# Brian Lipke

> Brian J. Lipke is a Buffalo business executive, investor and board member who spent more than four decades at Gibraltar, retiring as CEO in December 2014 and from its board in May 2015. His career spans manufacturing operations, acquisitions, public-company leadership and civic finance. He is a founding partner of Buffalo Capital Partners and is listed on Merchants Insurance Group’s board.

- **Role:** Board member at Merchants Insurance Group; retired Chairman and CEO of Gibraltar Industries
- **Organizations:** Gibraltar Industries, Merchants Insurance Group, Buffalo Capital Partners, Moog (former director), Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority (former chairman), Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority (former member), Peace Bridge Authority (former chairman), Elmwood Franklin School, YMCA of Western New York
- **From:** Davenport, Iowa, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Alfred State College, State University of New York, University of Akron, Clarence High School
- **Known for:** Led Gibraltar during its development as a public manufacturing business following the 1993 IPO., Received the 1998 Niagara Frontier Executive of the Year award., Voluntarily surrendered restricted stock units covering 52,686 shares in 2011.

## Career timeline

- **1972** — Joined Gibraltar, the steel processor acquired by his father that year.
- **1972-1987** — Held production, purchasing and divisional management positions.
- **1987** — Became CEO of predecessor Gibraltar Steel Corporation of New York, according to its 2002 proxy.
- **1993** — Gibraltar completed its initial public offering; Lipke served as chairman and CEO of the public company.
- **1998** — Named Niagara Frontier Executive of the Year by the University at Buffalo School of Management alumni association.
- **2003** — Joined the board of Moog.
- **2005** — Appointed chairman of the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority on January 18.
- **2007** — Resigned the BFSA chairmanship; the authority honored his service in August.
- **2011** — Surrendered restricted stock units covering 52,686 shares on March 24; joined the Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority.
- **2014** — Retired as Gibraltar CEO effective December 31.
- **2015** — Served as executive chairman until retiring from employment and the board effective May 31; joined Buffalo Capital Partners as a founding partner.
- **2017-2018** — Co-chaired Elmwood Franklin School annual fund campaign, which raised $284,949 from 472 donors.
- **2025** — Retired from Moog’s board immediately before its annual meeting.

## Achievements

- Led Gibraltar during its development as a public manufacturing business following the 1993 IPO.
- Received the 1998 Niagara Frontier Executive of the Year award.
- Voluntarily surrendered restricted stock units covering 52,686 shares in 2011.
- Chaired Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority during adoption of three financial plans preceding the July 2007 lifting of the city wage freeze.
- Co-chaired Elmwood Franklin’s 2017-2018 annual fund campaign, exceeding its $250,000 target.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Series Buffalo reported his participation in an entrepreneurship ecosystem panel alongside William Fichtner and Jim Dentinger.
- **2026-03** — Equilar’s Merchants-sourced biography listed him as a Merchants Group board member.
- **2025-02** — Retired from Moog’s board immediately before its 2025 annual meeting.

## Links

- Website: https://www.gibraltar1.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-lipke-38913a9

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/brian-lipke
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23