Association honors Sandy Friedman with achievement award

The UNO Alumni Association bestowed its Citation for Alumni Achievement award upon UNO graduate Sandy Friedman, a longtime successful business entrepreneur, generous supporter of numerous organizations and community servant, during the university’s May Commencement ceremony for the College of Business Administration May 7.

The Citation, inaugurated in 1949, is the association’s highest honor. It encompasses career achievement, community service, business and professional engagement, and fidelity to UNO. Friedman became the 183rd graduate to receive the award.

Friedman earned a degree in economics from UNO in 1968. As a sophomore at UNO, he was elected to the student council. At the time, he was the first non-Greek student to win a council seat in five years. He also was active in intramural sports and the Young Democrats.

Soon after graduating, Friedman acquired an insurance agency and within 12 years grew it into the second-largest independent agency in Omaha. He went on to found and/or operate businesses across a diverse range of fields, serving as executive vice president at a regional bank; president of a nationwide wedding services directory company that he later moved successfully into internet sales; and, founder of Customer Service Profiles, which provided quality service measurement for businesses. Today he is retired.

Friedman has served the community extensively during his career. He had terms on numerous boards, including Girls Club of Omaha, the Omaha Symphony and the Jewish Federation of Omaha. He served as president of the Anti-Defamation League, Beth El Synagogue and the National Conference of Christians and Jews.

He has received several awards over the years. The UNO College of Business Administration named him its outstanding Economics Alum of the Year in 2014, and he was inducted into the Central High School Hall of Fame in 2017.

He and his wife of 43 years, Amy, have two children and two grandchildren.