WNY Native Pete Guelli will take over as Chief Operating Officer of both the NHL Sabres and NFL Bills
The Buffalo Sabres announced the hiring of Pete Guelli as Chief Operating Officer on Tuesday. The 59-year-old Rochester native will oversee the business operations of both the Sabres and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, after serving as the COO and Executive Vice President of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets for 10 years, and Chief Business Officer of the New York Giants from 2019 to 2024.
Guelli was previously with the Bills as the team’s Senior Vice President of Business Ventures from 1998-2009, and with his hiring Rob Minter, who was serving as the interim Sabres COO was named the club’s senior vice president of business operations.
While a great deal of his focus will be on the construction of the Bills new stadium in Orchard Park and items relating to that (such as personal seat licenses for season ticket holders), Guelli indicated that he will also be concentrating on upgrading Key Bank Center, which has not had any major renovations since opening in 1996.
"I can't wait to get the work on the Sabres, I really think the potential there is incredible," Guelli said in a media availability on Wednesday. T "I spent 10 years working in an arena model down in Charlotte and I know exactly how it needs to operate. Those buildings are community assets. They're the staples of the city and they're the catalysts for growth in markets if they're handled the right way."
Renovations to the 28-year-old building, including a new roof and large state-of-the-art video scoreboard were announced last month, but Guelli appears focused on other improvements that would improve the in-game overall fan experience of Sabres fans.
"I'm hopeful that we get everything right with the arena that the team is growing at the perfect time when everything comes together. I've seen it and when that happens, it's a special time. I was in Buffalo when that barn was full every night and the TV ratings were through the roof. So I think it's there and I think we just have to unlock that passion again." Guelli said.
I think there's some things with this arena that we need to take a look at. I mean, it's all about experience, so you can't control exactly what's going to happen on the ice, but you can control what people see and do from the minute they step on the street, to the minute that they're in their seat. That'll be the focus, kind of going through that process and making sure that the experience is a great feeling... Candidly, it's not just the Sabres. That building hosts,100+ events every year. It's everything that's going on in that arena that is important."
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