Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - There's new leadership atop the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres organizations with the official hire of Pete Guelli as the COO of both teams earlier this week.
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Guelli returns to Western New York after growing up in Rochester, while also spending time with the Bills organization as Senior Vice President of Business Ventures from 1998-2009. He says he couldn't be more excited to return to the region and get to work with teams he grew up watching.
However, he won't be officially serving in his new role as COO of both the Bills and Sabres until April.
"I had an incredible roll here [in New York]," said Guelli during his appearance on "Schopp and the Bulldog" on Thursday on WGR. "The Giants are a flagship franchise of the NFL and the biggest market in the country, so there is not a lot to aspire to when you're here."
Guelli joined the Giants organization as their Chief Business Officer in 2019, after serving as the Charlotte Hornets' EVP, Chief Marketing, and Sales officer in 2009.
The 59-year-old is making his return to Buffalo at a major point in the Bills' history with the construction of the new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
"Everything I have seen and heard to date, it looks like a very nice facility," Guelli said with Mike Schopp and Chris "Bulldog" Parker. "I think everyone knows that building needs to be full, and it needs to be a great experience. The one thing you do not want to compromise on is the game day environment. It has to be great for the team, it has to be a home field advantage."
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One significant talking point with the new stadium ahead of its opening has been fans' concerns with the pricing of Personal Seat Licenses (PSLs), and the worry of longtime Bills fans being priced out of the new stadium. Guelli says it's one of the first items on his to-do list once he assumes his new role.
"I'm interested in coming in and really evaluating the model," he said. "There was a ton of research done in the beginning to make sure everything was set up the way it should be, to make sure everything was successful. So I don't have all of the answers right now until I get there."
Hear more from Guelli's appearance during "Schopp and the Bulldog" is available in the player below:
