The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA) this week made significant changes to its Board of Directors, appointing two members to its Board and announcing new leadership positions.
The announcement was made during the 2019 Annual Conference in Philadelphia. Alex Baloga,
President & CEO at PFMA, and Gene Cleary, Senior Director, Independent Sales, at C&S Wholesale
Grocers, were appointed to the Board of Directors. The remaining Board Members were elected to
another term at the Annual Meeting held during the conference.
Cleary was named Board Secretary, replacing Frank Puleo, also of C&S Wholesale Grocers. Board
Member Lisa Dell’Alba, President & CEO of Square One Markets, was named Board Treasurer, replacing
Tom Cormier, Manager of Government Affairs at Retail Business Services, a subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize
USA. Cormier was promoted to Board Vice Chairman, replacing Lou Mola, loss prevention manager at
Wawa.
“Lisa and Gene are both proven leaders in the food and beverage industry, and we are very confident
they will excel in leadership positions with PFMA,” Baloga said. “We also want to express our deepest
gratitude to Frank and Lou for their service to the Board and wish them the very best in their retirement.
As president of Square One Markets, Inc., Dell’Alba runs a nine-store convenience and gasoline retail
chain headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She joined the family-operated business 12 years ago
and through the years she managed the company’s flagship store; served in all aspects of human
resources and ascended to vice president of operations, where she worked with her father, Gary
Dell’Alba. She took on the president’s responsibilities after he passed away in 2009.
In addition to her work with PFMA, Dell’Alba serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association
of Convenience Stores (NACS), and Team Pennsylvania.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Psychology from De Sales University and she
most recently earned her red belt in martial arts.
Cleary has more than 40 years of experience in the food industry, having worked at major wholesalers
including UNFI, Wetterau, Inc., prior to joining C&S Wholesale Grocers, where he’s served for 16 years.
He manages a team responsible for sales for the company’s independent clients in the Mid-Atlantic
region including Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and New York.
Cleary holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut.
