Tom Golisano Biography

Blase Thomas "Tom" Golisano (born November 14, 1941) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of Paychex, the second-largest payroll processor in the United States and former co-owner (along with real estate developer Larry Quinn) of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team and of the Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team. He sold the Sabres team and its assets to multi-billionaire Terrence Pegula in February 2011. Golisano made a bid for the bankrupt Los Angeles Dodgers franchise in early 2012; his group was eventually outbid by a consortium led by Magic Johnson and Guggenheim Partners. Golisano has an associate's degree from Alfred State College.

He is a founding member of the Independence Party of New York and ran on its ticket for governor of New York in 1994, 1998 and 2002. Although never elected, his percentage of the vote increased with each election. He spent a combined $93 million on the three campaigns. By receiving more than 50,000 votes each time, Golisano brought the Independence Party an automatic ballot line for the succeeding four years. There was speculation that he would run for governor again on the Republican ticket, but announced on May 15, 2009 that he was moving to Florida to escape the tax burden in New York.

Political involvement

After New York's Republican Governor George Pataki announced he would not run again in the 2006 elections, GOP officials attempted to recruit Golisano to run for the Republican nomination. Golisano changed his party affiliation to the GOP (with the Independence Party's chairman's blessing) in October 2005, apparently in preparation for another gubernatorial run. However, on February 1, 2006, Golisano announced that he would not run for the governorship.

In August 2008, Golisano contributed $1 million to the Democratic National Convention.

In July 2008, Golisano formed a PAC called Responsible New York. He funded it with $5 million of his own money. The PAC gives money to candidates for the New York state legislature, regardless of party. The PAC is aiming to support candidates in favor of property tax cuts and election reform.

In October 2008, Golisano voiced his opinion in favor of term limits for public offices in the City of New York. Golisano has vowed to fight Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal to extend term limits, arguing that the people of New York city have voted twice in favor of the current law.

In June 2009, Golisano took partial credit for the Republican seizure of control in the 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis. Golisano, who had supported a number of Democratic Party candidates during the 2008 election, was dissatisfied with, among other things, the Democratic plan to solve the state's budget crisis by raising taxes on New York's wealthiest residents. He orchestrated the defection of Democratic senators Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate, who voted with Republicans to reinstall Dean Skelos as majority leader.

In February 2011, Golisano became the spokesman for National Popular Vote Inc., a non-profit organization seeking to implement a popular vote system for presidential elections by harnessing the Electoral College.

Philanthropy

Golisano is a major philanthropist. He founded the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation in 1985, awarding grants to organizations dedicated to providing opportunities for those with disabilities and supporting their families. Golisano has donated over 6% of his net worth ($1.3 billion) to charity. He has made major donations to fund health care and leading educational centers. He donated $14 million in February 2001 to the Rochester Institute of Technology to fund the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences and donated another $10 million to fund the Golisano Institute for Sustainability there in 2007. Golisano donated $14 million to the University of Rochester, which renamed their pediatric facility at Strong Memorial Hospital in his honor as the Golisano Children's Hospital in 2002. In October 2003, Golisano donated $5 million to Nazareth College, which named the new Golisano Academic Center in his honor. In July of 2004, he made a $5 million gift to Hartwick College of Oneonta, NY, which was be used to build a new academic building for the social science and management programs, and has been named Golisano Hall. On March 6, 2006, Golisano donated $6 million to Bishop Kearney High School and Our Lady of Mercy High School. In September 2007, with a $10 million donation, Golisano launched the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

On October 8, 2008, Golisano donated $10 million to Niagara University for a new Center for Integrated Science building that will be named in his honor. On the list of contributors to the Clinton Foundation, which the foundation released in December 2008 as part of an arrangement with the Obama administration, Golisano is listed as having given between $10 million and $25 million. In November 2009, Golisano donated $4 million to Ave Maria University for the construction of a new field house.

In 2014, The Golisano Neurology and Rehabilitation Center at Unity Hospital in Rochester, NY, funded by a $10 million contribution by Golisano, will open.

On October 30th, 2012 it was revealed that Golisano was the $20 million anonymous donor to The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida in Fort Myers.

He was a major contributor to the Upstate University Hospital children's wing addition in Syracuse. The wing was named in his honor.

Personal life

Three times divorced, Golisano has been dating former tennis star Monica Seles since 2009.

Electoral history

• 2002 Race for Governor
  • George Pataki (R) (inc.), 49%
  • Carl McCall (D), 34%
  • Tom Golisano (I), 14%
• 1998 Race for Governor
  • George Pataki (R) (inc.), 54%
  • Peter Vallone (D), 33%
  • Tom Golisano (I), 8%
• 1994 Race for Governor
  • George Pataki (R), 49%
  • Mario Cuomo (D) (inc.), 45%
  • Tom Golisano (I), 4%

Awards and honors

Golisano has received recognition for his business prowess and philanthropy, including:

• 2008 "Niagara Frontier Executive of the Year" presented by the University at Buffalo School of Management Alumni Association
• David T. Kearns Medal of Distinction - recognizing significant achievements in business, public service and education, by the University of Rochester's William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration
• Rochester Business Hall of Fame (2001)
• The 1987 Herbert W. VandenBrul Entrepreneurial Award, presented by Rochester Institute of Technology's College of Business
• "Master Entrepreneur" award in Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year awards competition for Western New York
• The "Distinguished Citizen of the Year" award from the Otetiana Council of the Boy Scouts of America
• Shumway Distinguished Service Award from Family Service of Rochester
• Humanitarian of the Year Award, presented by the Boy's Town of Italy, and the Commerce and Industry Award of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce.
• Outstanding Alumni Award from the American Association of Community Colleges
• Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Nazareth College in May 2002.
• Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y.
• Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, N.Y.

In 2003, Mr. Golisano was awarded the first-ever Humanitarian Award by the Italian-American Community Center in Rochester.

See also

• List of richest American politicians