Tech expert honored for his work keeping Staten Island’s small businesses running

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Patrick Buono is a driving-the-scenes group chief, quietly and effectively maintaining Staten Island’s small organizations operating by means of his engineering community.

Buono was born in Brooklyn, but moved to Staten Island at an early age, turning into entrenched in the neighborhood very long right before he begun his possess business enterprise. He attended New Dorp Higher University, in which he uncovered his like for quantities, and afterwards gained a bachelor of science diploma in public accounting from Baruch Faculty. Almost immediately after graduating, Buono began working as a senior accountant for DeSantis, Kiefer, Shall, & Sarcone, LLP (DKSS), one of the borough’s oldest accounting firms, and a extended-time member of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.

“I cherished accounting, but the firm knew that I also experienced an desire in pcs, and they ended up very progressive at the time,” recalled Buono. “DKSS desired to start computerizing their bookkeeping and accounting procedures, so they created a new place known as laptop or computer supervisor and asked if I would be interested in it.”

Buono labored as DKSS’s computer system manager for a number of yrs, right until Richard Prinzi, just one of the firm’s senior companions, approached him with the proposition of developing a pc consulting department for the procedure.

The laptop consulting division would be run beneath a different business, and Buono would be a lover in that enterprise. DKSS would provide as its very first client. Buono accepted the provide and co-established Aurora Laptop or computer Engineering Inc. together with DKSS.

Aurora Computer system Technological know-how shortly gained the have faith in of DKSS’s shoppers, according to Buono, and word about the tech enterprise swiftly distribute. The moment Buono was ready to be completely impartial, he acquired the legal rights to Aurora Laptop Technology and began to operate the firm on his individual.

“In 1987, personal computers weren’t mainstay the way they are now I was breaking into an completely new market,” recalled Buono. “The initially thing that businesses required to do on the laptop was bookkeeping, and who superior to computerize your accounting process than an accountant who specializes in personal computers? I was distinctive, and it worked in my favor.”

Buono mentioned he continued to build Aurora Pc Technological innovation as he grew as a businessman, getting each conversation with a customer as a understanding knowledge and frequently adjusting to best in shape their needs. For above 20 decades, Buono ran Aurora Computer system Technologies totally by himself, taking calls from purchasers at all hrs of the working day and even interrupting his possess vacations to help with crisis tech concerns.

Buono employed his initial entire-time worker in 2013, when Aurora Computer system Technology became also big for him to cope with by himself. Soon immediately after, he employed various much more staff and started training them on how to mimic his possess operate, allowing for the company to acquire on additional customers.

Whilst Buono begun doing the job completely with CPA corporations, he has considering the fact that expanded, and now he consults for enterprises in more support industries. Buono stated he likes to continue to keep it area and predominantly serves businesses on Staten Island.

“I sense an obligation to my clients. They are reliant on us, and I really don’t choose that frivolously,” described Buono. “I developed this business on services, and services is crucial. If anyone requirements something right absent, we’re there. We’re nothing without having our clients if they grow, then we grow.”

In the very last ten years, Buono has noticed a producing need to have for the set up of modern-day cell phone units, a provider that Aurora Pc Technologies did not offer. On recognizing this require, Buono launched Aurora Communications in 2018, a sister organization to Aurora Personal computer Technology that focuses solely on IP cell phone communications. Aurora Communications permitted Buono to company customers completely in-house, offering little corporations a spectrum of the two technological and communications companies.

The key to Buono’s success is his willingness to make himself obtainable to customers and non-clients alike, featuring his pro services to everyone who could possibly want them. He goes over and beyond to ensure that his customers have the most effective tech working experience probable, even working with businesses all over the top of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to preserve their operations up and managing.

“I’m very open up to serving to small corporations that are just setting up I feel they want a minor little bit of assistance in understanding the ropes to IT, and I’m joyful to assist them even if they don’t have a big finances,” claimed Buono. “We’ll just take on shoppers from a single proprietor to a 100-guy business, and every single consumer is as critical as the upcoming.”

As accessible as Buono is to his purchasers, he said he helps make absolutely sure to always reserve ample time for his liked kinds. He married his wife, Lori, soon after starting off Aurora Personal computer Technological know-how, and they have two little ones, Karalyn and Kevin.

For his achievements, Buono is becoming honored with a Louis R. Miller Enterprise Leadership Award, which he will get in the Founded Businessperson class. The awards, which are introduced by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the Staten Island Advance, honor the memory of Louis R. Miller, a businessman and West Brighton resident who was also a local community chief.

In addition to all the work Buono does for the Staten Island neighborhood through his two firms, he is also a member of the Italian Club of Staten Island Basis and the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. He is also an energetic member of the Chamber’s Company Guild 3, frequently sponsoring events and brainstorming ways to uplift the community.

Around the yrs, Buono has also led seminars on many subjects in technologies, ranging from cybersecurity to emergency preparedness, and he has mentored for corporations these as Rating Staten Island and the Boy Scouts of America. He is presently scheduling an Island-broad knowledge destruction party to educate the local community on the significance of safe info destruction.

“Some of my staff associates get in touch with me boss, and I loathe that phrase,” explained Buono. “We function as a staff, and I’m not in some ivory tower over absolutely everyone else. I’m sitting appropriate following to my employees, functioning with them in the course of the day, producing sure we all have every little thing we want to be prosperous.”

Latest profession: President and CEO of Aurora Pc Know-how Inc.and Aurora Communications Inc.

Hometown: Rosebank

Earlier occupation/s and titles: Senior accountant, community accountant

Group involvement: Staten Island Chamber Young Entrepreneur Academy mentor Score a mentoring spouse of the U.S. Smaller Organization Administration Seminar host NYS Modern society of CPA’s speaker Boy Scouts of America mentor

Some of my lifestyle plans involve: To are living a healthier and thoroughly clean daily life and to deliver the very best provider to my customers.

The finest component of my task: Doing the job with my fantastic workforce in the business and interacting with clientele.

The most difficult part of my job: Juggling my time amongst holding staff and purchasers delighted and owning adequate time for relatives and individual time.

My lifetime philosophy: Be good to everybody and cheap prices much too substantially.

I am most happy of: My two youngsters, Karalyn and Kevin, and their fantastic do the job ethic, and the simple fact that I have a small business that has survived for above 35 decades.

Something that no a single is aware about me: I am an animal lover, and I am at this time using care of a bunny that my wife and I rescued.

The high quality I like most effective about myself: My honesty and that I am constantly mastering and improving upon and developing my organization.

Individual pursuits and hobbies: Doing work on my two classic Ford Mustangs.

I snicker at: “Seinfeld” reruns

I am actually great at: Challenge-fixing

I admire: Honesty in individuals