The Daily Bulletin Archive

By Mary A. Durlak

Buffalo State College is proud to recognize two of its most dedicated supporters during this year’s Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 16. President’s Distinguished Service Awards will be presented to Gary M. Brost, chairman and CEO of Strategic Investments & Holdings Inc., and Benjamin M. Zuffranieri, ’80, senior partner with Hodgson Russ LLP.

Gary Brost started his career in the financial industry as an accountant. After progressing to numerous management positions at a major bank, he founded Strategic Investments & Holdings. Since its inception in 1983, Strategic Investments has made approximately 100 acquisitions while investing more than a quarter-billion dollars of equity capital.

Brost holds an M.B.A. from the University at Buffalo and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Program for Management Development. He is an active and engaged philanthropist who has demonstrated a deep commitment to the community.

He serves on the boards of directors of several businesses, including Microcision LLC and Merchants Mutual Insurance Company. He is a board member and past chair of the YMCA’s Camp Weona, and he serves on the board of directors for Gateway-Longview, a child and family services organization. He also serves in various volunteer capacities at his undergraduate alma mater, Allegheny College. He is currently serving on the boards of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and the Buffalo Club.

When he became a member of the Burchfield Penney Art Center Board of Trustees in 2001, he embraced the idea of building its new museum. As chairman of the board from 2004 to 2006, he spent hundreds of hours raising money, advocating with elected officials, and working with the college to construct the first new freestanding museum to be built in Buffalo in more than 100 years.

Brost is also a member of the Buffalo State College Foundation’s Executive Committee and serves as chair of its Nominating Committee. His many business contacts have been invaluable in securing new members for the foundation’s board of directors. He is dedicated to the unique place Buffalo State holds in the Western New York community.

Benjamin Zuffranieri is a partner in the law firm of Hodgson Russ LLP, one of the nation’s oldest law firms. Before joining Hodgson Russ in 1985, Zuffranieri was confidential law clerk to the Honorable Reid S. Moule, justice of the State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department.

Zuffranieri’s professional honors include a listing in The Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation. He is a past winner of the Charles S. Desmond Moot Court Competition and the Albert R. Mugel National Tax Moot Court Competition, and he received the Judge Matthew J. Jasen Appellate Practice Award for academic achievement. He holds a juris doctor from the University at Buffalo.

He has been a member of the Literacy Volunteers board of directors, the Burchfield Penney Art Center Council, and the Burchfield Penney Art Center Board of Trustees.

Zuffranieri is a longstanding supporter of Buffalo State. His first term on the Buffalo State College Foundation board of directors began in 1986, and he served as chair from 2001 to 2004. Currently he chairs the Finance and Audit Committee, and he is a member of the Nominating and Governance, Executive, and Fall Event committees. He is a past member of the Buffalo State College Alumni Association board of directors, and he has been instrumental in securing the support of his firm as a corporate sponsor for numerous Buffalo State College and Burchfield Penney Art Center events.

In addition to providing outstanding leadership, he has shared his business knowledge, legal expertise, and financial acumen with Buffalo State in countless ways during his tenure. His thoughtful, thorough analysis and advice have benefited Buffalo State and the foundation on issues ranging from finance administration to oversight and governance. His steady leadership and deep commitment to the well-being of the institution have been an inspiration.