In just one year, Owen McCormick went from a meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Steven Demetriou, a minor investor in the Vipers and a longtime supporter of the Cavaliers, to being a partial owner of a basketball team in Erie. Their meeting was a result of knowing the right people. “Steve was feeling around different cities for this team, and he put a call into the Erie County Convention Center Authority (ECCCA) about possibly using the Civic Center,” says McCormick. “My cousin is a member of the ECCCA and he gave Steve my name.”

McCormick, who was one of the main contributors to getting the BayHawks to the Erie area, is the President and CEO of Joseph McCormick Construction Company, Inc., a heavy highway construction company that has been in the Erie area for over 100 years. He is also active in several organizations, including the Western Pennsylvania Port Authority, Saint Mary’s Home Board of Directors, and the Mercyhurst College Board of Trustees. “Erie has been good to my family,” says McCormick. “I had the opportunity along with the Cavs and the NBA to bring this team to Erie, and that is my way of giving back. I think this is going to be fantastic for the entire region.”

- Erie Life Magazine, January 2009