Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN/WGR 550) - There's a new leader now in place to oversee the business operations of both the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres.
In a joint announcement on Tuesday, Rochester native Pete Guelli has been hired as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of both organizations.
Guelli returns to Buffalo after a five-year tenure as the Chief Business Officer of the New York Giants. He joined the Giants in 2019, and was recruited to modernize the team’s business model and operations.
During his tenure with the Giants, he has restructured key business functions, established a business intelligence and analytics department, built out the team’s digital capabilities, launched team branding initiatives, implemented a new customer service function, and extended the teams partnership with Ticketmaster.
The 59-year-old also led efforts to sign Eli Manning to a comprehensive role within the organization. He is also currently serving on the NFL team presidents business optimization committee.
Prior to joining the Giants in 2019, Guelli served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Charlotte Hornets after originally joining the franchise as Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Sales officer in 2009.
In Charlotte, Guelli led the transition of team ownership to Michael Jordan when Jordan became the first former player to become majority owner of an NBA team. He spearheaded the organization's transition from the Bobcats back to the historic Hornets brand in 2014.
Guelli also led the efforts to secure a new television rights deal, oversaw the launch of the team's G League team, led the team’s participation in the NBA Global Games in China, expanded the team’s relationship with Live Nation, and managed the renovation of the Spectrum Center and directed a successful bid to host the NBA All-Star game in 2019.
He also served as the President of the Hornets Foundation, focused on community investment in Charlotte.
"It was hard not to be impressed with the experience and overall business acumen of Pete Guelli. The New York market is the largest in our country and highly competitive, and he did an outstanding job on all levels of their business operation," said Bills and Sabres owner Terry Pegula in a statement.
"His work in helping turn around the Charlotte Hornets franchise in the NBA was remarkable. He is a proven leader with tremendous skills and experience in the sports business landscape. With the upcoming changes on the way in both team’s venues, we are happy to have Pete to help lead our teams."
A native of Rochester and a graduate of Aquinas High School and SUNY Brockport, Guelli will be embarking on his second tenure with the Bills, as he served as the team’s Senior Vice President of Business Ventures from 1998-2009. He was initially hired to oversee the team’s expansion into the Rochester market, including the movement of training camp from Fredonia College to St. John Fisher.
Guelli will be relocating to Buffalo, and is scheduled to begin with the team in mid-April.
"I just want to thank Terry and the Pegula family for this incredible opportunity," said Guelli in a statement. "I know the importance of these franchises to the market, and understand the responsibility that comes with this role. I am looking forward to getting to work and becoming part of the community again."
Meanwhile, Josh Dziurlikowski, who was serving as the interim COO of the Bills, was named senior vice president of finance and business operations for the team.
As for Rob Minter, the interim COO of the Sabres, he was named senior vice president of business operations of the team.
"I’d first like to thank Josh and Rob for their outstanding work and leadership as interim COOs," Pegula said. "It was a challenging transition and period for each of them and we are fortunate to be able to retain them in other leadership roles within each organization."
The teams will be holding an introductory Zoom call for Guelli on Wednesday afternoon.
