IT Trailblazer Patrick Buono Honored for Dedication to Craft and Community
By Danielle Wiseman, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce
Patrick Buono is a behind-the-scenes community leader, quietly and efficiently keeping Staten Island’s small businesses running through his very own technology network.
Buono was born in Brooklyn, but moved to Staten Island at an early age, becoming entrenched in the community long before he started his own business. Buono attended New Dorp High School, where he discovered his love for numbers, and later earned his Bachelor of Science in public accounting from Baruch College. Almost immediately after graduating, Buono started working as a Senior Accountant for DeSantis, Kiefer, Shall, & Sarcone, LLP (DKSS), one of Staten Island’s oldest accounting firms, and a long-time member of the Chamber.
“I loved accounting, but the firm knew that I also had an interest in computers, and they were very progressive at the time,” says Buono. “DKSS wanted to start computerizing their bookkeeping and accounting processes, so they created a new position called Computer Manager and asked if I would be interested in it.”
Buono worked as DKSS’s Computer Manager for several years until Richard Prinzi, one of DKSS’s senior partners, approached Buono with the proposition of creating a Computer Consulting branch for the firm. The Computer Consulting division would be run under a separate company, of which Buono would be a partner, and DKSS would serve as its first client. Buono accepted the offer and co-founded Aurora Computer Technology, Inc. alongside DKSS, building his innovative company from the bottom up with the support of a premier CPA firm.
Aurora Computer Technology first started consulting for DKSS and quickly gained the trust of the firm’s clients by exhibiting exemplary work in modernizing DKSS’s accounting systems. Word spread that Buono was offering high-quality computer services, and Aurora Computer Technology started to take on new clients, one referral at a time. Once he was ready to be entirely independent, Buono purchased the rights to Aurora Computer Technology and began to run the company on his own.
“In 1987, computers weren’t mainstay the way they are now; I was breaking into an entirely new industry,” reminisces Buono. “The first thing that businesses wanted to do on the computer was bookkeeping, and who better to computerize your accounting system than an accountant who specializes in computers? I was unique, and it worked in my favor.”
Buono continued to build Aurora Computer Technology as he grew as a businessman, taking each interaction with a client as a learning experience and constantly adjusting to best fit their needs. Technology was an up-and-coming field, and Buono adapted to it seamlessly. For over twenty years, he ran Aurora Computer Technology entirely by himself, taking calls from clients at all hours of the day and even interrupting his own vacations to help with emergency tech issues.
Buono hired his first full-time employee in 2013, when Aurora Computer Technology became too big for him to handle by himself. Shortly after, he hired several more employees and started training them on how to mimic his own work, allowing Aurora Computer Technology to take on more clients at one time. Although Buono started working exclusively with CPA firms, he has since expanded and now mainly consults for businesses in additional service industries, such as attorneys, plumbers, and electricians. Buono likes to keep it local and predominantly serves businesses on Staten Island.
“I feel an obligation to my clients. They’re reliant on us, and I don’t take that lightly,” says Buono. “I built this company on service, and service is key. If someone needs something right away, we’re there. We’re nothing without our clients; if they grow, then we grow.”
In the last decade, Buono has seen a developing need for the installation of modern phone systems, a service that Aurora Computer Technology did not provide. Upon recognizing this need, Buono founded Aurora Communications in 2018, a sister company to Aurora Computer Technology that focuses solely on IP phone communications. Aurora Communications allowed Buono to service clients fully in-house, offering small businesses a full spectrum of both technological and communications services.
The key to Buono’s success is his willingness to make himself accessible to clients and non-clients alike, offering his expert services to anyone who might need them. He goes above and beyond to ensure that his clients have the best tech experience possible, even working with businesses throughout the height of the pandemic to keep their operations up and running.
“I’m very open to helping small businesses that are just starting; I think they need a little bit of guidance in learning the ropes to IT, and I’m happy to help them even if they don’t have a large budget,” says Buono. “We’ll take on clients from a single proprietor to a one-hundred-man office, and each client is as important as the next.”
As accessible as Buono is to his clients, he made sure to always reserve ample time for his loved ones. He adores his wife, Lori, who he married shortly after starting Aurora Computer Technology, and his two children, Karalyn and Kevin, who still see their father as the stellar role model that he is.
For his accomplishments, Buono is being honored with a Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Award, which he will receive in the Established Businessperson category. The awards, which are presented 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 community leader.
In addition to all the work that Buono does for the Staten Island community through his two companies, he is also a member of the Italian Club of Staten Island Foundation, and the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. Buono is also an active member of the Chamber’s Business Guild 3, constantly sponsoring events and brainstorming ways to uplift the community.
Over the years, Buono has also led seminars on varying topics in technology, ranging from cybersecurity to emergency preparedness, and mentored for organizations such as SCORE Staten Island and the Boy Scouts of America. He is currently planning an Island-wide data destruction event to educate the community on the importance of safe data destruction.
“Some of my staff members call me boss, and I hate that term,” says Buono. “We work as a team, and I’m not in some ivory tower above everyone else. I’m sitting right next to my staff, working with them throughout the day, making sure we all have everything we need to be successful.”
Current occupation: President and CEO of Aurora Computer Technology Inc.and Aurora Communications Inc.
Hometown: Rosebank
Past occupation/s and titles: Senior accountant, public accountant
Community involvement: Staten Island Chamber Young Entrepreneur Academy mentor; SCORE; a mentoring partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration Seminar host; NYS Society of CPA’s speaker; Boy Scouts of America mentor
Some of my life goals include: To live a healthy and clean life and to provide the best service to my clients.
The best part of my job: Working with my great team in the office and interacting with clients.
The most difficult part of my job: Juggling my time between keeping staff and clients happy and having enough time for family and personal time.
My life philosophy: Be nice to everyone and cheap costs too much.
I am most proud of: My two children, Karalyn and Kevin, and their great work ethic, and the fact that I have a business that has survived for over 35 years.
Something that no one knows about me: I am an animal lover, and I am currently taking care of a bunny that my wife and I rescued.
The quality I like best about myself: My honesty and that I am constantly learning and improving and building my business.
Personal interests and hobbies: Working on my two vintage Ford Mustangs.
I laugh at: “Seinfeld” reruns
I am really good at: Problem-solving
I admire: Honesty in people