Raccuia Out - Pegula Shuffles Front Office of PSE

[Night Train]

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/terry-pegula-to-take-on-role-of-bills-president-after-departure-of-coo-ron-raccuia

[Skooby]

Yeah, now the teams are both picked for success he dumps an architect of it. Keep all the P-women away from hockey, they got better by subtractions.

[DraftBoy]

Not sure it will matter much, but it’s an interesting move to see an owner taking on a more active day to day role.

[Goobylal]

Yeah, now the teams are both picked for success he dumps an architect of it. Keep all the P-women away from hockey, they got better by subtractions.

What was Raccuia the architect of, specifically? Was he instrumental in hiring McD and Beane and drafting Josh?

[Turf]

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/terry-pegula-to-take-on-role-of-bills-president-after-departure-of-coo-ron-raccuia

How is this link related to this topic?

[YardRat]

How is this link related to this topic?

Because the link is about the front office changes?

[YardRat]

Not sure it will matter much, but it’s an interesting move to see an owner taking on a more active day to day role.

Kim held the President title until these moves, I believe.

[Skooby]

Technically Racc…wasn’t COO since Jan 17, 2023….

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/sabres-pse-name-john-roth-chief-operating-officer-coo/c-340061238

[Typ0]

Looks like he did a McDermott. UGH. I mean great!

[notacon]

What is going to be interesting (in a bad way) is the silly theories coming from some people that have no idea what happened (few do with these kinds of critical changes at the very top of an organization) and contort it so they can crap on someone within the Bills organization (now or recently departed) they don't like.

Some very good reporting by The Buffalo News Tim O’Shei has many of the details, but of course, many questions remain.

Analysis: Terry Pegula's new leaders are in, and Ron Raccuia is out. What does it mean for the Buffalo Bills? (https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/ron-raccuia-departure-terry-pegula-buffalo-bills-analysis/article_df8081ca-2692-11ee-a040-9f0feac36641.html)



Terry Pegula has a new leadership team in place at the Buffalo Bills – and the owner himself is in the center of it.

The team announced Wednesday afternoon that Pegula is stepping into the team president role (https://buffalonews.com/news/local/terry-pegula-stepping-in-as-president-ron-raccuia-out-as-bills-restructure-front-office/article_4241437a-265d-11ee-8f4c-5f577826f5c3.html) long held by his wife, Kim Pegula, who has been away from work since suffering cardiac arrest 13 months ago.

At the same time, Ron Raccuia, the executive who led the team’s negotiations for a $1.54 billion stadium and who ran the Bills’ non-football operations in Kim Pegula’s absence, is out.

“We would like to thank Ron for his many years hard work and dedication with the Bills and PSE (Pegula Sports and Entertainment),” Terry Pegula said in a statement released by the team. “We wish he and his family the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Replacing Raccuia as the Bills’ executive vice president and chief operating officer is John Roth, who is also COO of the Buffalo Sabres and PSE. Roth, who joined the Buffalo Sabres in January after 24 years as an investor and portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments, will now hold all three positions.

The Bills’ new management committee also will include Kathryn D’Angelo as general counsel and senior vice president of business administration and Josh Dziurlikowski as senior vice president of finance and business administration. Both were already part of the Bills’ executive team.

…snip…

Here’s a look at what we know about the impact of the changes on the Bills’ operations:

He’s one of a handful of people who will be able to point to the future Highmark Stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2026 across the street from the existing facility in Orchard Park, and say, “I played a key role in helping make this happen.” Raccuia traveled with Kim Pegula and members of her family, including Terry, to research sports facilities across the United States and into Europe. He helped oversee the design of the new stadium, working with the architecture firm Populous, and helped bring in the consulting firm Legends, which is co-founded by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and will be overseeing sales and sponsorships. He played a key role in selecting Legends Hospitality for the future Highmark Stadium’s food and beverage contract (https://buffalonews.com/news/local/legends-wins-bills-stadium-food-and-beverage-contract/article_47efad64-f450-11ed-b124-ab618ae018f0.html), replacing Delaware North Cos.

Most importantly, he led the Bills’ efforts to negotiate the funding and lease deal for the stadium. (https://buffalonews.com/news/local/your-guide-to-the-road-to-a-new-bills-stadium/collection_c9c1c48a-996b-11ec-af1a-d3a424b06393.html) The pact, which was finalized in the spring, includes $600 million in funding from New York State and $250 million from Erie County.

…snip…


Why is Raccuia leaving?

It’s unclear. The Bills didn’t say, and Raccuia didn’t immediately respond to texts asking for comment. What we do know is that this might signal the conclusion of a yearslong and multi-layered business relationship between Raccuia and the Pegulas.

A Buffalo native and 1990 graduate of Canisius College, Raccuia worked in sports marketing and management and modeling, talent and production before becoming a football player agent and successful entrepreneur. He purchased and later sold Integrity Office Supply, and founded AdPro Sports, which provides licensed and branded merchandise. After the Terry and Kim Pegula purchased the Sabres in 2011, he developed a relationship that extended beyond the hockey team.

“All relationships start at the personal level, and when the Pegulas first got here, my family and our businesses developed really good professional and personal relationships,” Raccuia told The News for an April story.


The Pegulas purchased the Bills in 2014. Three years after that, Kim Pegula and her three children bought a majority stake in AdPro. Raccuia and his partners retained a minority stake, and Raccuia also remained president of the company. At the same time, he became an executive vice president with the Bills, which were then under the leadership of Russ Brandon. Soon after, in 2018, Brandon resigned as president after a 21-year tenure with the team. Kim Pegula stepped in the president’s office and Raccuia became her close professional confidante. When she fell ill in June 2022, he became the team’s top non-football executive.


….snip….

What does Terry Pegula becoming team president mean for the Bills?


It signals that Kim Pegula, who suffered significant brain damage, isn’t likely to return to the job for the foreseeable future. Beyond that, we don’t know, other than to say this: Pegula is the boss, and he can be as hands on – or not – as he pleases.





The saddest part of this whole thing is the Kim Pegula is possibly never going to be the same as before her cardiac event. I wish her, and the whole Pegula family the best of luck and the hope that Ms. Pegual recovers more and more as time goes by.

[Skooby]

What is going to be interesting (in a bad way) is the silly theories coming from some people that have no idea what happened (few do with these kinds of critical changes at the very top of an organization) and contort it so they can crap on someone within the Bills organization (now or recently departed) they don't like.

Some very good reporting by The Buffalo News Tim O’Shei has many of the details, but of course, many questions remain.

Analysis: Terry Pegula's new leaders are in, and Ron Raccuia is out. What does it mean for the Buffalo Bills? (https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/ron-raccuia-departure-terry-pegula-buffalo-bills-analysis/article_df8081ca-2692-11ee-a040-9f0feac36641.html)





The saddest part of this whole thing is the Kim Pegula is possibly never going to be the same as before her cardiac event. I wish her, and the whole Pegula family the best of luck and the hope that Ms. Pegual recovers more and more as time goes by.
However it goes, she needs all our support. The family is good people.

[cas22]

I feel very badly for the entire Pegula family and wish Kim a full recovery to perfect health,,, after that being said I don't want Terry doing anything related to the day to day operation's of the football team itself..

He has been calling the shots for the hockey team since he bought them and since have been the worst Hockey ORG. in the NHL.... and he is suppose to be a hockey guy..

the reason why the Bill's have been good is because he doesn't no s h it about anything to do with football... now he is gonna start .... I know its his team he owns the ORG but a great owner steps back and lets the people he hired do the job they were hired to do...

[Goobylal]

I feel very badly for the entire Pegula family and wish Kim a full recovery to perfect health,,, after that being said I don't want Terry doing anything related to the day to day operation's of the football team itself..

He has been calling the shots for the hockey team since he bought them and since have been the worst Hockey ORG. in the NHL.... and he is suppose to be a hockey guy..

the reason why the Bill's have been good is because he doesn't no s h it about anything to do with football... now he is gonna start .... I know its his team he owns the ORG but a great owner steps back and lets the people he hired do the job they were hired to do...

He hasn’t been calling the shots for the Sabres for awhile now and he won’t be calling them for the Bills. At least, any more than before.