Buffalo Bills Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Thurman Thomas is partnering with Carhartt to recognize the local workforce building the team’s new $2.2 billion Highmark Stadium. The project, set on Abbott Road, is expected to be ready for the 2026 season.
Thomas, a central figure in Buffalo both during and after his football career, co-founded the 34 Group construction company with his wife Patty. The firm is significantly involved in developing the 62,000-seat venue.
The collaboration between Thomas and Carhartt aims to highlight and support the efforts of area tradespeople working on the stadium. In an interview, Thomas stated, “We just want to point out the men and women who are the backbone of the sports industry, especially when you’re talking about building new stadiums across the United States. (…) These are the people who wake up every single morning and go to work to make this the best possible sporting venue that they can possibly build. That’s exactly what’s happened here with the Buffalo Bills and Highmark.”
According to Thomas, since groundbreaking began June 5, 2023, hundreds of local tradespeople—many from his company—have worked on-site. He stressed a commitment to employing people from Buffalo whenever possible: “We wanted it to be community-built. We wanted to get as many workers from the Buffalo area that could participate in building this new stadium for the Buffalo Bills. It’s hard to get 1,400 workers out there at one time, but we wanted the majority of them to be from Buffalo.” He continued by noting community ownership: “It’s the community stadium because the community is really the one that’s building this.”
Carhartt has invested $300,000 toward training local youth interested in entering skilled trades fields. This investment seeks both immediate impact during construction and long-term benefit through workforce development.
Construction at Highmark Stadium continues with backing from multiple partners focused on regional engagement and future opportunities.
