Buffalo, NY – A four-person team from the Canisius University Golden Griffin Fund (GGF) will advance to the sub-regional competition after securing first place in the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute Research Challenge of Western New York. The competition was held Saturday, February 15 at Canisius University. This year’s win marks an unprecedented 15th consecutive victory for Canisius finance students, who have dominated the regional competition since its inception in 2010.
“Winning the CFA Research Challenge for the 15th year in a row speaks volumes about the caliber of our students and the strength of the Golden Griffin Fund program,” says GGF Director Steve Gattuso. “This win is a testament to the teamwork, preparation and dedication of the team, and it serves as a reminder of the outstanding education and real-world experience our students receive at Canisius.”
The Golden Griffin Fund team prevailed over strong competitors from SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), St. John Fisher University, and Syracuse University.
This year’s winning Golden Griffin Fund team members are: Reilly Boyer ’25, Aidan Hart ’26, Kaitlyn Petrunyak ’25 and Daniel Zaccarine ’25.
The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that provides university-sponsored teams with hands-on mentoring and training in financial analysis. The competition tests the analytic, valuation, reporting, writing, and presentation skills of students studying business, finance and economics. Teams are challenged to research a publicly traded company and write a written report with a buy, sell or hold recommendation. Teams must then present and defend their analysis to a panel of industry professionals who serve as judges in the competition.
This year’s CFA Research Challenge focused on Allient Systems, a global company specializing in precision and customized products in the motion, controls and power quality industries. Allient serves both end users and original equipment manufacturers across various industries including aerospace and defense, medical, agriculture, industrial, vehicles and electronics. The company is headquartered in Buffalo, NY and serves customers throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia.
Housed within the Richard J. Wehle School of Business, the Golden Griffin Fund was one of the region's first real-money, equity investment funds managed by undergraduate and graduate business majors. GGF students select potential companies in which to invest, manage and analyze portfolio holdings, and evaluate and recommend companies to add to the portfolio. GGF teams have not only won the Western New York competition in the past but have advanced to sub-regional and regional levels across the U.S. In 2015, Canisius’ GGF team won the Global Finals of the CFA Institute Research Challenge, securing first place over more than 4,000 students from 865 universities around the world.
The Chartered Financial Analyst Institute is a global association for investment professionals. It administers the CFA and Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM) curriculum and exam programs worldwide; publishes research; conducts professional development programs; and sets voluntary ethics-based professional and performance reporting standards for the investment industry. The institute has approximately 190,000 members in 160 markets around the globe.
For more information about the Golden Griffin Fund win, contact University Communications at 716-888-2792.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
