Weber is a retired minor league pitcher who is now president and CEO of ProCuro LLC/BCRx Inc. National Football League Media Relations. For now, the plaintiffs signal a desire to remain in the partnership. In short, it started out as a business that specialized in data processing, but went on to become something much more, as shown by the fact that its latter incarnation specialized in building education platforms for institutes of higher education. For the fourth count of Breach of Fiduciary Duty, filed specifically against Kendrick and the General Partner, which is AZDB I the plaintiffs also seek punitive damages as they claim Kendricks actions were willful, malicious and performed with evil mind and a conscious disregard for the risk of injury to the plaintiffs. He made it clear to Colangelo that there would be no increase in the 0.25 percent sales tax unless Maricopa County residents received a good deal on the facility. MLB will see a stake in the litigation. (They also awarded a franchise to a Tampa-St. Petersburg-based ownership group led by businessman Vincent J. After the vote, Bruner, as he had planned, resigned from the board to run for an open congressional seat. It gave ownership of the ballpark to the county and guaranteed the county one-third of the annual earnings from naming rights. Like Kendrick, Jensen and Chipman earned their fortunes in the software industry. Several years earlier, the Suns owner had experienced this process while seeking public funds in support of a new venue for the Suns. Accessed August 3, 2016: http://maricopa.gov/StadiumDistrict/pdf/MCStadiumDistFY12AFR.pdf; David Fritze, Boom! In addition, partners can be called upon to contribute toward fees in a transaction. The presence of the Diamondbacks hardly transformed commercial or residential patterns in Maricopa County. Watch on MLB.TV or listen on At Bat Saturday as Brandon Pfaadt faces S.D., or listen to the game vs. S.F. Andrew Barroway is the Coyotes' Minority Owner & Alternate Governor. Ken Kendrick leads a four-man ownership group that also includes Jeffrey Royer, Michael Chipman, and Dale Jensen, all of whom have owned at least a portion of the club since its inception. Diamondbacks partners were called upon to make pro rata contributions towards legal, accounting and consulting fees. Bases Loaded appraised the value of a 1% interest and the value of the limited partners stakes. ", The attorney for the minority owners, Roger Cohen, said his clients weren't legally required to increase their investment and believed Kendrick's leveraging "had to do with consolidating and increasing the ownership stake of the remaining owners. Between 1998 and 2000, the Diamondbacks more than doubled their payroll from $32 million to $80 million. Hell probably get his wish, but it will likely cost the club more than it wants to pay. Kendrick, the . In an article from Zach Buchanan of The Athletic, Arizona Diamondbacks Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick is being sued by three minority owners: Alfredo Molina, chairman and CEO of Molina Fine Jewelers; Jim Weber, a former pro pitcher; and Carlise Investments, LLC. Other claims include those for breach of fiduciary duty and breach of implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing. 5 Martin Van Der Werf, Martin Stone, Arizona Republic, March 12, 1995, BB2; Stadium Developer Quits Deal; Martin Stone Quits Pact for Dome; Plan in Peril; Agreement Reached on Stadium.. Among the Diamondbacks limited partners are Alfredo Molina and Jim Weber. The Diamondbacks assert that Chase Field needs significant upgrades or replacement after nearly two decades of use. Colangelo, the public face of the stadium project, skipped the meeting. He realized that if he alienated an ally like Bruner, the political pressure that other county supervisors would face from a public that less than five years earlier had turned down a stadium financing referendum would likely push their votes into the no column.13, Maricopa County tax assessors projected that revenue from the 0.25 percent sales tax would reach its $238 million target in approximately 2 years, and the tax would end around the time the ballpark was slated to open in March 1998. The first concerted civic effort to secure a major-league franchise began as metropolitan Phoenix, with almost 2 million residents, became the nations 14th largest metropolitan area in the late 1980s. Under Kendricks leadership, the Diamondbacks have enjoyed significantly less success on the field. Business-wise, Kendrick might be best-known for founding Datatel Inc. Barroway became the sole owner of the Arizona Coyotes in June of 2017. Alternatively, his entire interest could be bought out for $3.9 million. The first is Declaratory Judgment, or a request for the court to state their rights under the Partnership Agreement now and in the future. They've been told to increase their investment or be bought out, which they say is an unlawful ultimatum. Kendrick, 77 and a former banking executive, first became a part-owner of the Diamondbacks when the team was founded in 1995. Colangelos insider status made Arizonas bid an immediate frontrunner in the expansion chase. Colangelos Suns had engendered unprecedented enthusiasm in the region for professional sports with an exciting run to the NBA playoff finals that year. That netted him the equivalent of a .5% interest in the partnership. The Arizona Diamondbacks have had two owners and five general managers in their 20-year history. During his 35 years as a Suns executive, the team was a fixture in the Western Conference playoffs and played to large, boisterous crowds, first at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum on the State Fairgrounds and then at the downtown America West Arena. Later that year, Colangelo and Garagiola hired Buck Showalter as the club's first manager. A month later Kendrick sent another letter to these three plaintiffs that by electing to not purchase a bigger stake in ownership that they are no longer a limited partner and their stakes will be bought out. The lawsuit claims Kendrick acted illegally when coercing them into either increasing their investment in the team or relinquish their ownership stakes at $60 per unit, a number that the plaintiffs call unfairly discounted. To illustrate, five years ago the Diamondbacks entered into a contract with Fox Sports Net Arizona for the sale of broadcasting rights. As such, he is responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the team as a whole. Used by permission under Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 2.0). 2023 ABG-SI LLC. That brought Stones plans for a domed stadium to an end. Very few succeed. Martinez and allows three runs in 1 2/3 innings in his second start of Spring Training, Perfect day for a nice stroll around the bases. In the late 1990s, a family of four could attend a game for well under $50, including tickets, parking, and refreshments.24, On game days, thousands of suburbanites who would likely not have otherwise patronized downtown Phoenix brought their discretionary dollars to the BOB and its environs. Alfredo Molina, Jim Weber, and Carlise Investments are suing Kendrick over his buy up or be bought out ultimatum, which started in January. They are currently being represented by Roger Cohen from the Phoenix-based Jaburg Wilk law firm. Cohen said his clients are not seeking a temporary restraining order, but they reserve the right to do so in the future. The suit names AZPB Limited Partnership (Ownership Group), the groups managing partner, and Kendricks wife as the defendants. Then in 1991, he abandoned his Arizona plans to become a partner in what turned out to be an unsuccessful effort to purchase the Montreal Expos. 6-keys: media/spln/mlb/reg/free/stories, at Despite some misgivings, Colangelo agreed to the deal. Arizona has four of MLB Pipelines Top 100 prospects, and is one of two organizations with three prospects within the Top 15, boasting outfielder Corbin Carroll at No. The Diamondbacks willingness to invest heavily in elite starting pitching put them on the fast track to the postseason. Diamondbacks minority owners sue over alleged forced buyouts Taken together, these claims assert that Kendrick, as the general partner of the partnership, has operated in bad faith by imposing new requirements on limited partners ownership. 16 David Fritze, David Schwartz, and Eric Miller, Play Ball: Stadium Tax Wins OK, Arizona Republic, February 18, 1994; Jerry Colangelo; Bob McManaman, Tax Foes Name-Calling Hurt Deeply, Arizona Republic, February 19, 1994, A20. As of 2016 Jeffrey Royer, Michael Chipman, and Dale Jensen remained the other general partners. Three minority owners sue Ken Kendrick over buy up/buy out ultimatum Colangelo also negotiated a financing deal for a new arena to be built primarily with private money raised through JDMs limited partners and corporate sponsorship deals. CLAYTON TRUTOR is a history instructor at Northeastern Universitys College of Professional Studies. 9 Robert Logan, Colangelo Quits Bulls to Take Phoenix Post, Chicago Tribune, February 29, 1968, C1; Bob Logan, Colangelo Has Suns Climbing for Summit, Chicago Tribune , May 23, 1976, B3; Lee Shappell, Jerry Colangelo, Arizona Republic, March 12, 1995, BB2; Colangelo Took Bait All the Way to Finals; Kevin Simpson, The Place to Be, The Sporting News, November 7, 1994, S3; Jack McCallum, Desert Heat, Sports Illustrated, May 28, 1990, 50-51; Joe Gilmartin, Suns Colangelo NBA Executive of the Year, The Sporting News, May 16, 1981, 46. Miami Heat Basketball Operations. Accessed August 14, 2016: http://azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2016/08/08/maricopa-county-rejects-most-diamondbacks-request-65-million-chase-field-upgrades/88279408/. As of 2016, 15 of the 30 major-league teams belonged to the geographically compact (every team but one is in Maricopa County) and virtually rainout-free Cactus League.3. Kendrick takes an active role in a wide range of philanthropic endeavors. By the end of the 2004 season, the club owed more than a quarter of a billion dollars in deferred salaries.26. The measure authorized the county to collect a $2.50 car-rental tax. Garagiola followed Colangelo out the door in 2005. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Through Kendrick, the club retained the consulting firm Bases Loaded. Three Arizona Diamondbacks minority owners say they are being forced out of the ownership group illegally and have sued to remain partners or to receive higher payouts for their shares. Register now to join us on March 10-12, 2023, in Phoenix, AZ. As a result, Kendrick is a figure of some note in both the MLB and beyond. The three suing minority owners have countered that their stakes in the team have been valued at an "artificially low" rate that doesn't include projections for "potential future revenue streams related to legalized gambling," per Buchanan. The Maricopa County Stadium Authority, which was created to save the Cactus League, played a similarly decisive role several years later in the arrival of the Diamondbacks by providing the region with a public institution capable of financing a ballpark costing several hundred million dollars. Also in contention is whether Major League Baseball pushed the Diamondbacks to reduce the number of minority owners with less than a one percent stake in the team or whetherthe team took the idea to MLB. Former Arizona AG Grant Woods Says D-Backs Owner Ken Kendrick Sent Him Kendrick has the legal responsibility to engage in fair dealing and act ethically. Colangelos rags-to-riches story was well known to Arizonans with even a passing knowledge of professional sports. The actual ownership of the club has been far more divided. More than two dozen limited partners bought into Arizona Baseball Inc., including executives at Bank of America, Circle K, and Phoenix radio station KTAR, trucking magnate and future Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes, comedian Billy Crystal, and Phoenix Suns All-Star Danny Manning.11, Colangelo set to work negotiating a financing deal for a downtown ballpark. Process almost always matters in contractual disputes. This list may not reflect recent changes ( learn more ). Ken Kendrick - Wikipedia According to the complaint, Kendrick effectively controls about 90% of the Diamondbacks' partnership through his own stake and through his influence over other limited partners. The more persuasively Kendricks attorneys can show that the team has adhered to established procedures and did so with sufficient transparency and accountability, the better the odds for Kendrick. Arizona Diamondbacks team ownership history - Society for American After the initiative failed, the Legislature passed a law allowing the city to bypass a referendum in their push for big-league baseball. The overwhelming majority of investors chose one of these options. Colangelo cleaned house quickly and soon restored the Suns to on-court success; they put together a franchise-record streak of seven consecutive 50-win seasons between 1988-1989 and 1994-1995. Cohen also stresses that Molina, Webster and Carlisle Investments have met every requirement for ownership. List of Arizona Diamondbacks owners and executives Thompson, A History of the Cactus League.. Bullpen reinforcements: those we didnt sign. 30 Rebekah L. Sanders, Maricopa County Rejects Most of Arizona Diamondbacks Requested $65M for Upgrades, azcentral.com, August 8, 2016. 7 Martin Stone; Bob Cohn, Race for Big Leagues Begins, Arizona Republic, June 15, 1990, A1; Eric Miller, Valley Strikes Out, Arizona Republic, December 19, 1990, A1. 20 Cities with the Worst Weather in the U.S. How Eiza Gonzalez Achieved a Net Worth of $5 Million. Molina is required to invest an additional $3.8MM or his stakes will be bought out at the same number, Weber investing another $6MM or get a $1.5MM buyout, and Carlise Investments getting a similar ultimatum for undisclosed amounts. More than 2.5 million people attended games at the Bank One Ballpark (nicknamed the BOB) in each of the franchises first seven seasons. The Diamondbacks gave Showalter the additional responsibility of overseeing the development of its minor-league system. pic.twitter.com/mdZE3bNqBO, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. gives the D-backs their first run of the game with an RBI double to right field, bringing in Josh Rojas in the 5th, Proof anything can be an album cover. Finally, the plaintiffs are suing to force Kendrick and the Diamondbacks to provide the documentation they have requested, and they are suing for a Preliminary and Permanent Injunction to prevent the team from forcing them to relinquish their ownership stakes, although none of the three have received payment yet and, with the shutdown of sports from the coronavirus, its not clear that anything has transpired that has yet deprived them of any rights or privileges as team owners. He's been managing general partner since 2004.