At the end of January, New York Giants senior vice president and chief of marketing operations, Mike Stevens, left the organization. After months of searching, the Giants are bringing in Pete Guelli, chief operating officer of the Charlotte Hornets, as Stevens’ replacement.
Guelli was hired by Charlotte in 2009 as the team’s chief marketing and sales officer, where his main goal was to boost ticket sales. At the time, the team had just 5,000 season ticket holders and attendance ranked 27th in the NBA. Then Michael Jordan took ownership of the team and Guelli assisted in rebranding the then-Bobcats back to the Hornets.
In 2017, the Hornets signed it’s first-ever multi-million dollar jersey patch deal with Lending Tree, and last year the team extended its TV deal with Fox Sports Southeast.
Guelli was promoted to chief operating officer in March 2018, and he is also responsible for the development of the Charlotte Hornets Foundation, the rebranding of Spectrum Center and the Hornets’ hosting of the 2019 NBA All-Star Game.
“Pete was instrumental in our efforts to make the arena a focal point for not only sports but also for entertainment in the Carolinas,” Hornets President Fred Whitfield told the Observer. “He’s been an integral part of helping us put together a group of teammates on the business side who worked together to grow every facet of our business.”
Prior to joining Charlotte, Guelli spent 11 years with the Buffalo Bills as senior vice president of business ventures. His role with the Giants will be as chief commercial officer, which is similar to his role as COO with the Hornets.
Guelli grew up in a house full of Giants fans and said he was approached about a month ago about the position. He said that it was too big of an opportunity to pass up. His last day with the Hornets will be May 10.
