelli girls," Marcy said with a smile. "George's angels."

CORRECTION: Schwan Food is based in Marshall, Minn., not Tampa, Fla., as reported in the original version of this story.