VOL 26 ISSUE 41, Oct. 13, 2025
Main caption: Delaware North hosted University at Buffalo MBA students on Sept. 26 for a site visit through the business school’s Corporate Champion program. Pictured (left to right) are students Ethan Choi; Matthew Eiss; Zachary Barney; Jake Chiaino; Brandon Pettit, accounting analyst; Fariya Bushra; Helen Chiang; and Matt Blidy, accounting analyst.
Delaware North is a Corporate Champion for the University at Buffalo (UB) School of Management – a program that connects top organizations from Buffalo and Rochester with first-semester MBA students to help strengthen their professional networks and business acumen.
Accounting analysts Matthew Blidy and Brandon Pettit co-led Delaware North’s participation in the 2025 Corporate Champions program, which includes several touchpoints with a group of MBA students throughout the fall semester.
These experiences include a day at corporate headquarters in Buffalo and one-on-one interviews with Delaware North leaders to learn more about their careers.
“Our corporate headquarters provides a strong look into our operations – from our corporate functions to The Westin Buffalo and Patina 250,” Pettit said. “These local students were able to learn more about various career opportunities within a global organization with Buffalo roots.”
Six MBA students visited Delaware North’s corporate headquarters for a site visit on Sept. 26. They met with team members from finance and human resources during an information session and later participated in a hands-on culinary demo to get a behind-the-scenes look at the company’s operations.
“It’s rewarding to work with business school students who are eager to expand their professional networks and learn more about the company,” Blidy said. “Delaware North has participated in the UB Corporate Champions program for years, and we continue to receive strong support from leaders in Buffalo who are willing to spend time with the students and share insights that can help them navigate their career paths.”
Delaware North leaders who volunteered for student interviews were:
- Tom Barney, chief transformation officer
- Mike McCabe, chief legal and compliance officer
- Melissa Cendrowski, vice president of finance, Sportservice
- Matt Skinner, vice president of finance, Parks and Resorts
- Chis Chila, vice president of operations, Travel
- Katie Gorman, director of corporate social responsibility and strategic initiatives