It’s hard to miss Joe Battista.
He’s one of the most recognizable faces in State College. And if you think you’ve seen him around town recently, chances are that you have.
After 26 years with Penn State, he left for a “dream job” with Terry Pegula and the Buffalo Sabres. However, after a couple of years with the Sabres, he stepped down as vice president of hockey and business administration to be with his family, who never left State College.
Battista said that the experience with the Sabres was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It was amazing,” Battista said as he reflected from a booth at Primanti Bros. in State College recently. “Anytime you get a chance to work in the top league in the world in the sport that you love … it’s all good. I don’t have any regrets about doing it.”
When Pegula offered Battista a job with the Sabres, he jumped at it. But his family remained in State College. He has two children at Penn State and his youngest son is in high school. So, Battista moved to Buffalo and came back to Happy Valley when he could, usually two to three weekends a month.
It was harder than he imagined.
“To move them to Buffalo didn’t make a whole lot of sense, so I commuted,” Battista explained. “We made the best of it for two years. We did what we needed to do to try to make it work. But the drive was awful. I was not with my family. It just never worked out.”
Battista felt like he was spending too much time away from his wife, Heidi, and their children, Brianna (23), Jonathon (21) and Ryan (15).
With that in mind, Battista called it quits with the Sabres and decided to come back to the town he’s called home for nearly three decades.
Even though he’s not working for the Sabres anymore, he’s still extremely close with Terry and Kim Pegula.
“Buffalo is an underrated city, the weather not withstanding,” Battista said with a smile. “What the Pegulas are doing in western New York is nothing short of amazing. It’s given that whole area a shot in the arm. They’ve focused a light on western New York and that has helped attract businesses. It’s really impressive. It was really fun to be a part of that growth.”
With another chapter written, Battista knew it was time to start a new one. With that in mind, he embarked on a new adventure. He’s now an entrepreneur, the founder of PRAGMATIC Passion LLC. He’s working as a consultant and speaks to groups around the country.
When he speaks, Battista talks about his life experiences, as well as what it takes to make it in the competitive world of sports — whether it’s on the ice, in the arena or in a business meeting.
“I can give a motivational speech; that’s easy. I’ve had my share of success, I’ve had my share of failures. I want to share what I’ve seen, what I’ve learned,” Battista said. He is getting four to six speaking engagements per month, he added.
One of the things that Battista stresses during his speaking engagements is the importance of having goals. Setting goals in life is extremely important, Battista said.
“Dream big,” he said, “but keep it real.”
He’s also working on a yet untitled book. It’s still a work in progress, he said, but he’s chipping away at it, when time permits.
Battista said that he mentors Penn State students in the Smeal College of Business. When he mentors them, he talks to them about their life plan.
“It starts with what’s important to you, what makes you happy,” Battista said. “Is it money? Is it prestige? Is it contentment? Is it peace of mind? Is it happiness? There are a lot of wealthy people who are unhappy. In some way, shape or form, it comes back to ‘what are you doing for the greater good?’”
He also stresses the importance of being unique — no matter what everyone else is doing.
“If you do what everybody else is doing, you’re just one of them. You’re the same. What’s going to differentiate you from the next person who’s trying to get that job? You need to make connections,” Battista said.
As he prepares for the next chapter in his life, Battista has had plenty of time to reflect on his journey thus far.
“I’m just an ordinary Joe who has been on an extraordinary journey. I came from a blue-collar family in a rust belt city where the steel mills went away and the economy wasn’t good in the 1970s. I was the first one in my family to go college. When I came to Penn State, I had my eyes opened to a whole other world,” Battista said.
At Penn State, Battista’s life consisted of classes and hockey. His resume is well-known. He played hockey, coached the Penn State Icers and eventually helped Penn State get the Pegula Ice Arena built. The Nittany Lions are a now a prominent Division I program.
One can say with a great deal of certainty that Penn State hockey would not be where it is without Battista.
When he played hockey at Penn State, Battista said he had dreams of a Division I team and a big arena. Those dreams came true, obviously, but not without a lot of hard work along the way.
“It took a long time for my dreams to come true,” Battista said. “But we got it done.”
