NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Utica Comets

Esche and DuRoss Named Business Person of the Year

February 28, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release


Frank DuRoss and Robert Esche, together, have been named the recipients of the 2013 "Business Person of the Year" by the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce. Mr. DuRoss and Mr. Esche will receive their awards at the Chamber's Annual Membership Meeting on Tuesday, April 22, at Hart's Hill Inn, beginning at 11:30 am. The event will also feature J.D. Foster, Ph.D., Deputy Chief Economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as the keynote speaker.

The "Business Person of the Year" Award is given to one or more individuals who has shown exemplary service to the Chamber and/or community. The individuals must be a chamber member, or an employee of a chamber member, in good standing.

Frank DuRoss has a history of business success and community connections going back more than 25 years. He has been a professional sports team owner for much of that time, starting with the Mohawk Valley Stars ice hockey team. DuRoss was also president of the Utica Devils; co-owner of the Maine Mariners (later the Calder Cup-winning Providence Bruins); and a member of the American Hockey League Executive Committee. He has owned or started 18 successful business ventures including the Rochester Rhinos Soccer Team, DuRoss Realty Corp., Oneida Asbestos Removal, and Oneida Building Services. He was instrumental in the construction of the ESL Sports Centre on the campus of Monroe Community College and has recently brought hockey back to Utica with the Utica Comets, in which he serves as chairman.

As the Executive Director of Institutional Advancement at Mohawk Valley Community College, DuRoss oversees the MVCC Foundation, which awards more than $250,000 annually in scholarships to more than 200 students. DuRoss and the MVCC Foundation also assisted in initially funding and leading the ThINCubator, "home for innovative new companies", located in the historical Bagg Square West section of Utica.

DuRoss is a native of Utica and 1969 graduate from Notre Dame High School. He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Utica College in 1972.

Utica Comets President, Robert Esche's first taste of the American Hockey League came as a Springfield Falcon in the 1998-1999 season, the start to a professional hockey career that spanned more than a dozen years.

American hockey fans remember Esche, a Whitesboro native, as a goaltender for the Phoenix Coyotes from 1998 until 2002, and then as a Philadelphia Flyer from 2002 until 2007. In 2003, he teamed up with Roman Čechmánek, and won the William M. Jennings Trophy, which is awarded to the goalkeeper(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it. In 2004, he represented the United States, in the net, at the World Cup of Hockey.

Esche also represented the United States in Ice Hockey World Championships for several years as well as tending goal in Torino during the games of the Twentieth Winter Olympiad in 2006. He completed his professional career with teams in the former Soviet Union and Switzerland.

Esche returned home to begin several business ventures including Aqua Vino Restaurant, Esche's Family Farms, and in the spring of 2013, the Mohawk Valley Garden and Utica Comets AHL team.

Esche founded the Save of the Day Foundation and has already raised over a million dollars for terminally ill children in the Mohawk Valley. Rob's main initiative is promoting healthy and happy lifestyles for local youth.

By bringing the Comets to Utica, both Frank DuRoss and Rob Esche, have brought a sense of revival to the city by giving it its own team to root for and to support.

If you would like to attend the Greater Utica Chamber's Annual Membership Meeting, RSVP by visiting greateruticachamber.org, or by calling 315-724-3151. Sponsors for the event include Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Utica Region, Adjusters International/ Basloe, Levin & Cuccaro and New York Sash.

For more information and a complete schedule of Comets games and promotions, visit www.uticacomets.com.

Check out the Utica Comets Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from February 28, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Utica Comets Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central