Kahl Named “Niagara Frontier Executive Of The Year” By UB School Of Management

BUFFALO, NY -- Luiz F. Kahl, president of The Vector Group, LLC and chairman of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, has been named 1999 "Niagara Frontier Executive of the Year" by the UB School of Management.

The award will be presented at the 50th annual UB School of Management Alumni Association Awards Banquet, to be held at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 18 in the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

Established in 1949, the Niagara Frontier Executive of the Year award honors a resident of the Niagara Frontier who has distinguished himself or herself in a career marked by executive success, a proven willingness to assume a leadership role in civic affairs and a demonstration of high personal integrity.

Past recipients include Robert E. Rich, Sr.; Paul L. Snyder; Robert E. Rich, Jr.; Jeremy M. Jacobs; the late Burt P. Flickinger, Jr.; the late Seymour H. Knox III; Sal H. Alfiero; Robert G. Wilmers; Bernard J. Kennedy; Frank L. Ciminelli, and Reginald B. Newman II. Last year's honoree was Brian J. Lipke.

Kahl, a resident of Williamsville, is the former president of The Carborundum Co., a division of British Petroleum, p.l.c., a manufacturer of high-technology ceramic materials for both structural and electronic applications, as well as ceramic fibers. He was also chief executive of BP Advanced Materials, which produces composites sold to a variety of aerospace and defense, commercial aircraft, automotive and industrial, and leisure-product markets.

Carborundum was divested by British Petroleum to the French group, Saint-Gobain, and Kahl left his position in 1996. He now serves as president of The Vector Group, LLC, a newly formed company pursuing investment opportunities, and chairman of Dinaire, LLC, headquartered in Buffalo.

He received a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Rio de Janeiro, a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Houston, and an honorary doctorate from Niagara University. Kahl also attended Harvard's Advanced Management Program.

He serves on the board of directors of Rand Capital Corp. and Stride Tool, Inc. He is a member of the board of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority. Kahl also is a member of the board and executive committee of the Greater Buffalo Partnership and the board of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Western New York.

Also being honored at the banquet will be Larry R. Drake of Amherst, formerly with Graphic Controls Corp., for his outstanding service to the school; Steven H. Shepsman of Great Neck, N.Y., managing director of Reckson Strategic Venture Partners, for leadership in the real-estate industry, and Charles S. Tirone, M.D., of Williamsville, a radiologist and chairman of Medical Management Services, Inc., for entrepreneurship.

For further information about the awards banquet, contact John Shellum, assistant dean in the School of Management, at 645-3224.