The Hornets missed the playoffs this season, but off-the-court "business is good," and Exec VP and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Pete Guelli has "played a major role since being lured away" from the Bills in '09, a year before Michael Jordan bought the franchise, according to Jeff DiVeronica of the Rochester DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE. NBA teams that "need advice on business, marketing and branding call Guelli and the Hornets, whose season-ticket base has grown from about 5,000 before Jordan’s arrival to 11,000 this year." Figuring out how to "repair relationships in Charlotte was among Guelli’s first tasks." Even though the NBA came back to Charlotte as the Bobcats in '04, the business "wasn’t booming." Guelli said that having Jordan buy the team "certainly was key, but so was a lot of business and fan engagement." Asked if it is difficult to market pro basketball in North Carolina with its surplus of college hoops, Guelli said, “In a lot of ways, it’s the opposite." Guelli: "People in this state, a lot of them have grown up on the sport. They love the game and the Hornets [in '88] were the first professional franchise in the market. They love the team. It’s really about igniting that passion.” Guelli said it has "been an honor" to work for two HOF owners in Jordan and late Bills Owner Ralph Wilson." Guelli: "I don’t think I can describe how fortunate I’ve been. MJ specifically has been incredible" (Rochester DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 4/11).
