How Ryan Rapolti ’11MBA is Building Success by Lifting Others
Reception 24/7 founder and Ever Upward honoree Ryan Rapolti ’11MBA measures achievement not by revenue alone, but by the businesses he helps grow, the students he mentors and the opportunities he creates for others.
Growing up in Daytona Beach, Ryan Rapolti ’11MBA watched his mother put in a full workday and then attend night classes at UCF’s Daytona Beach campus. After his parents divorced, she was determined to create new opportunities for her family through education.
“I remember my mom going to school,” he says. “She was trying to create a better opportunity for us.”
Rapolti carried that lesson into his own career, building a company centered on creating opportunities for others. In 2026, his company, Reception 24/7, was recognized as one of the top three honorees at the inaugural Ever Upward, UCF’s awards program celebrating the university’s fastest-growing alumni-led businesses.
Success, for him, was measured by what you did for others.
His mother became an exceptional student education teacher, dedicating her career to helping children with disabilities.
Another lesson came from his stepfather, who became quadriplegic after a car accident at 18. Rather than accept the limitations others might have imagined for him, he earned a master’s degree and built a career helping people with disabilities find meaningful employment.
“I certainly think that much of my desire to do good and help others came from my mom and my stepdad,” Rapolti says.
Those lessons followed him onto the basketball court.
As a standout player at Stetson University, Rapolti loved to compete. He wanted to win championships, earn top grades and push himself to be the best. But unlike many competitors, he never measured success by someone else’s failure.
“I always wanted 100 on my test,” he says. “But I also wanted everyone else to get 100, too.”
That philosophy has become the foundation of Reception 24/7.
As founder and CEO, Rapolti has built one of Central Florida’s fastest-growing live receptionist companies by helping other businesses succeed. His team answers calls for law firms, medical offices and other businesses, giving their employees more time to focus on serving customers.
Ironically, some of Rapolti’s proudest moments come when customers no longer need the same level of support.
“We’ve seen some of our customers outgrow us,” he says with pride.
To Rapolti, that is success. He measures it not simply by revenue, but by the jobs his company creates, the businesses it helps grow and the employees who leave Reception 24/7 ready for their next opportunity.
“I’m proud of the fact that people have been able to use us to launch onto something else,” he says.
That desire to help others also led him to UCF.
After earning his MBA from the UCF Barry S. Miller College of Business in 2011, Rapolti left with more than a graduate degree. Small classes, professors with real-world experience and consulting projects with local companies challenged him to think strategically and gave him confidence in his ability to solve business problems. He also built relationships with classmates who remain trusted friends and professional resources.
Today, he works to create similar opportunities for others. Rapolti mentors UCF students and introduces them to people in his network who can help them explore an industry, find an internship or make a career connection.
“One of the best things I think I can give somebody is connections,” he says.
His people-first philosophy also shapes how he approaches the future of his industry. As artificial intelligence changes customer service, Rapolti sees the technology not simply as a replacement for employees, but as a tool that can help them work more effectively.
“I walk in and tell them, ‘Don’t be afraid of AI,’” he says.
He wants technology to equip employees with faster information and better tools so they can focus on what matters most: human connection.
Outside of work, Rapolti devotes time to philanthropy and community service. He also dreams of teaching at the university level, helping future entrepreneurs build businesses that create opportunities for others.
Asked what he hopes people take away from his story, Rapolti does not mention entrepreneurship, awards or financial success.
Instead, he offers something simpler.
“You can do good in anything that you do,” he says. “Do great work at your job and find a way to do good.”
For Rapolti, that lesson began years ago, watching two remarkable people quietly change lives.
He has been paying it forward ever since.
