Photo provided by Mary Therese Friel
Mary Therese Friel, President of The Mary Therese Friel Modeling Agency, is among an illustrious group of business leaders being recognized for their professional accomplishments and contributions to the community.
Established in 2017, Icon Honors recognizes Rochester business leaders, over the age of 60, for their notable success and demonstration of strong leadership within and outside their fields. The honorees have moved their businesses and Rochester forward by growing jobs and making a difference in the community.
“Winning this award is a culmination of decades of hard work, dedication and a true desire to be the best that I can be, by giving back to my community, being a role model and goodwill ambassador,” said Friel.
Friel is a well-known Rochester native who won the title of Miss USA 1979 and built a successful international modeling career. She founded her company here in Rochester in 1987 to share her expertise and make positive contributions to the community.
To be eligible for Icon Honors, honorees (over the age of 60) must have a long-standing commitment to the Rochester business community and significant professional accomplishments through innovation and leadership. Honorees must also be champions of their industries and demonstrate a sustained commitment to community service. They may be in the workforce or retired and must hold or have held senior management-level positions with significant authority in decision-making for their organization.
“The 2021 year’s Icon Honors recipients demonstrate an impressive record of accomplishment, leadership and vision. Their professional achievement and community awareness and action are truly remarkable,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, senior group publisher of the Rochester Business Journal. “They know the incredible power of mentoring and have served in that role for many colleagues over the years. We congratulate and honor this year’s Icon Honors recipients.”
Honorees were celebrated in an online multimedia awards ceremony on Monday, December 6th, followed by an in-person awards presentation. Profiles of all the honorees can be found in a special magazine inserted into the Dec. 10 issue of the Rochester Business Journal. A digital version is available online.
Friel has been part of the advertising community in Rochester for 50 years. At age 11, she started modeling for Eastman Kodak and Champion Products. Friel worked her way to the very top of her field, winning the coveted Miss USA title and then modeling internationally for the prestigious Eileen Ford Agency. When she returned to her beloved hometown, Friel poured these experiences into the company that she founded. Her career has had multiple roles including: a model, celebrity, goodwill ambassador, author, TV and radio host, consultant, producer, coordinator teacher, agent and manager. All these roles have positioned her as a uniquely qualified professional in Rochester. Today, her goal is to provide the best possible services and people, that her company can offer to their clients. Friel inspires everyone on her team to do their best, on every assignment, for each client. The quality of their service exists within the expertise that they offer, the manner in which they interact and conduct ourselves with their customers and the people that make up this company.
Friel, however, prefers most, to be known for making a difference in her community and in the lives of others.
There is a saying that she has often repeated and shared…“Service to others is the rent we pay for our room in the hereafter.” Back in 1979, when she was Miss USA, Friel had the tremendous opportunity to meet the great Muhammad Ali. Talking with him privately for two hours completely changed the course of her life. Ali left Friel with this quote. The idea that she had the responsibility to use her celebrity to do good things, to help people and to be a role model became a focal point in her life, from that point forward. When she opened her company, this philosophy became a cornerstone of the business and today is still the most important thing Friel values.
Through her company, Mary Therese Friel, LLC, she commits a vast amount of resources to volunteering and fund-raising for non-profit causes and community initiatives and programs. Friel is committed to making a difference and instilling this philosophy into the lives of those around her. On her weekly radio show, ROC Image Radio on WAYO 104.3 FM, Friel interviews guests who are affecting the Rochester community in a positive way. She ends each broadcast by asking this same question to each of her guests: “what do you most want to be remembered for and why?”
Friel’s answer is “to make a difference in the lives of those I touch.”
