Rochester Business Journal

When he announced he would be moving to Florida, Thomas Golisano said he would be extending his philanthropy to his new home in the Southeast. On Thursday he made good on that promise, giving a $4 million gift to Ave Maria University in Naples to fund the construction of the university’s first indoor athletic facility, the Tom Golisano Field House.

Designs call for the field house to provide spectator seating for approximately 1,000 people, a court area for basketball or volleyball, locker rooms with shower facilities for home and visiting teams, coaches’ offices, and a training and weight room. There is also space in the field house designated as an additional storage facility.

Construction, upon receipt of county permitting, is expected to begin in January.

The founder and chairman of Paychex Inc. announced Tuesday a $10.2 million to the Thomas B. Golisano Foundation, which contributes to organizations serving the developmentally disabled. It was the largest gift in the foundation’s history.

In all Golisano has given approximately $130 million in philanthropy, including $10 million to Rochester Institute of Technology to establish the Golisano Institute for Sustainability and $14 million to establish the Golisano Children’s Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center in 2002.

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