Vincent P. Brana was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. His parents, Domenico and Angela Brana, had been recent immigrants from the town Gravina, near Bari in Puglia, Italy. They settled in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, surrounded by relatives who had also immigrated from Italy. Family and faith were the cornerstones that shaped Vincent’s life. At a young age, he learned the value of hard work and the ability to multitask. While an honor student at Cardinal Hayes High School, Vincent spent every morning before class working on his father’s ice truck.
Vincent went on to study at Fordham University’s College of Business Administration. He graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science in Business, having majored in Marketing. While attending college, he worked in the mailroom at Pan American Airways, where he met his future bride, Anne Roughley.
He began his career in the executive sales training program at Firestone Tire and became the store manager for the company’s important and prestigious downtown New York location. Vincent and Anne married in 1958. In 1965, Vincent opened a Goodyear tire dealership, soon to become two locations in the Tribeca area of New York City. His children Annemarie and Dominick were born and Vincent worked hard to provide for his growing family. During the next several years, in addition to operating the tire dealership, Vincent shrewdly began investing in real estate in lower Manhattan and New Jersey.
Vincent sold his tire business and began Securities Courier Corporation, a transportation company specializing in logistics for banking and finance clients. His civic efforts included serving as President of the Bayside Gables Association, the community where he lived.
While Vincent spent long hours working, he was also an active member of the Downtown Athletic Club and served on the Board of Governors from 1988–1992. His humanitarian works included membership in the Forum Club, a patron of the arts including the magazine La Folia and he served on the Archdiocese of New York’s Committee for the Laity, founding and chairing the Cardinal’s Annual Golf Outing for fifteen consecutive years.
Vincent continues sharing his talents with his church and charitable foundations. He is an active member of St. Luke’s Roman Catholic Church in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey. He is also member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, achieving the rank of Knight with Grand Cross. He serves on the Boards of the Tri-State Italian-American Organization and the Columbian Society of Bergen County.
Many men retire and rest, but not Vincent. Always multitasking, he serves on the board of numerous corporations and mentors young professionals, including his seven grandchildren. After all of his accomplishments in business, Vincent still looks forward to each traditional Sunday dinner, with Anne, his wife of sixty-one years and his family and friends
