AP Photo Blue Bunny has been named the official ice cream of Buffalo Bills.

Football and ice cream are two things that cause plenty of smiles all across the country. Locally, there is no bigger football team than the Buffalo Bills, and there is no ice cream company with a bigger foothold in Western New York than Wells Enterprises has in Dunkirk.

Causing people to smile is not all the two entities have in common. They are both in the middle of major building projects, separated by less than an hour’s drive, as the Buffalo Bills put the finishing touches on a new stadium in Orchard Park while Wells Enterprises expands its facilities in Dunkirk.

With so much in common, it’s hard to find a better partner for the Buffalo Bills than its neighbor down the road. The Bills clearly agree.

Blue Bunny, owned by Wells Enterprises, will be the new official ice cream sponsor for the Buffalo Bills, beginning this upcoming season. Blue Bunny replaces Perry’s Ice Cream, the team’s longtime sponsor. Lesley Bartholomew, Director of External Relations at Wells Enterprises, broke the news to the OBSERVER this week.

“(The Bills) reached out directly to us, knowing that we are in the back yard, and we worked out a deal,” Bartholomew said. “We’re the ice cream sponsor, and employees are excited.”

Employees at the Wells facility in Dunkirk are excited about more than just the partnership with the Bills. A 350,000-square-foot expansion is underway, which includes new infrastructure to support new production lines, as well as spaces for employees such as office spaces and locker rooms. The four-phase project brings new innovation to the facility and strengthens its foothold in the city of Dunkirk for decades to come.