Let's get this out of the way right now, just named President of the Buffalo Sabres, Russ Brandon, is not a sports personnel guy. Nor is he a scout or GM or coach. Nor is he in charge of operations on the football field or on the ice for Pegula Sports and Entertainment. Brandon is a marketing guy and that will be his supreme focus.
His outstanding work as President of the Buffalo Bills caught the attention of Terry and Kim Pegula, owners of both the Sabres and the Bills and they felt that Brandon should be the guy to head both franchises. "Since we purchased the Buffalo Bills last October, we have been highly impressed with the business acumen that Russ has shown with the Bills," the Pegulas said via a press release. "Now is an appropriate time to give him additional responsibilities with the Sabres. Russ will work with Pegula Sports & Entertainment to create strong synergies between the Sabres and Bills. With Russ' strong ties to the area business community and sponsorship partners, he will effectively position both organizations for future growth."
Most Buffalo fans are at least somewhat familiar with Brandon as he's been with the Bills organization since 1997 when he was hired on as executive director of business development and marketing. More than likely there's barely a faint memory of his hiring, and it's almost guaranteed that very few Bills fans have a recollection of what he was able to accomplish that first year.
In 1998 the Bills were deep in negotiations with Erie County on a new 15 yr. lease. It was a time of uncertainty as speculation spread that the Bills might be leaving Western New York. For years everyone knew of the disadvantages of being a small-market team with a dwindling population in the goliath that is the NFL. Every time something like a lease came up, there was always talk of the team leaving for Los Angeles, or even Toronto, as big cities had the population and financial wherewithal to sustain an NFL team.
With new luxury boxes at nearly every NFL stadium being filled by big-money corporate sponsors, it was up to the Bills to keep pace with the Jones' on a shoestring budget with minimal big-time sponsors and Brandon was brought on board to do that. "Brandon helped form the ad hoc Business Backs the Bills committee to keep the team from leaving town," wrote Tom Adams of the Rochester Business Journal (Aug. 18, 2006.) "The committee, chaired by retired banker Erland "Erkie" Kailbourne, lobbied businesses throughout upstate to invest in some of the 164 luxury suites and 8,800 club seats that were part of the state-taxpayer-funded upgrade before the 1999 season."
Bill King of Sports Business Journal wrote of the task Brandon faced, "The business community's initial response fell somewhere between a door slam and a call to the police." But without $11 million in premium seats sold, the $63 million in state funding would be withheld meaning a long-term lease wouldn't happen.
The Syracuse-native/Rochester-schooled/Buffalo-based Brandon, the self-proclaimed "definition of regionalization," focused upon Rochester as the driving force behind the plan to get the funding and secure the Bills future in Buffalo.
"Rochester is critical to the success of this franchise in this market," said Brandon via the King piece. "When we look at just Buffalo, the market is small. Too small. But you reach out to Rochester and to Toronto and across New York, and now where are we? That's the way we have to think here in order to succeed."
Yesterday he reiterated that point as the new president of the Buffalo Sabres. “Everyone knows what Rochester means to the Bills, but it also means a great deal to the Sabres. There’s a great brand in the Rochester Americans. I’ve spent a lot of time at Rochester Americans games in my day.”
Brandon attended St. John Fisher college in Rochester. He interned and worked for the Rochester Red Wings, the Minnesota Twins' Triple-A club at that time, but also was able to attend Amerks games. Brandon was also on the Amerks payroll having served as director of promotions for a brief stint during the 1992-93 season.
"He had a desk right next to mine," long-time Amerks broadcaster Don Stevens told me via email. "I knew at the time he was an 'up-and-comer,' but never had any idea just how much and how fast that would be."
It wasn't long afterward that Brandon left Rochester and headed east for a marketing gig with the NY Yankees before taking his talents to South Beach where he began his career in the front office of the Florida Marlins. After the Marlins won the World Series in 1997, an opportunity for Brandon and his family to move back to Western New York arose and he took it.
"I had a very difficult time making the decision because I felt like I was on a good path in Miami. We had a lot of momentum as an organization and as a sports group. But in doing my research, looking at what Mr. Wilson had done in this community, it was a combination of that, the opportunity, and looking at the longevity of some of the individuals in the (Bills) organization," he told Adams. "Very rarely, in our business, do you have the opportunity to work near your home. I felt it could be a tremendous resource for me, with the relationships I had in some of the communities."
Brandon has been with the Bills for 18 years now and his role has steadily increased over that time-frame. From his original position in 1997 to Vice President of Business Development and Marketing (1999-2006) to Executive Vice President of Business Operations in 2007-2008 then to CEO and his stint as GM in 2008-2009. On January 1, 2013 patriarch Ralph Wilson Jr. promoted Brandon to President and CEO of the Buffalo Bills giving him full autonomy over the franchise Wilson started in 1960.
Then came the daunting task of the ownership search after the passing of Wilson in March of last year as well as the official ownership change to the Pegulas on October 10, 2014. "I was reflecting on my way in," Brandon said yesterday, "of what one year ago was. [The Bills] did not have an owner, we were in the midst of a sales process and really had no concrete thought where this franchise could end up and who it was going to be sold to.
The sale was to the Pegulas after Terry showed his commitment by
putting the hammerlock on potential bidders. The Pegulas, who also have strong Western New York ties, won the bidding and shelled out $1.4 billion to purchase the Bills. And like the Sabres, there won't be any talk of relocation.
Ironically enough, the first major decision by the new owners was to end "the Toronto series" which was Brandon's regionalization foray into Southern Ontario. The Bills played one "home game" per season in Toronto and reaped financial benefits to the tune of $78 million from 2008-2014, something was vitally important to the financial sustainability of the Bills at the time. But that was the only benefit as most fans and players hated it. The team went 1-5 during those six years.
"It wasn't really a home game for us, it was more of a neutral site, so we love to be playing back in front of our crowd and getting a home game for us," said running back Fred Jackson upon word of the end to the Toronto series. "It was one of those things where we were experimenting trying to get a bigger fan base. We were happy to try and get that done."
Yet, Brandon succeeded in spreading the Bills footprint into Southern Ontario. Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle estimates that "the Bills now draw about equal numbers of fans from Southern Ontario and the Rochester region on game days at Ralph Wilson Stadium."
The Pegulas have been observing Brandon dating back to the sale process and possibly even earlier as PSE President Kim Pegula grew up in Fairport, a Rochester suburb. Brandon put on a helluva good show during the sale and they were impressed enough during the next 10 months to not only retain him as president and CEO of the Bills, but also tack on the added responsibility as President of the Buffalo Sabres. The "One Buffalo" brand employed by the parent company, PSE, now has one man in Brandon to represent the both the Sabres and the Bills.
For those who remember the days when Brandon was GM of the Bills, rest easy. He is in charge of the business operations. As it has been laid out clearly, the football operations headed Bills GM Doug Whaley and head coach Rex Ryan will report directly to the Pegulas, as does the hockey operations headed by Sabres GM Tim Murray, whom Brandon called "a pure hockey man."
"The focus [for me] is business," stated Brandon at the presser yesterday. "When it comes to the hockey side, it's [Tim] Murray and coach, as is the football side."
It's a great story as a local kid works his way up the ladder and finds himself at the top of the heap in his hometown region. It's something that's not lost on Brandon. When he was asked what it meant to him being in charge of both professional franchises he choked up, fighting back tears. "It's emotional," he finally was able to say. And after gathering himself he said, "Just thinking of my dad today, and my mom back in East Syracuse. I'm from very humble beginnings and there's a lot of reflection going through my mind today. It's an emotional day. It's a great day.
"I'm overwhelmed."
Brandon will be taking over the business side of a Sabres team that has just come off of two consecutive last place finishes. They are on the rise, however, and there's an strong energy about the team. "Just look at the scrimmage. Over 17,000 [in attendance] for a scrimmage," he said of the excitement. "I remember when [Bills quarterback] Jim Kelly came here and this is the only thing I've seen close to it."
The somewhat
dark cloud hanging over the hockey side of PSE is in Rochester with the Amerks. They're coming off of a poor season and are having lease problems of their own. It's a similar movie Brandon went through with the Bills, only on a smaller scale, and one would think that Pegulas feel that he can clean up that mess rather quickly and have the Amerks moving forward beginning right away.
Stevens, who will be entering his 30th season as "The Voice of the Rochester Americans" thinks that Brandon is a real good fit for the task at hand. "His knowledge of, and background, in Rochester will go along way to help building our product here," he told me.
That's what Brandon does, build a product, aka, marketing. What he was able to accomplish for the Bills was a small miracle, but he won't have the obstacles now with the Sabres/Amerks that he had with the Bills in 1997. He feels the transition to the world of hockey will be smooth. "I know a lot of hockey guys already so I think that part will be relatively easy.
"While the sport may not have the national appeal on the [NFL] level, it certainly has ratings success in this market. So, again, it's about regionalizing and seeing how you can enhance the property and continue to focus on the Sabres brand and the Amerks brand."
Which is good news for the hockey department, especially a struggling one in Rochester.
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