Pair of NFL legends join Johnstown ownership group

Press Release

Johnstown Sports Partners LLC, a private investment group led by Esmark, Inc. Chairman and CEO James P. Bouchard, today announced that it expanded its ownership group in the Johnstown Tomahawks franchise in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) to include Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer and Johnstown native, Jack Ham and two-time Penn State All-American and former Buffalo Bills star, Shane Conlan; and business leaders from Pittsburgh and Chicago.

The football greats join other new investors from Pittsburgh and Chicago in the Tomahawks’ ownership group, including:

• Patrick A. Gallagher, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, PGT Trucking, Monaca, PA;
• Jonathan Metcalf, Owner and Chief Executive Officer, Randall Metals Corporation, Chicago;
• Joseph Peduzzi, Founder and President, TF Asset Management, Pittsburgh; and
• Alexander J. Simakas, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Tool Craft Manufacturing, Pittsburgh.

The new ownership group members will join Johnstown Sports Partners Chairman and Majority Owner James P. Bouchard; Mark Lee, former Alaska Avalanche principal owner and minority owner of the new team; and James Vasilko, President of Johnstown Construction Company and minority owner of the new team.

James P. Bouchard, Chairman and CEO of Esmark, Inc., and Majority Owner of the Johnstown Tomahawks, said, “We’re so proud to have Jack, Shane and our friends and business associates from Pittsburgh and Chicago on board with us. Jack is legendary in the Johnstown area, so it’s a real privilege to have his commitment and support as we build the Tomahawks franchise. Together, the ownership group will help us bring a winning hockey tradition back to Johnstown.”

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)