WCBA Honors Four Alumni at Annual Banquet

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Four alumni of Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business Administration – Robert DiRusso, Mitchell Joseph, Patricia Mishic and Ashley Basile Oeken – were honored Friday at the college’s annual Alumni Banquet.

DiRusso, owner of DiRusso’s Concessions and a 1982 graduate of YSU, was named Outstanding Business Alumnus. He purchased the sausage and vending company from his uncle in 1993 and has since expanded the business by adding new products and packaging. Today, the company’s products are found in more than 300 stores and hundreds of restaurants.

Joseph, a 1969 graduate of Williamson College, owns The Joseph Co. International. He was presented the Outstanding Business Achievement Award in recognition of the $20 million Chill-Can Beverage and Technology Center his company is building on the city’s East Side. The campus will have seven buildings, including research and development, administration and manufacturing, for the company’s self-chilling beverage cans.

Presented with the Outstanding Business Alumna award at the annual banquet was Patricia Mishic, chief commercial officer at CoorsTek, Inc., a manufacturer of industrial ceramic products. A 1989 graduate of YSU’s Williamson College, she has also held positions at Dow Chemical Co. and A. Schulman.

Ashley Basile Oeken, a 2007 alumna and president of Engage! Cleveland, was given the Outstanding Recent Business Alumna. She earned her MBA from YSU in 2008. As president of Engage! Cleveland, she leads efforts to attract, retain and develop young professionals in the city.

For more information on the award winners, click here.

Pictured: Honored at the Williamson College of Business Administration Alumni Banquet are Ashley Basile Oeken, Robert DiRusso, Patricia Mishic and Mitchell Joseph.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.