By Kevin Manne

When Bills fans enter the new Highmark Stadium for the first time this fall, they can thank Matthew Wagner, BS ’03, and his company, PMY Group, for the technology behind the experience.

In sports and entertainment venues around the world, PMY Group has advised and designed the technology backbone that shapes how fans experience live events, from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to the Olympics.

As the company’s first-ever chief operating officer, Wagner works to build PMY Group’s operational foundation, leadership structure and growth strategy.

“My role is to capitalize on this great business that’s been built over time, focusing on our commercial go-to-market strategy, how we’re going to grow, and creating a company that can scale from where we are today to a multi-billion-dollar organization,” he says.

Wagner traces his career trajectory back to Buffalo and his time in the School of Management, where he was both a student and an entrepreneur. In addition to his studies in accounting and finance, he helped to develop and manage the Epic Center, an indoor soccer and recreation facility in Williamsville.

“If you understand the fundamentals of business, it gives you a strong competitive advantage,” he says. “The accounting program in the School of Management is incredible, and I’m indebted to my accounting professor, Ann Burstein Cohen, for opening my eyes and making it an interesting curriculum.”

Wagner landed an internship at M&T Bank that he continued through his junior and senior years and was recruited into M&T’s Management Development program upon graduation.

Following years of professional growth at M&T Bank, Wagner left the business world to pursue his Master of Business Administration at Cornell University.

After graduating from Cornell, he continued his career in the banking and finance industry, with successively more prominent positions at Goldman Sachs, First Niagara Bank and Solidifi before moving to executive roles in the entertainment and hospitality industry at Delaware North, Sodexo Live! and now PMY Group.

Today, his workdays consist of a lot of travel — at least 150 days a year. When he’s not traveling, he’s spending afternoons and evenings connecting with PMY Group executives in their headquarters in Australia, as well as company associates all over the globe.

In his spare time, Wagner enjoys being active outdoors, attending his children’s activities and traveling with his family. He and his wife, Nicole, are also two-time Ironman competitors.

“Right now, fun means family,” he says. “Whether it’s on the sidelines, traveling or trying a new restaurant, we’re focused on experiencing life together as much as we can.”

From his early professional days in banking to the top of the entertainment technology business, Wagner attributes his success to his blue-collar Buffalo roots.

“Don’t forget where you started, and make a conscious effort to pay it forward,” he says, encouraging his fellow School of Management alumni to stay connected. “There are many ways for you to engage with the university and it doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time; just find your niche.”