Bills collaborate with Erie County's Level Up to host Legends Hospitality Workshop

Apr 02, 2024 at 08:30 AM

The Buffalo Bills in partnership with Legends Hospitality hosted a joint workshop with Erie County’s Level Up, March 27, 2024 at Highmark Stadium Pepsi West.

The Buffalo Bills collaborated with Erie County Level Up to host a Legends Hospitality Workshop in the Pepsi West Club at Highmark Stadium. This unique event provided participants of Level Up, a county-based initiative for Erie County business owners, the opportunity to present its affiliated businesses to Legends Hospitality, a division of global premium experiences company Legends, that will provide food, beverage and retail offerings at the New Highmark Stadium.

"Legends is honored to participate with the Buffalo Bills and Erie County Chairwoman April Baskin in the Level Up program and look forward to creating a mentorship program for MWBE small businesses," said Bill Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, Legends Hospitality. "This program reflects Legends' ongoing commitment to fostering growth and opportunity. We're eager to embark on this journey to spotlight local area businesses, empower dreams, and inspire success together."

Erie County Legislature Chairperson April N.M. Baskin, the visionary behind Level Up, was introduced by Penny Semaia, Vice President of Stadium Relations. In her remarks, Baskin highlighted her work with the Erie County Departments of Environment & Planning, Public Works, and the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity to incorporate capacity-based contract opportunities within the private sector for Level Up participants.

"I'm super grateful to Legends and our family at the Buffalo Bills for putting this together," said Baskin following the event. "We are coming up on the first anniversary of launching the Level Up initiative. Being in the same space as the same group overseeing all retail and concessions for the new stadium is like a cherry on top. This event is what the Level Up project is all about: getting experience and making contacts to put your products and best foot forward."

Following Baskin's remarks, more than a dozen Level Up businesses had the opportunity to share information and samples of their products and services, which ranged from local restaurants to specialty gifts. After the table session expos, Dom Verni, Vice President of Hospitality, introduced the Legends Hospitality leadership team to share their vision, service opportunities, and facilitate a Q&A session.

"The Buffalo Bills were thrilled to host our partners, Legends, for an incredible event with Level Up. The event provided a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our partnership and intimately connect with community business leaders," said Verni.

Today, the combined total of NYS, Buffalo, and Erie County MBE-certified subcontractors who provide new stadium-related services and reside in Erie, Niagara, or Monroe counties, is less than 200. However, Erie County Level Up is making a significant difference. It aims to provide a pipeline to assist disadvantaged business owners in navigating countrywide small business resources and securing corporate and public contracts that align with their capacity to deliver, thereby fostering a more inclusive business environment.

Throughout the past year, the Bills worked with Level Up and Erie County to launch the "Taste of Diversity," a six-week pilot program which served as a training group for five Black-owned Buffalo restaurants to learn to work in a fast-paced shared kitchen in a stadium-like concession setting. The Buffalo Sabres also collaborated with Level Up, hosting "Diversity Shop at KeyBank Center" to showcase eight Black-owned retailers and their products at four Sabres games. The Bills became supporters of Erie County Level Up when the pilot phase launched in May 2023 and are committed to ensuring an even playing field by maximizing opportunities for inclusive participation in the new stadium.

In the Community | Level Up: Legends Hospitality Workshop

The Buffalo Bills in partnership with Legends Hospitality hosted a joint workshop with Erie County's Level Up, a new county-based wraparound services initiative for business owners who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and operate a business within a low-income zip code across the Western New York region. The event provided Level Up business owners the opportunity to introduce themselves and their businesses to Legends Hospitality.