Niagara University alumni Joseph M. Falbo Jr. and Maryalice Demler, and ROAR Logistics Inc. were honored for their leadership, career accomplishments, and community service at a dinner hosted by the university’s Holzschuh College of Business Administration on April 20 at the Niagara Falls Convention Center. Robert D. Gioia, former president of the John R. Oishei Foundation, was the keynote speaker for the event.
Falbo, a member of the university’s Class of 1991, received the Distinguished Accounting Alumnus award. Currently a partner at Szymkowiak & Associates, Falbo has provided countless volunteer hours to the accounting profession and to his community. He has served in numerous roles for the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, including president, and was only the sixth person honored with its Special Recognition Award in appreciation of his extraordinary contributions to the organization. In May 2021, he completed a three-year term as one of the 26 U.S. board members on the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and also as a U.S. representative on the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants board of directors.
Demler, who is a member of the NU Class of 1986 and serves on the university’s Board of Trustees, received the Dean's Award. She is a news anchor/reporter for WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, N.Y., and has been honored with numerous awards for this work, including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Journalism, an Associated Press Award, and two New York Emmy Awards. She has also received several awards for her work as a volunteer and emcee for many charity events throughout Western New York, including Business First’s 40 Under 40 Outstanding Community Leaders, the Niagara University Alumni Founder’s Award, and the St. Vincent de Paul Award.
ROAR Logistics was presented with the Corporate Leadership Award in recognition of both its success in the industry and its philanthropic and community commitment. Founded in 2003 by Robert Rich III, ROAR Logistics entered the transportation industry as an upstart Intermodal Marketing Company and has since risen to become one of the industry’s most recognized third-party logistics providers (3PL) and global freight forwarders. The organization is headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., with eight operations throughout the United States and a global network of agents providing comprehensive transportation services in over 150 countries worldwide. The more than 130 ROAR associates share a commitment to make a positive impact on the communities in which they live and work.
Gioia, the recently retired president of The John R. Oishei Foundation, is an influential community leader who has been dedicated to the betterment of the Buffalo-Niagara region for decades. He is chair of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation, overseeing the revitalization of Buffalo’s waterfront, and chair of Great Lakes Health, a nonprofit that oversees some of the area’s largest health care and research partners to improve access to and quality of health care delivery. He also currently serves as chair of the Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology.
Recent graduate Mekhyi Bristol, ’21, shared his experience as a student in the college and as a member of the NU Marketing Association. The Brooklyn native, who holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing with a food and consumer packaged goods concentration, is a commercial sales planning specialist at Harvest Hill Beverage.