The Buffalo Sabres made their first front office move of the offseason, announcing Jake Vernon as the team’s new Chief Commercial Officer. Vernon will be overseeing ticketing, sponsorship operations, and the team’s business intelligence department.
Vernon has spent the last 12 years with the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA and the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA, most recently serving as the team’s chief sales officer. In Minnesota, he led all initiatives related to ticketing, membership service, premium sales, fan experience, and group events, in addition to the team’s partnership with its concessions partner.
Many fans and season ticket holders have complained about their experiences at KeyBank Center this year. Little has been done to improve the gameday environment for fans and season ticket holders, which is a big reason why Terry Pegula receives a lot of hate. Whether the team is good or not, the game day experience is what keeps fans coming back and what draws new fans to the game.
Vernon’s Accomplishments
Vernon guided the sales team that set multiple franchise records in ticket sales and premium partnerships. This season, the Timberwolves ranked No. 1 in new season tickets sold and set a franchise record with a 94-game sellout streak. They also ranked in the top five in fan experience, which needs to be a major area of improvement for the Sabres.
In addition to Vernon’s other successes, he helped lead two renovation projects during his tenure in Minnesota. Last season, he helped lead an eight-figure investment into Target Center, including the opening of the 500-person backcourt club and additional upgrades throughout the arena to increase the gameday experience. Vernon was tasked with reimaging the Target Center as part of a 150 million dollar renovation.
The reason I like this hire so much is that with all the talks circulating about the KeyBank Center, and the renovations they have planned for the building in the next few years, Vernon will be at the head of the operations.
The Sabres will have to sign their lease coming up in the next year with KeyBank to stay in their current arena. An article I wrote talking about the plans of the arena, how much it might cost to lease the building, and what the Sabres have to do to keep KeyBank as a sponsor.
Vernon is a fantastic hire for the Sabres, as he will be the first step in turning around this front office moving forward.