Don Constantini knows what it takes to operate a successful
business. He also appreciates the qualities that were instilled in
him by Youngstown State University and has never wavered in his
support for the community, his alma mater and the athletic
department. For his tireless efforts, Constantini is being
recognized as the 2014 Penguin of the Year.
Whether being on the sidelines at road games, in his loge at
Stambaugh Stadium, being at other events in person or providing
behind-the-scenes logistical support, his dedication to YSU is
something that has helped the entire university.
His leadership gifts to YSU include $150,000 to the YSU
Foundation to endow an athletic scholarship (the Don Constantini
Scholarship awarded to a football student-athlete who is a business
major), a gift of $150,000 toward the construction of the Andrews
Student Recreation and Wellness Center, and $200,000 for the
Williamson College of Business Administration building campaign. In
2005, he was recognized as the “Outstanding Business
Alumnus” by the Williamson College of Business
Administration.
He is a staunch supporter of YSU Penguin athletics and has
maintained a loge in Stambaugh Stadium for more than 25 years and
is a long-standing member of the Penguin Club.
To help promote the school, he has twice put the YSU logo on the
back of his trailers, including this past fall. The trailers log
more than 15 million miles a year across six states; Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and New York. The various
states are the primary footprint of YSU’s athletic
affiliation with the Horizon League, which is based in
Indianapolis, Ind., as well as the Missouri Valley Football
Conference. The first time was in the 1990’s when the
Penguins were rolling the competition on the way to four National
Championships.
In 2012, the YSU Football senior poster featured one of his new
trucks behind Stambaugh Stadium.
Additionally, he serves as a member on the YSU’s President
Council, is a member of the Board of Trustees of YSU Foundation,
and is on the Williamson College of Business Administration
Advisory Council.
One of our greatest sources of pride at YSU is the success of
our graduates and the leadership roles they play in business, in
their professions, and in their communities. Falcon and
Comprehensive Logistics have hired many YSU graduates in
accounting, management and engineering to maintain that tie to the
University.
Constantini graduated from Youngstown University in 1966 with a
B.S. in Business Administration. Even in these early years, he was
a leader. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, and was Student
Council Treasurer in charge of a $48,000 budget. He was on the
Honor Roll, Dean’s List, active with intramural and
interfraternity sports, and received the Dean John P. Gillespie
Award for having the highest grade-point average of any fraternity
member.
He began his business career with Delco Remy Division of GM in
Anderson, Ind. First he was a production supervisor before
becoming a general foreman.
In 1969, he returned to Ohio and joined McNicholas
Transportation as terminal manager in Columbus. He quickly advanced
through the company serving as its Director of Maintenance, Vice
President of Sales, and in 1974 was promoted to President.
When McNicholas closed in 1982, Constantini, along with two
others from McNicholas, founded Compass Transportation and
purchased Falcon Transport.
While YSU was the FCS Football team of the 1990’s,
Constantini’s business also flourished. Falcon won four GM
Supplier-of-the-Year awards, four Chrysler Gold Pentastar Awards
and the Ford Motor Company Service Award as the fleet continued to
grow. Midway through the decade, a sister company, Comprehensive
Logistics, was started to provide logistical solutions for
its customer base.
In 2000, Compass was merged into Falcon and a new affiliate,
Comprehensive Logistics began to provide supply chain
management to the automotive and steel industries.
Falcon Transport has almost 2,000 employees, 1,200 trucks, and
operates in 38 states. Falcon has received four GM Supplier
of the Year and Daimler-Chrysler’s Gold and Pentastar
awards. Falcon has been listed in the Top 100 Truck Lines in
the U.S.
Comprehensive Logistics employs 1,145 people and operates more
than four-million square feet of facilities in nine locations in
U.S. and Canada. CLI is the Just-In-Time materials manager for
Lordstown Assembly – handling 80 percent of total Cruze
parts. Currently, Comprehensive is building a 400,000 square foot
facility in Dearborn, Mich., to serve the Ford Motor Co.
The headquarters of Falcon Transport Co., and Comprehensive
Logistics are located at 4944 Belmont Ave., in Youngstown.
He has the knack to assess the economy and forecast the future
needs of his own business and his customers. He is known as a fair,
focused, and serious leader who operates his business with high
ethical standards and a constant focus on the customer.
Over the years he has given his time to other organizations. He
has served on local boards of Catholic Charities, Salvation Army,
Penguin Club and various positions in a National Trucking Industry
Lobby Group – The American Trucking Association.
Don is the proud father of two sons – Mark and Brad. After
graduating from Baldwin-Wallace College, both sons decided to join
the family enterprise. Brad and his wife, Lori, are the parents of
Emma, Kate and Brad II. Don has more time now to play golf and
drive his Italian made cars and enjoy his grandchildren. Don and
Diana D’Alesio – his significant other of 20 years
– live in Canfield and have a condo in Palm Beach, Fla.
