Sham Bahgat and Louann Laurito-Bahgat, of Bahgat & Laurito-Bahgat, Certified Public Accountants, will be honored by the State University of New York at Fredonia Business Club as the recipient of its Business Person of the Year award at a dinner to be held on Friday, March 23, at the Clarion Hotel in Dunkirk.

The award, now in its 40th year, recognizes local business professionals for their hard work and dedication to the community. The husband-and-wife team are 1988 graduates of Fredonia and operate Bahgat & Laurito-Bahgat, an accounting firm in Fredonia that provides financial services to individuals, small and large businesses and other agencies.

Laurito-Bahgat is also a lecturer in its School of Business and a board member of the Fredonia College Foundation Board of Directors.

The program will feature guest speaker Wilfred Rosas, mayor of the City of Dunkirk, as well as Fredonia faculty and staff, members of the student-run Fredonia Business Club and local business owners.