The Zoldan Family, owners of Phantom Fireworks has donated $5 million dollars to the Youngstown State for a new student center.

The announcement was made by outgoing YSU President Jim Tressel  & Ron Zoldan during a time out of the men's basketball game at Beeghly Center.

The donation matches the largest gifts ever given to YSU and, in turn, the new facility will be called the Zoldan Family Center.

“The word ‘philanthropy’ certainly describes the Zoldan family,” YSU President Jim Tressel said. “The word comes from the Greek language and means love of humanity. Bruce Zoldan and the entire Zoldan family have once again lived up to that definition. We thank them for their tremendous generosity in helping to make the dream of a new student center move closer to reality here at YSU.”

The Zoldans are long-time supporters of YSU, including a $1 million gift in 2020 for student scholarships and to establish a new mentorship program, in honor of their parents, Sam and Sylvia Zoldan, and their uncle, Abe Yampolsky.

“The Zoldan family has benefited from the university’s continued strong presence here in our community,” said Bruce J. Zoldan, president and chief executive of Phantom Fireworks. “It is a privilege to be able to give back and support President Tressel and the entire YSU community and to make a difference in the lives of all of our students.”

Tressel is retiring as president at the end of the month but will still continue to help raise funds for the center.

He said earlier it'll take $20 million dollars in private donations to build a new state of the art facility on campus.