In his sixth season as President of the San Francisco 49ers, Al Guido is responsible for all strategic initiatives, day-to-day business operations, and community engagement for the five-time Super Bowl-winning NFL franchise and its award-winning management of Levi's Stadium. Under Guido's leadership, the franchise has been annually recognized among the Best Places to Work in the Bay Area by the Bay Area News Group and was named the Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year for 2017 by ESPN for its comprehensive efforts in the community.
Guido concurrently serves as Chairman and CEO of Elevate Sports Ventures, a multi-faceted sports consultancy bringing comprehensive business solutions to more than 70 clients in the sports and entertainment industry. Elevate delivers best-in-class insights, sales, and brand services informed by data-based analysis that has been identifying new revenue opportunities and bringing innovative ideas to market since launching in 2018.
Named to his current position on February 15, 2016, Guido previously served as the team's chief operating officer from 2014-16 for the crucial phase in which Levi's Stadium established itself as a preeminent entertainment venue under his leadership. During that time the venue hosted Super Bowl 50, WrestleMania 31, the 2015 NHL Stadium Series, and its first of multiple Major League Soccer and International Soccer matches, Pac-12 Football Championship Games, Redbox Bowls, and world concert tours featuring the likes of Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, and the Grateful Dead. The management of he and the 49ers team has continued to attract the world's biggest events to Santa Clara, including the largest soccer tournament on U.S. soil since the 1994 World Cup in the 2016 Copa America Centenario, the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the prestigious 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and concerts featuring Coldplay, U2, and the Rolling Stones.
Under his direction, the construction and year-one operations of Levi's Stadium exceeded all projections – finishing under budget on construction, with lower public debt than expected, delivering $2.8 million to the City of Santa Clara general fund from non-event revenue in just the first eight months of operations, and fully funding reserve cash balances for the Santa Clara Stadium Authority.
The strategy for Levi's Stadium, as developed by Guido and the 49ers executive management team, was to create a technologically enhanced fan experience that would inspire and influence sports venues across North America and around the world. The success of that mission is continually demonstrated throughout the industry by increasing adoption of innovations pioneered at Levi's Stadium such as digital ticketing, mobile ordering, and in-seat delivery that helped garner recognitions such as 2015 Sports Facility of the Year by Sports Business Journal and Venue of the Year at the 2015 StadiumBusiness Awards in Barcelona, Spain. Leveraging technology for sustainability, Levi's Stadium has also generated international acclaim under Guido's direction for its implementation of green innovation – inclusive of being the first NFL stadium to twice be certified LEED-Gold. Levi's Stadium was named the 2017 StadiumBusiness Environmental Stadium of the Year and the 2016 Green Sports Alliance Environmental Innovators of the Year.
Prior to joining the 49ers full-time in 2014, Guido represented the 49ers and Santa Clara Stadium Authority as senior vice president of global sales for Legends beginning in 2010. Guido and his team led the sales effort for the 49ers and Stadium Authority that made the construction of Levi's Stadium a reality, achieving a record-setting Stadium Builders License sales campaign for the venue's seats and suites. During that time the team signed more than a dozen partners with record-breaking figures in corporate partnership investments, including Levi's® and SAP.
Before joining Legends, Guido served as sales manager for the Dallas Cowboys. In that role, he managed the sales department for Cowboys Stadium (now AT&T Stadium) that broke industry records for PSL sales totaling over $600 million. Guido joined the Cowboys after having served as the senior director of ticket sales for the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL. During his term, the Coyotes achieved the first revenue increases in the first 10 years of the franchise and finished in the top five in the NHL for new business sales.
A native of Washington Township, NJ, Guido began his career in the sports and entertainment industry with Comcast-Spectacor, owner and operator of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms, Comcast SportsNet, and the Wachovia Complex. Guido later served as director of business development for the Lakewood Blueclaws (a minor-league affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies).
A Board Member of City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley, a contributor to the Navy Seal Foundation, Board Member of the Coach K/Fuqua School of Business, and serving on the Advisory Board at the San Jose State Institute for Study of Sport, Society & Social Change, and the Advisory Council at the Positive Coaching Alliance, Guido received his bachelor of business administration from the College of New Jersey, where he played wide receiver for the school's football program. In 2016, Guido was recognized in the Forty Under 40 lists of both the Sports Business Journal and San Francisco Business Times for demonstrating industry excellence and innovation in his position. Guido was named to SBJ's list of "Power Players: Ticketing" in 2018. His ongoing impact in professional sports was again recognized by SBJ in 2019 with a selection to their Forty Under 40 list.
Guido and his wife, Thea, have three daughters, Estella, Sloane, and Tatum.
