Pegula was born in Seoul, South Korea. She has no recollection of her birth name, no record of her biological parents nor any account of her life in South Korea, only her date of birth, a secondhand account of being abandoned in the streets of Seoul at the age of five, and a DNA test that showed one of her parents was likely Japanese. She was brought to the United States and there adopted by Ralph and Marilyn Kerr on December 30, 1974. She grew up with her adopted family in Fairport, New York, a suburb of Rochester. Kim participated in cheerleading and the school band, playing bassoon. After following her brothers' footsteps in enrolling at Houghton College, she and a roommate made plans to venture to Alaska to work near a fishing camp upon hearing there was money to be made. Unable to afford the fare, she applied for work at a restaurant in Olean, New York; while interviewing for a waitressing gig, she met Terry Pegula, who was dining at the restaurant. Terry offered her a job at his natural gas company, and they eventually entered a relationship, marrying in 1993.
Career
Pegula was involved in her husband's company, East Resources, from 1991 to its sale in 2010. Shortly afterwards, the Pegulas purchased the Buffalo Sabres and its two affiliated teams, the Buffalo Bandits of the NLL and the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Kim had a big influence in the planning and construction of LECOM Harborcenter, a mixed-use development next to the Sabres' arena and part of the revitalization of downtown Buffalo. After the death of longtime Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, the football team was put up for sale. The Pegulas competed with real estate mogul Donald Trump and a consortium of rock singer Jon Bon Jovi and key people in Toronto-based Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment for the team. The Pegulas ultimately won, making an NFL record $1.4 billion bid, all in cash. Following the acquisition, Kim and Terry Pegula reorganized their sports franchises plus record labelBlack River Entertainment into a new company, Pegula Sports and Entertainment. She helped coin the term "One Buffalo" and is also involved with the NFL Foundation. The Pegulas have also donated significant amounts of money to their alma maters, including $12 million to Houghton College, which allowed it to build a new athletics complex and transition to NCAA Division III. A pronounced fan of desserts, Pegula helped formulate "One Buffalo" branded premium ice cream and cupcake products. Since its formation, Pegula Sports and Entertainment, with Kim Pegula as its president and CEO, has made several acquisitions of property in Buffalo, launched a local Regional Sports Network in MSG Western New York, and acquired a 5th professional team, the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League and a 6th, the Rochester Knighthawks of the National lacrosse league. In March 2018, Pegula was named to the National Football League’s business ventures committee replacing Russ Brandon. Pegula is also on the NFL’s Super Bowl and major event advisory committee. On May 1, 2018, after the abrupt resignation of Brandon as president of Pegula Sports and Entertainment as well as the Bills and Sabres, Pegula was installed as president over all of the Pegula Sports and Entertainment properties. With her becoming president of both the Bills and Sabres franchises, she became the first female team president in the history of both the NFL and NHL. Pegula is also one of a handful of female NFL owners, including Sheila Ford Hamp, Virginia Halas McCaskey, Amy Adams Strunk, Carol Davis, Denise DeBartolo York, Gayle Benson, Janice McNair, Jody Allen, and Dee Haslam.
