Perry's Ice Cream history

In 1935 the company branched out and began producing ice cream novelties as well.

A major step in the growth of the business was the 1940 acquisition of the Frontier Ice Cream Co. in Buffalo, which gave Perry's entry into the large city market, albeit one that was already populated with a large number of small ice cream companies.

In 1946 the family business was incorporated as Perry's Ice Cream Company Inc.

A third generation of the Perry family became involved in running the company in 1963 when Marlo's son Thomas joined his father after earning a degree in food science from Michigan State University.

The company bought an 8.5-acre piece of property in Akron and built a new storage freezer and distribution facility, which opened in 1971.

To keep pace with demand, the company moved into a new 6-million-gallon-per-year facility in 1982, a significant improvement over the previous 2-million-gallon capacity.

After receiving his degree, Brian joined the family business in 1985 as a personnel supervisor, the first of several roles he would hold in the company.

In 1988 Thomas Perry succeeded his father as chief executive officer and chairman, and the following year brought in executive C. Jonathan Hauck to restructure the operation in light of market conditions.

His task completed, Hauck left in November 1991, almost two years after joining the company.

While working part-time in sales, Brian attended Canisius College full time, earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1993.

A new president came to Perry's in 1994 when Geff Yancey, who had been president of Heluva Good Cheese Company for the previous decade, invested in the company, taking a minority position while the Perry family retained a controlling stake.

The state became involved in the matter and finally a settlement was reached with the attorney general's office in July 2001, resulting in the closing of the lagoon and a major upgrade of the wastewater treatment facility.

"Perry's History," Dairy Field, April 2005.

In 2006 Perry's was recognized by its peers.

Along with being an Alfred State alum, another commonality between Brian and his uncle Dale (who passed away in 2011) is the fact that both of them were able to significantly expand Perry’s.

In addition, he was named chairman in 2012.

In February 2016, the ties between Perry’s and Alfred State were strengthened even more when the college opened a new dining option on campus named “Alfie’s” that serves Perry’s Ice Cream.

Another commonality between Alfred State and Perry’s is that both are celebrating major milestones in 2018, as Alfred State marked its 110th anniversary this year, while Perry’s turned 100.