Gisel named 2014 Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year

By Jacqueline Molik Ghosen

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- William G. Gisel Jr., president and CEO of Rich Products Corp., has been named the 2014 Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year by the University at Buffalo School of Management.

The award will be presented at the 65th Annual School of Management Alumni Association Awards Banquet beginning at 5:30 p.m. on October 28, at the Statler Hotel, 107 Delaware Ave., Buffalo.

Gisel was selected by a vote of past honorees and the alumni association board of directors, who cited his global perspective, strategic vision and commitment to Western New York.

Rich Products Corp. is a family-owned global food company defined by innovation and a commitment to its customers, associates and communities. Since 1945, Rich’s has been developing food solutions that raise the standards for quality, safety, convenience and efficiency for its customers. As a leading supplier to the global foodservice, in-store bakery and retail marketplaces, Rich’s posts annual sales exceeding $3.2 billion, operates 36 manufacturing facilities spanning six continents, and employs more than 9,200 people across the world.

Over the past three decades, Gisel has served on more than 20 charitable, educational, civic and corporate boards. He is currently on the board of directors for the University at Buffalo’s Confucius Institute and serves as chairman of the board of trustees for the WNED public broadcasting organization. He also serves as a director on the boards for KeyCorp and Moog Inc. and is an advisory board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. A trustee of the John R. Oishei Foundation and the Josephine Goodyear Foundation, Gisel is a former president of the board of trustees for Nichols School in Buffalo.

Established in 1949, the Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year award is presented annually to an individual who resides in or has a major impact on the region, and whose career has been distinguished by executive success and civic leadership. Recent honorees include Christopher H. Koch, CEO of New Era Cap Co., and Dr. Michael W. Cropp, president and CEO of Independent Health.

For information about the awards banquet, contact the School of Management’s Office of Alumni and External Relations at mgt-alumni@buffalo.edu or 716-645-3224.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school also has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system that is its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.