“What’s gratifying to me is you have the same vision,” Guelli told Gallagher. “You saw that property, you realized it was a great place to be. The opportunity to bring more businesses and more people into that location so approximate to downtown and the arena really is a perfect fit.”
The BNP is a privately-funded economic development organization comprised of hundreds of regional employers of all sizes, mobilizing in the interest of job growth in the Buffalo and Niagara Falls area.
Guelli has been vocal since joining the Sabres and Bills last March about his belief in KeyBank Center’s ability to fuel economic growth in downtown Buffalo, a belief that stems from his decade of experience working in an arena model with the Hornets.
Guelli recalled how Charlotte – the second-largest banking center in the United States – was reeling as a market when he joined the Hornets in 2009, on the heels of the financial crisis of 2008. He said Spectrum Center (then Times Warner Cable Arena) became a catalyst of growth for the city with programming that extended beyond Hornets games.
The Sabres have the same vision for KeyBank Center, with a goal of programming 150-plus events per year as a means to bring consumers downtown. Guelli pointed to this weekend as an example, which included the "Shoresy Fall Classic" featuring Sabres alumni on Wednesday, the Sabres’ overtime win over the Blues on Thursday, and a comedy show headlined by Sebastian Maniscalco on Saturday.
“You don’t have to be a hockey fan, there will be a reason to come to that arena if we bring the right types of events in,” Guelli said.
Gallagher echoed Guelli’s belief in KeyBank Center as a driver of Buffalo’s economic future.
“It’s such a key part of downtown,” she said. “I think when we talk to a lot of business leaders about, in particular ones that are located downtown … [they say] we’ve got to do a better job programming. Quite honestly, this is one of the reasons why we’re going into 79 Perry and trying to create a place, a reason for people to want to be together and to hang out and make it cool and fun and really set an energy in that space. So, we’d like to think we’re a part of your puzzle piece.”
Investing in the arena has been another piece to the puzzle. Pegula personally funded a new roof and state-of-the-art videoboard this past offseason, which Guelli has referred to as “phase one” in their assessment of the long-term vision for the Sabres’ home.
“We’ve started that process already,” Guelli said. “It takes a few years to determine how it’s going to play out, but the goal is to do something every year and then something more dramatic hopefully in the near future that people, everyone will want to be invested and be a part of.”
Guelli worked with Ralph Wilson Jr. in his previous stint with the Bills, then for Michael Jordan in Charlotte and John Mara with the Giants. He’s described Terry and Kim Pegula’s commitment to Buffalo as second to none, a crucial factor toward his confidence in the market’s future.
In addition to investment at KeyBank Center, construction is underway on a new stadium for the Bills in Orchard Park. Guelli has his sights set on the NFL Draft one day coming to Buffalo, and he’s already spoken with the NHL about the 2028 Winter Classic, which will mark the 20-year anniversary of the original event played on a snow New Year’s Day in Orchard Park.
“We should be playing offense in Buffalo,” Guelli said. “This is a great place to live, a great place to work. There’s a lot of economic development going on, there’s a lot of great things that people wouldn’t realize. Sometimes you have to go out there and tell the story.”
