Patrick Freeman got to know the ins and outs of the National Football League through covering the Buffalo Bills as a reporter and broadcaster for 29 years.
During that time, he has studied, researched and wrote about stadium and arena development matters. He’s also worked in residential development as the founder of Artesian Development – work that has taken him to Atlanta as well.
Freeman was previously part of an ill-fated effort to bring a new Bills stadium downtown, where its backers believed it would have a greater impact on the community.
Now, he’s taking on a new role in one of the biggest construction projects ever in Western New York.
He’s tasked with making sure the Bills and its general contractor, Gilbane Turner, live up to their promise to be inclusive in the building of a new $1.7 billion Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
In November, Freeman was appointed chair of the New Stadium Community Inclusion Task Force – one of the first of its kind to oversee the expanding of access and opportunities for disadvantaged small businesses that are interested in participating in the construction and operation of a new stadium.
His focus will be making sure that the community reaps benefits from the $850 million in public money being invested into the project.
“I’ve had some great experiences and they’ve been diverse, and I hope I can bring that level of expertise to the position, and hopefully help out the taxpayers of Western New York and the MWBE contractors that normally get passed over in these types of projects,” Freeman said.
“We just want everyone to get a fair and equitable shot, especially with projects that are heavily laden with tax dollars,” added Freeman, a feature writer for the Buffalo Criterion newspaper and member of the Pro Football Writers Association of America who’s covered 23 Super Bowls.
Because of the importance of this project to Western New York, it has been heavily scrutinized,…
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