UMSL alumnus Steve Barth, vice president of business operations and CFO for the Saint Louis Zoo, received a 2012 CFO Award from the St. Louis Business Journal. (St. Louis Business Journal photo-Brian Cassidy)

Going beyond the traditional roles of a chief financial officer and making a difference in their company have earned three University of Missouri–St. Louis alumni honors from the St. Louis Business Journal.

The St. Louis Business Journal’s 2012 CFO Awards were published in a special section of the newspaper May 18. The newspaper awarded the honorees in five different categories, as well as naming several finalists.

Steve Barth, BSBA 1975, is the vice president of business operations and CFO for the Saint Louis Zoo and Saint Louis Zoo Association. He received the award in the nonprofit category.

Since leaving the corporate world for the nonprofit sector more than 20 years ago, Barth has helped the zoo grow and expand its budget through numerous capital campaigns. The zoo is currently in the middle of its 2010 The Living Promise Campaign to raise $120 million, of which $100 million has been raised. More than 3 million people visit the free zoo each year.

Kirk Ricther, BSBA 1968, is the vice president and treasurer for Sigma-Aldrich. He was named a finalist in the category of large corporation. Ricther has been with Sigma-Aldrich for more than 34 years, helping the company’s revenue grow from $68 million in 1978 to $2.5 billion in 2011. He oversees a worldwide staff of more than 320 employees.

Paul Martin, BSBA 1982, is the CFO of Perficient. He was named a finalist in the category of small corporation. Over the past two years, Martin has overseen the information technology consulting company’s acquisition of five smaller firms to push its revenue to $262.4 million in 2011, up 22 percent from the previous year.