Kim Pegula

Kim S. Pegula (maiden name Kerr, born June 7, 1969)[1] is a South Korean-born American businesswoman and, along with her husband, Terry Pegula, one of the principal owners of the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League. She is also the President of Pegula Sports and Entertainment, which is the holding company that manages the Bills as well as the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League, Buffalo Bandits and Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League, Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League, LECOM Harborcenter and Black River Entertainment, an independent record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. She is by extension president of the various teams under Pegula Sports and Entertainment including the Bills and Sabres. Along with Shahid Khan and Zygi Wilf, Pegula is one of only three NFL owners who were not born in the United States.

Kim Pegula
Born (1969-06-07) June 7, 1969
Seoul, South Korea
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHoughton College
Known forOwner of the Buffalo Bills,
President/CEO of Pegula Sports and Entertainment,
President of the Buffalo Bills,
President of the Buffalo Sabres
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1993)​
Children3 (including Jessica Pegula)
2 stepchildren

Early life

Pegula was born in Seoul, South Korea. She has no recollection of her birth name, no record of her biological parents nor any account of her life in South Korea, only her date of birth, a secondhand account of being abandoned in the streets of Seoul at the age of five, and a DNA test that showed one of her parents was likely Japanese. She was brought to the United States and there adopted by Ralph and Marilyn Kerr on December 30, 1974. She grew up with her adopted family in Fairport, New York, a suburb of Rochester.[2] Kim participated in cheerleading and the school band, playing bassoon. After following her brothers' footsteps in enrolling at Houghton College, she and a roommate made plans to venture to Alaska to work near a fishing camp upon hearing there was money to be made. Unable to afford the fare, she applied for work at a restaurant in Olean, New York; while interviewing for a waitressing gig, she met Terry Pegula, who was dining at the restaurant. Terry offered her a job at his natural gas company, and they eventually entered a relationship, marrying in 1993.

Career

Pegula was involved in her husband's company, East Resources, from 1991 to its sale in 2010. Shortly afterwards, the Pegulas purchased the Buffalo Sabres and its two affiliated teams, the Buffalo Bandits of the NLL and the Rochester Americans of the AHL.[3] Kim had a big influence in the planning and construction of LECOM Harborcenter, a mixed-use development next to the Sabres' arena and part of the revitalization of downtown Buffalo. After the death of longtime Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, the football team was put up for sale. The Pegulas competed with real estate mogul (and future U.S. President) Donald Trump and a consortium of rock singer Jon Bon Jovi and key people in Toronto-based Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment for the team. The Pegulas ultimately won, making an NFL record $1.4 billion bid, all in cash.[4][5]

Following the acquisition, Kim and Terry Pegula reorganized their sports franchises plus record label Black River Entertainment into a new company, Pegula Sports and Entertainment. She helped coin the term "One Buffalo" and is also involved with the NFL Foundation. The Pegulas have also donated significant amounts of money to their alma maters, including $12 million to Houghton College, which allowed it to build a new athletics complex and transition to NCAA Division III.[6] A pronounced fan of desserts, Pegula helped formulate "One Buffalo" branded premium ice cream and cupcake products.[7] Since its formation, Pegula Sports and Entertainment, with Kim Pegula as its president and CEO, has made several acquisitions of property in Buffalo, launched a local Regional Sports Network in MSG Western New York, and acquired a 5th professional team, the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League and a 6th, the Rochester Knighthawks of the National lacrosse league.

In March 2018, Pegula was named to the National Football League’s business ventures committee replacing Russ Brandon. Pegula is also on the NFL’s Super Bowl and major event advisory committee.[8]

On May 1, 2018, after the abrupt resignation of Brandon as president of Pegula Sports and Entertainment as well as the Bills and Sabres, Pegula was installed as president over all of the Pegula Sports and Entertainment properties.[9] With her becoming president of both the Bills and Sabres franchises, she became the first female team president in the history of both the NFL and NHL.[10] Pegula is also one of a handful of female NFL owners, including Sheila Ford Hamp (Detroit Lions), Virginia Halas McCaskey (Chicago Bears), Amy Adams Strunk (Tennessee Titans), Carol Davis (Las Vegas Raiders), Denise DeBartolo York (San Francisco 49ers), Gayle Benson (New Orleans Saints), Janice McNair (Houston Texans), Jody Allen (Seattle Seahawks), and Dee Haslam (Cleveland Browns).

Personal life

Pegula has three children, including professional tennis player Jessica, and two step-children. The Pegulas have homes in East Aurora, New York and Boca Raton, Florida.[6]

References
  1. "Happy Birthday, Kim Pegula! - Buffalo Rumblings". SB Nation. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  2. Alan Pergament (October 7, 2015). "The story of the Bills owner will make you want to sob". The Buffalo News.
  3. (PDF) http://prod.static.bills.clubs.nfl.com/assets/pdf/Pegula_Kim.pdf. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. "Buffalo Sabres Owners Reach 'Definitive Agreement' to Buy Buffalo Bills". The Wall Street Journal. September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  5. "Pegula's Bills Bid to Be Vetted by NFL's Finance Committee". WNY News. 16 September 2014. Archived from the original on 16 September 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  6. Sal Maiorana. "From orphan to NFL owner". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
  7. Kim Pegula presents One Buffalo Cupcake. WGRZ-TV. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  8. "NFL adds Kim Pegula to its business ventures group". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  9. "Russ Brandon resigns as Bills, Sabres president". Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  10. "Buffalo Bills' Kim Pegula making history as first female team president in NFL". Buffalo Rumblings. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
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