Tom Golisano
- Birth: 13 Nov 1941
- Death: —
- Age: 84 years
- Net Worth: $7.3B USD
- Income Source: Payroll Services, Sports Franchises, Investments
Biography
The Payroll Prophet – Tom Golisano's Blueprint for Bootstrap Billionaires
Born November 13, 1941, in Rochester, New York, to a macaroni factory worker father and seamstress mother, B. Thomas Golisano learned early that paychecks—and their headaches—were universal. A 1962 accounting graduate from Alfred State College, he hustled nights selling insurance while crunching numbers dayside. By 1971, at age 29, he scraped together $3,000 and a $3,000 loan to launch Paychex in a two-room office above a Rochester pizza parlor. His pitch: simplify payroll for small businesses drowning in IRS forms.
The gamble paid cosmic dividends. Paychex pioneered automated payroll processing, exploding to 100,000 clients by 1990 and going public in 1983. Golisano's 10% stake, plus shrewd reinvestments, ballooned into a $7.3 billion fortune by October 2025. He stepped down as CEO in 2004 but retains Chairman Emeritus status, guiding a firm now processing $1 trillion in annual wages across 200+ offices.
A three-time New York gubernatorial candidate (1994, 1998, 2002) under the Independence Party banner, Golisano spent $74 million of his own cash pushing fiscal reform—never winning but shifting debates on taxes and education. His 2005 purchase of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres for $170 million saved hockey in western New York; he sold in 2011 for $189 million after steering the team to stability.
Married to Monica since 1995, with two children from a prior marriage, Golisano splits time between Rochester and Florida's Gulf Coast. Philanthropy is his loudest legacy: $360 million via the Golisano Foundation transformed intellectual disability services globally; $20 million rebuilt Rochester's pediatric hospital wing; $15 million launched a children's institute at Upstate Medical. In 2023, he gifted $7.5 million to Alfred State—his alma mater's largest ever.
At 83, Tom Golisano proves self-made isn't myth. From pizza-scented ledgers to pediatric palaces, he scripted the ultimate payroll: turning paystubs into purpose. In a gig-economy world, his mantra echoes—simplify, scale, give back.
Born November 13, 1941, in Rochester, New York, to a macaroni factory worker father and seamstress mother, B. Thomas Golisano learned early that paychecks—and their headaches—were universal. A 1962 accounting graduate from Alfred State College, he hustled nights selling insurance while crunching numbers dayside. By 1971, at age 29, he scraped together $3,000 and a $3,000 loan to launch Paychex in a two-room office above a Rochester pizza parlor. His pitch: simplify payroll for small businesses drowning in IRS forms.
The gamble paid cosmic dividends. Paychex pioneered automated payroll processing, exploding to 100,000 clients by 1990 and going public in 1983. Golisano's 10% stake, plus shrewd reinvestments, ballooned into a $7.3 billion fortune by October 2025. He stepped down as CEO in 2004 but retains Chairman Emeritus status, guiding a firm now processing $1 trillion in annual wages across 200+ offices.
A three-time New York gubernatorial candidate (1994, 1998, 2002) under the Independence Party banner, Golisano spent $74 million of his own cash pushing fiscal reform—never winning but shifting debates on taxes and education. His 2005 purchase of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres for $170 million saved hockey in western New York; he sold in 2011 for $189 million after steering the team to stability.
Married to Monica since 1995, with two children from a prior marriage, Golisano splits time between Rochester and Florida's Gulf Coast. Philanthropy is his loudest legacy: $360 million via the Golisano Foundation transformed intellectual disability services globally; $20 million rebuilt Rochester's pediatric hospital wing; $15 million launched a children's institute at Upstate Medical. In 2023, he gifted $7.5 million to Alfred State—his alma mater's largest ever.
At 83, Tom Golisano proves self-made isn't myth. From pizza-scented ledgers to pediatric palaces, he scripted the ultimate payroll: turning paystubs into purpose. In a gig-economy world, his mantra echoes—simplify, scale, give back.