Etess 'the king' of Mohegan
Mohegan — Somewhere lurks a Mitchell Etess-hater.
That lonesome soul was not among the nearly 600 people — two U.S. senators and a congressman among them — who celebrated Wednesday night all that is Etess during the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut's 65th annual Citizen of the Year Award presentation at Mohegan Sun.
Praised, ribbed and outright roasted, Etess, chief executive officer of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, still hadn't had a chance to speak hours into the event.
Etess' daughters, Piper Deltenre and Maxie Etess, led the procession of speakers, their images projected on huge video screens behind them in the Uncas Ballroom of the casino's Convention Center. They recounted their father's well-known "passion" for yelling at referees during their high school and college basketball careers as well as at Connecticut Sun games in Mohegan Sun Arena.
When a ref missed a foul that deprived Piper of a game-winning scoring opportunity and then fled the gym, "Dad followed him to the parking lot and circled him like a shark," Piper said.
Mark Brown, a Mohegan tribal councilor and former tribal chairman, vouched for Etess' inability to sit still, saying Etess needed the women's basketball team as "an outlet for his aggression."
Ralph Guardiano, principal of Outthink, the Essex marketing firm, described Etess as "truly creative," "an unconventional thinker ... a cross between Stephen Hawking and Roger Rabbit." Guardiano, who spoke at length, finally likened "Mitchell" to "Elvis," famous enough to be known by just his first name.
"He's the king," Guardiano said.
Etess joined Mohegan Sun nearly 20 years ago, prior to its opening. He began as senior vice president of marketing and was soon promoted to executive president of marketing. In 2004, he was named the casino’s president and chief executive officer. Two years later, he added the titles of president and CEO of Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, also assuming responsibility for Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., a racetrack facility that has since become a full-fledged casino.
On Jan. 1, 2011, Etess relinquished his role as president and CEO of Mohegan Sun to focus on developing new business opportunities for MTGA. The authority has since assumed management of Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City and unsuccessfully pursued casino licenses in Massachusetts and New York. It expects to partner with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe on a casino project in Washington state and is pursuing a South Korea gaming license in connection with a multibillion-dollar project there.
Etess announced last November that he would start transitioning toward retirement this year. Though his contract expires June 30, he expects to remain through September.
Since 2003, Etess has served as CEO of the Connecticut Sun, the tribe-owned Women's National Basketball Association team.
In March, Bobby Soper, then president and CEO of Mohegan Sun, was named president of MTGA.
bjhallenbeck@theday.com
Twitter: @bjhallenbeck
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