The following is a press release from the Rochester Rhinos and the USL.
New Rochester Rhinos Ownership Announced
Local Real Estate Developers David and Wendy Dworkin take over USL Champion.
TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League today announces the ownership of the Rochester Rhinos has been purchased by local real estate developers David and Wendy Dworkin. Mr. and Mrs. Dworkin have also secured a 10-year lease agreement for Rhinos Stadium, with more than $1 million-worth of renovations to the venue already being put into place ahead of the 2016 USL season.
“We are delighted to welcome David and Wendy Dworkin as owners of the Rochester Rhinos, one of the most historic clubs in the USL’s history,” said USL CEO Alec Papadakis. “Their strong ties to the local community make them the perfect people to lead the Rhinos forward, and we are excited to see them take the club to new heights in 2016 and beyond.”
Both Mr. and Mrs. Dworkin have lived in Rochester for more than 20 years, and are both honored and respected members of the city’s business community. As proud residents, they are looking forward to continuing the success the Rhinos found throughout the club’s 20th Anniversary season in 2015, when it claimed its fourth league championship.
“The league has been extraordinary,” said Mr. Dworkin. “The USL’s leadership has been accessible around the clock as we moved toward this agreement, and we are delighted to take ownership of one of the great clubs in the modern history of soccer in the United States. Rochester has been a wonderful city for Wendy and I, and we are looking forward to great success on and off the field for the Rhinos in the future.”
The Managing Partner of LLD Enterprises and a partner in JADD Management, David Dworkin is also a minority owner in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University in 1991 and in 1995 he received a Masters of Science Degree in Real Estate from New York University. A former winner of the New York State Commercial Realtor of Year award, Mr. Dworkin was a charter member and past State President of the New York State Commercial Association of Realtors and was the Founding President of its Rochester Area Chapter, a position he held for three years.
In 2006 Mr. Dworkin received a two-year New York State legislative appointment to serve as a member of the New York Board of Real Estate and was reappointed every two years thereafter. Mr. Dworkin is also a member of the board of Greater Rochester Enterprise, a non-profit organization that provides assistance to companies looking to move to the region.
A third-generation native of Rochester, N.Y., Wendy Dworkin is a Partner in LLD Enterprises, and earned a Juris Doctorate from Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University after earning a bachelor’s degree at Syracuse University. Mrs. Dworkin also was recognized in the Rochester Business Journal’s 40 under 40 in 2002, and in addition to her work for LLD Enterprises, serves on the Board of Trustees of the Rochester Museum and Science Center and is a former Co-Chair and founding board member of the Young Leaders Club of the United Way of Greater Rochester Inc. and currently serves on the United Way’s Woman’s Leadership Committee.
