Esmark

CRAIG BOUCHARD - 60 Seconds

Hinsdale, Illinois | Monday, July 19, 2010

Read the original article on thehinsdalean.com

Craig Bouchard’s home office offers a glimpse into his life. Framed articles from the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times hang on the walls. Bins marked “Cubs,” “Esmark” and “New Esmark” line the shelves on one side of the room while crystal awards, photos of his six children (ages 33 to 5) and origami animals his daughters made fill the shelves on the other.

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POLL Mr. Cub Ernie Banks: He’s game for a move to Florida, yes Naples

By BRENT BATTEN. Posted January 16, 2010 at 10:36 a.m.

Read the original article on naplesnews.com

CHICAGO _ When you’re trying to persuade the Chicago Cubs of something, it never hurts to have Mr. Cub on your side.

Craig Bouchard, point man in the effort to wrest Cubs spring training from Mesa, Ariz., in favor of Naples, appears to have convinced beloved former Cub Ernie Banks that a move to Florida would be a good idea.

“He’s a futurist, that’s what I see,” Banks said late Friday during a meeting with Bouchard.

The discussion with Banks ranged far beyond baseball, encompassing Diogenes’ search for an honest man and the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which Banks says he thinks of when he visits Hohokam Stadium in Mesa where the Cubs now train.

But it kept coming back to a couple of key points: The lessons of sports and business are often the same. You have to know when to make a decision, whether to swing the bat or move a baseball team across the country into new territory. And you have to be tough.

Banks likes the first-class golf in Naples and its abundance of Midwesterners.

He also likes Bouchard’s determination.

“Find a way that the Cubs can play in Naples,” he said, half-jokingly adding that he meant all year, not just the preseason.

Banks doesn’t hold a front office position with the Cubs but he speaks regularly with officials such as President Crane Kenney. The boisterous reception he received Friday afternoon when introduced to thousands of fans crammed into a Chicago Hilton ballroom speaks to the weight his opinion carries in Cubs Nation.

On Friday, Bouchard also met with Kenney.

Bouchard said Kenney told him the team’s board of directors met for more than two hours earlier in the day with the sole subject being the potential spring training move.

The directors are waiting for more information but, “They have enormous interest in Florida,” Bouchard said.

Bouchard expects no decision this weekend.

“They’re going to do it when they’re going to do it. This is a Cubs convention. It isn’t about spring training, it’s about 2010.”

Banks, who hit more than 500 home runs in 19 seasons with the Cubs, invited Bouchard to Mesa to see a spring training game this year.

Bouchard was thinking further down the line: “Ernie, I’m going to drive three and a half miles and I’ll be at spring training.”

Read the Chicago newspaper's full report that Cubs are leaning toward Mesa

Editor’s note: Watch naplesnews.com and the Daily News this weekend for Brent Batten’s reports on the three-day Cubs Convention in Chicago.

Read Brent's report from the convention on Friday night

Report: Florida group backing off Cubs bid

Posted: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 10:53 am | Updated: 8:11 pm, Wed Jul 14, 2010.

Read the original article on tribune.com

A Florida newspaper is reporting that the investors behind a bid to lure the Chicago Cubs away from their spring training home in Mesa have decided to step back.

The group reportedly wants to see how events unfold in Arizona.

“We will remain interested,” Esmark vice-chairman Craig Bouchard told the Naples (Fla.) Daily News, “but feel it’s time to remove our offer from the table and observe how things turn out for them in Arizona.”

An executive from another company involved in the Florida bid, Fifth Avenue Advisors, said he had asked the Cubs’ management to leave the door open to their proposal, which has yet to be put on the table because Mesa is still operating within an exclusive negotiating window with the Cubs. Mesa met a Monday deadline to have a funding mechanism in place to build a proposed $84 million spring training complex.

The Cubs are scouting a growing number of locations across Mesa for the facility, including along the light-rail line downtown. The proposed Waveyard water park site is also on the list of potential homes for the team.

“If there were property available, we’d like to see the stadium as close to light rail as possible,” City Manager Chris Brady told the Tribune last week. Mayor Scott Smith said several downtown scenarios are possible.

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Cubs to continue talks with Mesa
Club likely to remain in Arizona rather than move to Naples

By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com. Posted: 07/14/10 11:25 AM ET

Read the original article on cubs.com

CHICAGO -- The Cubs' Spring Training facility will apparently stay in Mesa, Ariz.

Team officials have notified the Naples, Fla., group trying to lure the Cubs to the Sunshine State that they will continue exclusive negotiations with Mesa beyond Monday's deadline. The Cubs and Mesa had established a July 12 deadline in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to have financing in place for the new facility.

On Sunday, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts told Chicago reporters in Los Angeles that he anticipated the team would continue working with Mesa. Chairman Crane Kenney echoed that sentiment Tuesday in a statement.

"The Cubs are appreciative of the efforts from the Naples team to provide the club with a first-rate Spring Training facility," Kenney said. "Naples is a world-class city and could undoubtedly provide our organization and fans an exceptional facility and experience.

"Despite the opportunity that exists in Naples, for the time being we will continue our work in Mesa to build a new Spring Training facility there," Kenney said.

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Guest commentary: Cubs present irresistible opportunity for Collier County

Read the original article on naplesnews.com

As a member of the city of Naples Blue Ribbon Finance Planning Committee this past spring, I became very aware of the significant financial situation the city of Naples — and Collier County — is facing. The property values, sales tax revenue and tourist contribution to the economy are all declining. This will result in a decrease of government services, an increase in taxes or both. It’s my hope that community leaders, business leaders and political leaders work together to reverse these trends. The problem is that our choices are limited.

Many of us first came to Naples as tourists, deciding to retire or purchase second homes here. We stayed because of the weather, culture, beaches, boating, golfing or volunteering. But there is another segment of the population in Naples — those who just want to work and provide for their families. They work in the retail stores, restaurants, hotels or private clubs. They work in the government offices, service and support industries or the health-care system. But with an increasing number of empty storefronts, a decline in construction jobs and an obvious decrease in year-round tourism, jobs are disappearing and our unemployment rate is growing. So what can Naples and Collier County do to encourage businesses to move here to increase the economic base?

The opportunity to bring the Chicago Cubs to Collier County seems like it would provide a real “bang for the buck.”

Many “non-fans” may not be aware that the Cubs are by far the largest draw in spring training among all Major League teams. In fact, the team brings nearly twice the attendance and double the revenue compared to the other leading draws in both Arizona and Florida. Take the Boston Red Sox as an example. They sold 118,000 tickets last spring. The Cubs sold 203,000 tickets.

Naples prides itself on having the highest quality of lifestyle and culture in Florida. The Cubs brand is a perfect fit.

The proposed Chicago Cubs spring-training facility isn’t only about spring. It is not just a six-week, 16-home-game season. It appears the concept — designated “Project Home Run!” — would include the Cubs moving their player-development and scouting headquarters to Naples. Moving a minor league team here is an April-to-September season. Additionally, the facility could provide student-development academies that include baseball and other sports. There would be no offseason, as the facilities would be used to host entertainment, charitable and other public events.

All this without one penny of property taxes or without one penny of sales taxes. The discussion around the possible use of tourist-development funds combined with private investment makes sense. The tourist tax is a fee that is already paid for hotel, short-term private room rentals and similar items. It is paid by tourists and not citizens of Collier County. The opportunity to increase our community’s economy without having to pay for it personally seems a very logical strategy. More tourists year-round would mean more Tourist Development Council money for the projects funded by the TDC.

Just up the road, Lee County reports that the Red Sox spring training means an estimated $24 million of direct spending to their economy each year — only accounting for the spring-training season. The city of Mesa, Ariz., claims the loss of the Cubs means more than $50 million to its economy annually.

Chicago-based Esmark and Naples-based Fifth Avenue Advisors initiated the discussion with the Cubs and have stated that private investors will provide a significant portion of this public/private investment to make a year-round destination work. Major beneficiaries will not only be the construction workers who will build the 15,000-seat stadium, six practice fields, associated facilities, offices and “Wrigley Village,” but also the more than 600 people who will be hired for professional and support functions. The hotel industry will certainly benefit. Countless other small businesses supporting the tourist industry in Collier County will benefit. And just think of the advertising benefits of our beautiful town entering into 70 million homes on four continents thanks to the WGN superstation that broadcasts Cubs spring games.

Most municipalities would love to have the opportunity that is nearly before us, except most have to fund the entire stadium construction via taxes to get a Major League team. We should do everything we can to encourage our community to embrace this important chance to invigorate our economy with the exact type of project that fits us so well. It is more than possible that if we build it, Cubs fans will come to Naples for spring training and will want to return, again and again.

Easton is a retired IBM international marketing consultant.

David Moulton: Show your support for the Cubs — now

By DAVID MOULTON
Originally published 10:42 a.m., December 11, 2009
Updated 11:35 a.m., December 11, 2009

It's easy for a huge story to get lost in the shuffle of Tiger Woods and the holidays. For the past two months there have been various reports concerning the Chicago Cubs' potential spring training move to Collier County.

After creating and spearheading the movement this past spring and summer, I've intentionally written infrequently about what is now Project Home Run. It was my hope that by backing off, once I did write about the Cubs' potential move to Naples again, that most of you would listen. I may not be able to pick a football game this year but when it concerns the Cubs, my information and insight has been spot on.

So if I may, it is as clear as a beautiful Southwest Florida spring training day what is going on here. The Cubs are far more enamored with Naples than Arizona. It's obvious. From what they've said about Naples to what they haven't said about Arizona. Which is anything. With the exception of their yearly organizational meetings in Mesa immediately following the World Series, the Cubs' silence about the desert speaks volumes. Mesa and Arizona know it too. For months they spoke badly of Florida and scoffed at even the idea that the Cubs would leave. Now they are humble. And with good reason.

Think about what the Cubs have done and said in the first two weeks of this month. They flew to Tallahassee to meet with Gov. Charlie Crist (the Ricketts family - the new team owners - has never traveled to meet with Arizona officials). After that meeting they tipped their hand for the first time.

CEO Crane Kenney openly spoke of moving their Class A franchise from Daytona to Naples. That's not something you go public with unless you are already in the "planning" stages. Then someone in the Cubs organization leaked that they felt the club wanted to make a decision about spring training within 60 days. Well considering that they are only engaged with the Naples group at present time (Craig Bouchard of Esmark and Fifth Avenue Advisors), Hmmm... I wonder what direction they are leaning?

Finally, in a stunning admission of just how "all in" the Cubs are toward the Collier County move, owner Tom Ricketts told the Chicago Tribune that they would "invest" in the Naples project.

A Chicago Tribune columnist believes the new Cubs owner will move spring training to Naples

By invest he meant money out of his own pocket by the way. That's how much the Ricketts believe in and WANT this deal to happen!

My hope is that by now everyone in Collier County realizes that what I said two months ago was right. This is your deal to screw up. In fact, there appears to be only one way Collier County could stop the Cubs from moving to Naples Apathy. The only reason the Ricketts family will walk away from Naples is if the County (leaders and citizens) gives them the impression, that this is not that big of a deal. Think about it: The family is on the verge of making a bold move that will change many aspects of the organization. Change is exciting but it also brings criticism and the fear of the unknown. The Ricketts family can handle the criticism if they KNOW that they're wanted. Really wanted.

So to review, the Cubs are going to leave Arizona for Naples (in 2012 or 2013), build a 15,000-seat stadium on 120 acres near Interstate 75, without one penny of property or sales taxes being raised. The Cubs, Esmark and the state ofFlorida have committed to "invest" in the project to make it happen. One-thousand jobs will be generated in the short-term and the yearly economic impact is conservatively estimated at $50 million per year.

All you have to do is get behind it. Now.

For once, make some noise. Let your commissioners know they need to get behind Project Home Run. Go to www.floridacubs.com and sign up to support the effort. Organize a petition drive, which ends with a community event that screams, "We Want the Cubs." Just do something!

This is no longer a series of columns. This is as real as real gets.

In "Field of Dreams" the line was, "If you build it, he will come." For Project Home Run the line is, "If you want them, they will come."

David Moulton is co-host of "Miller and Moulton in the Afternoon." The show airs weekdays 2-7 PM on AM 770/ESPN. His column runs every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.

Cubs consider investing in Naples, Fla. training facility

Read the original article on chicagotribune.com

The Chicago Cubs are considering making a financial investment in a proposed spring training facility near Naples, Fla., according to people familiar with the team.

Craig Bouchard, who is leading an effort to lure the Cubs to Florida, said the team is a possible investor in the proposed development. A Cubs official confirmed that the team is exploring a number of options, including a financial interest in a Florida spring training complex.

Indications are that the Naples proposal is something of a long shot because the Cubs have spent the winter months in Mesa, Ariz., since the 1950s. Arizona officials are expected to pull out all the stops to keep the team because the team is an economic boon to Mesa and the Phoenix area. Conventional wisdom suggests the Cubs are using Naples as a bargaining chip to get the best financial deal in Arizona.

Nevertheless, the Naples team is making a serious bid. Bouchard, a wealthy businessman who splits his time between residences in the western suburbs and Naples, said his Chicago-based company Esmark Inc. would be the lead investor in a proposed spring-training complex.

"You can't worry that you're going to be the stalking horse," Bouchard said. "Otherwise you'll never get in the game."

Bouchard said he is looking to raise $80 million to $100 million to redevelop about 100 acres in southwest Florida. It's not clear how much the Cubs would invest, but the team is looking for a 15,000-seat stadium, practice fields and a state-of-the-art training facility. In Florida, the proposal calls for the training complex to be surrounded by shops and restaurants, much like Wrigleyville.

The retail aspect of the development would be privately owned, Bouchard said. The stadium, on the other hand, could be publicly owned if the state of Florida and the local government provide tax dollars. The state recently gave Sarasota County, which is north of Naples, $7.5 million to renovate a stadium there for the Baltimore Orioles.

New Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and team President Crane Kenney met last week with Florida's governor, who expressed interest in supporting Naples' bid.

The Cubs officials flew to Florida on Bouchard's private jet, the businessman said. Craig and his brother, Jim, founded Esmark in 2003 to serve as a vehicle to acquire steel-service centers. They are second-generation players in the steel industry. Their late father was a senior executive at Inland Steel.

Esmark culminated a series of rapid-fire acquisitions with the purchase of publicly traded steelmaker Wheeling-Pittsburgh Corp. in 2006. Two years later, the brothers sold their company to a Russian steelmaker in a deal valued at $1.25 billion including debt.

The brothers retained the Esmark name and today it is their privately held holding company for a variety of investments, including a sports management company. The Bouchards are the principal owners of the Naples Tennis Club.

Craig Bouchard got involved earlier this year in what was then a grass-roots effort to lure the Cubs to Naples. Since then, he can't stop talking about the Cubs, perhaps a sign that the idea of the Cubs leaving Arizona has long odds. The Cubs can relocate because its lease with Mesa and HoHoKam Park has a $4 million escape clause after 2012. The team has to decide early next year whether to exercise the option.

asachdev@tribune.com

Ricketts meets with Florida governor

Cubs owner exploring spring options in Sunshine State

By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com 12/02/09 9:34 AM EST

Read the original article on cubs.com

CHICAGO -- Florida Gov. Charlie Crist met with Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of relocating the team's Spring Training and player development facilities from Arizona to Florida.

Crist met in Tallahassee, Fla., with Ricketts and team president Crane Kenney, and the governor said he's willing to go "as far as possible" to lure the team.

"We like palm trees better than cactus and hope that the Cubs might, too," Crist said.

Florida businessmen Craig Bouchard, Gary Price and Tim Cartwright presented a proposal to Cubs officials as well as to Dale Brill, who heads the office of tourism, trade and economic development for the state of Florida. Bouchard is co-founder of Esmark, Inc., and Price and Cartwright work at Fifth Avenue Advisors in Naples, Fla.

The plan includes a $100 million stadium facility to be built in Collier County, which would be the Cubs' Spring Training home. The facility also would be the base for a Class A Minor League franchise -- the Cubs currently have one in Daytona, Fla. -- and be the headquarters for the team's Minor League operations and player development.

"With the governor, we discussed the merits of having $50 million of incremental revenue flow into Collier County annually and the additional boost the Cubs would generate to other towns in Florida which host Major League teams," Bouchard told MLB.com. "Because the Cubs are the No. 1 draw of all Major League teams in the spring, attracting the Cubs would provide a boost to the economies of several counties in the state."

The state of Florida has lost several teams in recent years, including the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers. A recent study showed the Cubs bring in $52 million annually to the state of Arizona.

Ricketts said the Cubs' goal is "really about getting the best facility."

Ricketts and Kenney visited Florida in September and looked at sites in Collier County. They narrowed the list to three possible locations that had the required 120 contiguous acres needed to create a "Wrigley village" that would include a 15,000-seat stadium and practice fields.

The Cubs have been in Arizona since the 1950s, with the exception of one season when they trained in California. They have outgrown their current Mesa, Ariz., space.

In early November, Ricketts, Kenney and others met with Arizona state officials to discuss possible sites. There's been no timetable for a decision. The Cubs are able to buy out of their current contract with Mesa and move after the 2011 training camp.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Naples serious player in wooing Cubs

Group in Florida bidding to be team's spring home

By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com 11/11/09 5:00 PM EST

Read the original article on cubs.com or download it here

NAPLES, Fla. -- Two Florida businessmen didn't think it was possible that the Cubs might relocate their Spring Training site from Arizona to here until they looked the team's new owners, the Ricketts family, in the eyes.

Now, Craig Bouchard and Gary Price have partnered with others in this southwest Florida coastal city in an effort to convince the Cubs to make Collier County their new home.

"I thought we were a long shot," Bouchard said in an interview in his Hinsdale, Ill., home last week. "But in my heart, as we sit here today, I believe we are the favorite, because it makes business sense in the long term."

If the Cubs did move to Florida, they would be reversing a trend. Since 2003, four teams have relocated their spring base from Florida to Arizona, and the Cincinnati Reds will become the fifth when they join the Cleveland Indians in Goodyear, Ariz., next year. The drawback to Florida is the long drives between sites. If the Blue Jays play the Cardinals in Jupiter, they have a 4-hour, 45-minute bus ride from Dunedin. The longest trip in Arizona? It's 2 hours, 55 minutes from Goodyear to Tucson.

The idea that the Cubs would leave Arizona, where they've trained since the 1950s, was initially considered a negotiating tactic. The Cubs' contract with Mesa, Ariz., and HoHoKam Stadium allows the team to buy out of its deal after 2012.

"As a businessman, the first conversation I had with [Cubs team president] Crane Kenney was, 'Hey Crane, we want to make a great offer, but we have to be more than a bargaining chip,'" said Bouchard, co-founder of Esmark, Inc., who splits time between the Chicago area and Naples.

"[Kenney] said, 'Craig, you're not a bargaining chip,'" Bouchard said. "[He said,] 'Make your best offer. We'll consider it.' That's fair, that's honest, I believe it, and that's how we began the conversation."

Why would the Cubs leave the Valley of the Sun for the Sunshine State? Check the stats.

"The best answer I can give you," said Price, a Naples city councilman, "is I got the feeling from the meeting we had with the Ricketts family and Crane was that they want to win a World Series. Sixteen out of the last 19 World Series winners train in Florida."

Think about that, Cubs fans.

"I'm a numbers guy," Price said Tuesday. "If 16 out of 19 are World Series winners that train in Florida, that's a compelling argument. There are a lot of esoteric reasons behind why they'd be in Arizona or Florida, but if I'm starting from the beginning -- and I look at it this way for the Cubs is that, 'We have a tremendous history in Arizona for 40 years. What does the next 40 years look like?'"

Which is what the Ricketts family is doing.

"We're going to be open-minded," Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said on Oct. 30 when his family was introduced at Wrigley Field. "We're going to look at some options. We're going to look at what's the best solution for the team."

They're looking ahead and trying to decide what's best for the Cubs and their fans for the next 30, 40, 50 years.

"If you have a chance to push a reset button, whether that's to stay in Arizona or come to Florida, those statistics are not insignificant," Price said of the lopsided number of World Series champs who prep in Florida.

"I also believe that we have a significant advantage in the family experience and what's here besides baseball," he said. "One of the conversations, or jokes I make, and it's not disrespectful of Arizona, but when you look at what's available there, how are the beaches?"

Some would say Arizona is one big beach without an ocean.

"I think [Naples] is the best location in Florida," said Price, a family wealth adviser at Fifth Avenue Advisors. "The message I'd send out to Cubs fans is this is the most remarkable place in Florida to visit in terms of the beaches and everglades. We're a little over three hours to Disney [in Orlando]. It's amazing what you could do if you came for a week besides baseball, which is why we want them here. We're in a unique place and a very special place."

The list of possible sites for the Cubs in Florida has been trimmed to three locations in Collier County. All are near Interstate 75. None are in Naples proper; the city is only 12 square miles. The proposal requires about 120 contiguous acres to build a 15,000-seat stadium, six practice fields, an upgraded training facility and parking. There would be room for hotels and restaurants. It would be a Wrigley Village with beach access close by.

"The Ricketts family is a true family in the best sense of the word, and they're thinking about 'What does our fan base want?' and the fan base is families," Bouchard said. "They want the family to come down and have a comfortable vacation, watch the Cubs and have fun in all the other things that you do."

The Cubs set a Cactus League home attendance record this spring, drawing more than 195,000 to HoHoKam. They held the old mark, set in 2005. The team also has the longest stretch without winning a World Series, last doing so in 1908. Despite that, Cubs fans are passionate and loyal, and those are the folks Bouchard and Price hope to lure to Florida with the team.

"Tom Ricketts, if I were him, and I think he's like this, thinks of his brand and his franchise as No. 1 in the game," Bouchard said. "The Cubs are the kings of the hill, and that's the way they should think about it."

The other top teams in baseball? According to Bouchard, it's the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. And where do they train? Just up I-75 from Naples in Tampa and Fort Myers, respectively.

Bouchard said the Ricketts family should want to build on the Cubs' brand, strengthen the fan base created by generations who grew up watching on WGN-TV, and, ideally, win more games and reach the playoffs on a consistent basis. If you want to be the best, you should compete against the best.

"What do you do then in the spring if that's the overall objective?" Bouchard said. "You plant yourself somewhere near the highway that connects the Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs. You hang with the other top guys. You don't play the White Sox in the spring -- and nothing against the White Sox. You play the Yankees and Red Sox."

The Cubs are worth fighting for. A recent survey by Arizona officials showed they bring $52 million to the state each year.

Price said they are looking at funding the project privately, and not relying on municipal support. Those details are still being finalized, and they are the opposite of what is being proposed in Arizona, which is counting on municipal backing in tough economic times.

The Cubs aren't looking for someplace to set up camp for six to eight weeks for Spring Training and then bolt. They want to build a year-round operation that will provide state-of-the-art facilities for the Minor League system in hopes of improving player development.

Bouchard and Price were competitive athletes. Bouchard, 55, played baseball at Illinois State. Price, 44, played baseball and football in high school and competed in fencing at Ohio State. Both are competitive businessmen, both want to win, but both are quick to say they will not get into a bidding war over the Cubs.

"Arizona needs to be respected here," Bouchard said. "They've done a fantastic thing for the Cubs for 50 years. They're going to try their best and if they make the best offer, they should win. This is all honorable and fair. We're all Cubs fans, so it's a good place to start."

There is a black-and-white vintage photo of Wrigley Field, circa late 1930s, in the conference room of Price's offices on tony Fifth Avenue in downtown Naples. The Florida group says the numbers will show there are more Chicagoans -- and Cubs fans -- in the Naples area than there are in Mesa. They come for the golf, weather, restaurants, art, the philharmonic and, of course, the beaches.

"The demographic right now for the person visiting [Naples] is 29 to 54," Price said. "We're not all 70 years old -- and there's nothing wrong with that.

"You talk about having a Major League team come into an area, and you wonder if you'd have a base to support your team -- this is a terrific base," he said. "Not only is there a bias in favor of Chicago, from what I've seen, but you have a very active group of people who have money to spend, and they're very inviting of tourists."

The Naples group has created a Web site, floridacubs.com, to garner feedback. The response has been fast and supportive. Price admits that when he first met Bouchard to talk about the possibility of bringing the Cubs to Collier County, it seemed like a "dream." Neither had even considered such a thing.

And now?

"It's turned into something very real, very exciting," Price said.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

David Moulton: Are the Cubs playing Naples for a better deal in Arizona?

By DAVID MOULTON
Posted October 29, 2009 at 5:43 p.m.

Read the original article on naplesnews.com

In the aftermath of my report Sunday that the Chicago Cubs are seriously considering moving their minor league operations and making Naples their spring training home, I’ve received more than 700 e-mails (cubstocollier@gmail.com) from Collier County residents and sports fans who have questions, concerns or doubts about this story.

Because of the incredible set of circumstances behind this story, (going from a series of columns to being acted on by the rich and powerful, to remarkably being seen as a good idea by the Cubs), we now have a story that could potentially alter the landscape of Collier County for generations. And I am now considered an authority on it.

So forgive me if I fluctuate between feeling a bit over my skis yet at the same time realizing that except for the Cubs, Esmark Inc. and Fifth Avenue Advisors, no one else knows this story like I do.

So it’s with a lot of humility that I will try to answer between today and in my regular column on Sunday as many of the questions and concerns that you have about the Cubs’ potential move from Mesa, Ariz., to Collier County.

Today I’ll answer far and away the biggest fear that was expressed: Are the Cubs just using Naples to get a better offer from Mesa?

No.

First, by going public last weekend, the Cubs brought much more grief onto themselves than if they had stayed quiet. Mesa (and the rest of the Cactus League) is now freaking out. By going public, the Cubs risk a backlash in Mesa and throughout the state of Arizona.

Yet the Cubs went public anyway. Why? Not to get a better offer from Mesa. Arizona officials told the Cubs in September they’d give them whatever they wanted. Was it because the Cubs wanted to see how excited Collier County would be at the prospect of them coming? Why would they risk burning the hand that feeds them (so to speak) unless they were thinking seriously about leaving?

Second, as I’ve stated before, the game is a simple one. You give the Cubs what they want or you have no shot. Therefore, there is nothing to gain by using one city against another. Either side will ultimately give the Cubs what they want. If the Naples group and its offer did not exist, the Cubs would still be looking for the very same things that they are now. Instead of possibly leaving Mesa for Naples, they’d be leaving Mesa for other parts of Arizona (because they can do better than what they have now). Therefore, there is nothing to gain for the Cubs to use Naples.

Third, if you’ve read Craig Bouchard’s new book “America for Sale” or spent any time talking to the Esmark cofounder and owner of Naples Tennis Club, you’ll quickly find out that he’s not a guy that will stand for being played. His negotiating style is very direct. He has negotiated deals over the last 30 years that are far more complicated and more than 10 times the value of this one. If the Cubs were going to play anyone, do you think it would be a billionaire or a politician? If anyone gets played here, it won’t be Naples.

Finally, the Cubs don’t have a deadline to stay in Mesa. They have a deadline to meet if they are to leave Mesa. The Cubs have to decide about Naples within a few months. They have six years to get a better deal from Arizona. So for many reasons, including the Cubs’ actions and basic common sense, their interest in Naples is genuine.

Read more about the Cubs to Collier movement from David Moulton in Sunday’s Daily News. Moulton is co-host of “Miller and Moulton in the Afternoon.” The show airs weekdays 2 to 7 p.m. on WWCN/AM 770 ESPN. His column runs every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.

Sites competing for Cubs' spring facility

Mesa, Ariz., and Naples, Fla., out to persuade new ownership

By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
10/29/09 4:50 PM ET

Read the original article on Cubs.com

The cities of Mesa, Ariz., and Naples, Fla., are gearing up for a battle over the Cubs.

On Thursday, officials from Chicago-based Esmark Inc. and Naples-based Fifth Avenue Advisors held a news conference in Naples announcing their intent to convince the team to move from Arizona to Collier County in Florida.

Tom and Laura Ricketts, siblings who are part of the Cubs' new ownership group, and Cubs chairman Crane Kenney recently visited the Naples area to look at possible sites.

The team is looking for a minimum of 120 contiguous acres for a 15,000-seat stadium, six practice fields, parking, and training complex that would be an 11-month operation. The Cubs need an updated facility and appear to have "outgrown" their current site in Mesa, one Florida official said during the news conference at the Naples Bath & Tennis Club.

The Florida proposal would include a "Wrigley village" to create a destination for Cubs fans. One official said he felt Tom Ricketts and Kenney were focused not only on what's best for the team, but "it was about what is the best experience for our fans."

The biggest hurdle in luring the Cubs away from Arizona? According to one Florida official, it's the comfort level the team has with Mesa, which has been the Cubs' Spring Training home since the 1950s. The Cubs have been at their current location since 1979.

Mesa city leaders amped up their efforts on Wednesday, and mayor Scott Smith said they will do everything possible to keep the Cubs in Arizona.

"We're simply not going to let it happen," Smith said about the possibility of the Cubs leaving during a news conference at HoHoKam Stadium on Wednesday.

Tom Ricketts and other Cubs officials will be in Mesa next week for the team's organizational meetings, and city officials have called in state executives to help deliver their sales pitch. The Cubs delegation will be treated to a private reception featuring Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Arizona House Speaker Kirk Adams (R-Mesa) and other officials. U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is expected to address the reception via a video hookup.

Mesa officials planned on showing the team at least four sites, believed to be located along Loop 202 from the city's northern edge to the Gateway area, where Gaylord Entertainment Co. plans to build a large resort and conference center. That center is part of a large-scale development near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

The Cubs' contract with Mesa and HoHoKam Stadium allows the team to buy out of the deal after 2012.

On Thursday, Craig Bouchard, co-founder of Esmark, said the impression he got after meeting with the Ricketts was that the new owners want to change the destiny of the Cubs.

"It's very clear they want to win a World Series," Bouchard said.

The Florida group pointed out to the Cubs officials that 16 of the past 19 teams to win the World Series have trained in the Sunshine State.

Told that Mesa plans to match anything that Naples will do, Bouchard said: "We have a better beach -- that would be my first response."

There is no deadline, Bouchard said, adding that the Florida group was in the initial stages of its proposal. He said the Cubs would be making a 30-year commitment to whichever site they pick, and although there's no official deadline, he expected a decision within the next three to six months. That would give the winning city time to get the new facility ready.

"We're not going to worry about Mesa, Ariz.," Bouchard said. "They're going to put a great offer on the table. All we're going to do is put together a strong private investment group. We have a lot of work to do. We're going to ask a lot of people to help us. We'll find our best offer and say, 'This is our best offer.'"

The Florida group, which has created a Web site, floridacubs.com, does not plan on getting into a bidding war with Mesa, Bouchard said.

If the Cubs stay in Mesa, the city would be building the fourth Spring Training site for the team in its nearly 60-year tenure. Arizona officials may not have an ocean, but one of their selling points is the average travel time between sites in Florida's Grapefruit League is three hours, while the close-knit Cactus League boasts travel times averaging only about 30 minutes.

The Cubs' Cactus League home games averaged 10,700 fans in 2009, compared with 5,800 for all other Cactus League teams. A recent study said if the Cubs were replaced by an "average" Cactus League team, the overall loss to Arizona's economy would be $52.2 million a year.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Cubs Eye Florida Spring Training Sites

NAPLES — A group was formed four months ago with the purpose of making Collier County the spring training home for the Chicago Cubs, the Naples Daily News has learned.

- Naples Daily News

And that group already has met with the Cubs – both at their headquarters in Wrigley Field, and earlier this month in Naples for a two-day visit by new owner Tom Ricketts and CEO Crane Kenney.

During that visit, the Cubs toured Collier County looking at potential stadium sites.

“The Chicago Cubs are exploring Naples, Florida, as a potential spring training venue and have been working with Chicago-based Esmark and Naples-based Fifth Avenue Advisors in that regard,” Kenney confirmed in a statement. “Our site visits and discussions confirm that Collier County has a number of suitable locations for a world-class spring training facility.”

Mesa, Ariz., has been the spring training home of the Cubs off and on since the 1950s, and its permanent home since 1979. Earlier this year, the Cubs brought up the possibility of leaving Mesa if its facilities weren’t updated.

Mesa Mayor Scott Smith met with the Cubs most recently in September.

“Our competition is very serious,” Smith told the Arizona Republic last month, referring to Naples. “I think it’s a serious threat. We need to match the competition.”

Smith also told the paper that the Cubs “are going to move through a very quick evaluation between us and interests in Florida to see where they want to focus their efforts. … They have told us they would like by the middle of November to have enough information that they can know whether and how to proceed with Mesa.”

Collier County has never had a spring training team, although it has been courted by several clubs, including the Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles through the years. This summer, the Collier Tourist Development Council agreed to explore the possibility of luring the Cubs.

In June, Lee County commissioners agreed to spend $75 million for a new stadium for the Boston Red Sox for spring training, south of Fort Myers. Since 1992, the Minnesota Twins have trained at the Lee County Sports Complex, south of Fort Myers. The Red Sox moved from Winter Haven to Fort Myers City of Palms Park in 1993.

Fort Myers also recently courted the Orioles as a possible replacement for the Red Sox at City of Palms Park, but the Orioles chose to go to Sarasota.

The visit

Esmark Inc., co-founded by brothers Craig and Jim Bouchard, and Fifth Avenue Advisors, whose partners include Tim Cartwright, a vice president of the Economic Development Council of Collier County, and Naples City Councilman Gary Price, met for two days in Naples earlier this month.

“We were very fortunate to host Tom Ricketts (new owner of the Cubs), his sister, Laura, and Cubs CEO Crane Kenney for a casual dinner,” Craig Bouchard said. “It became clear to me that their objective is to do what is best for Cubs fans. They want to win a World Series. And they want to build the very best organization they can.”

The Cubs spent one morning touring the county in a helicopter to see what locations may be suitable. Bouchard said the Cubs are looking for 120 contiguous acres in an area that “will enhance the development plan of Collier County.”

Bouchard said: “We (the group) will only be interested in sites that are a win for the team, their fans and the future of Collier County.”

The group

Esmark currently has operations in the steel, oil, aviation, health-care and sports management fields. In 2008, Esmark sold its steel business for $1.3 billion. The Sports Management Division of Esmark is a principal sponsor of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Bouchards are principal owners of the Naples Tennis Club.

Craig Bouchard’s Chicago roots run deep. An admitted Cubs fan, he still has a home there after a 19-year career at the First National Bank of Chicago which saw him rise to senior vice president.

Fifth Avenue Advisors is a diversified financial firm founded by Cartwright and Craig Lyon, who started their careers in Chicago. They, too, are Cubs fans who fondly recall attending afternoon games at Wrigley Field.

This is Fifth Avenue Advisors’ first venture in the professional sports industry. However, Cartwright and Lyon point to their experience in negotiations, deal structuring, fundraising and project management.

How did Esmark and Fifth Avenue Advisors come together? By chance.

“Craig Bouchard and I did not know each other,” Price said. “We had a mutual friend that had listened to the both of us talk about the idea of bringing the Cubs to Naples. So one day he introduced us. We hit it off and took it from there.”

Cartwright said the summer months were spent unsure if the hundreds of hours that Bouchard and his firm spent on the project would result in an opportunity to attract the Cubs to Collier County.

“We took a dream and turned it into a viable opportunity, which thankfully resulted in us being able to convince the Cubs to take a look at Naples,” Cartwright said.

Funding and economic impact

The group wouldn’t get into specifics as to how the money, which could exceed $80 million, will be raised.

But Cartwright was willing to say how it was not going to be raised.

“We are pursuing every avenue, public and private, to finance this project that does not raise the property or sales taxes of the residents of Collier County.” Bouchard stated. “I committed to Crane (Kenney, Cubs CEO) that Esmark will invest and take a leadership role in the stadium project.”

Not raising sales or property taxes doesn’t rule out other forms of public financing. The Florida Legislature, tired of losing spring training teams to Arizona, recently set aside $7 million to help any Florida city keep or attract a team. Sarasota used that money to lure the Orioles from Fort Lauderdale.

The group could ask the Collier TDC for a hike in its tourist tax on hotel guests. A 1 percent hike from 4 percent to 5 percent would result in more than $3 million annually.

When asked, Bouchard, Cartwright and Price didn’t say they would make such a request of the TDC, but wouldn’t rule it out. They did however strongly express why they are pursuing the Chicago Cubs.

“This is a terrific opportunity to bring real economic impact to this county in terms of increased tourism dollars, jobs and real estate activity,” Price said.

Craig Bouchard takes it a step further.

“This effort will inject $50 million annually into the county, which would contain its spring training site, player rehabilitation, a minor league team, their minor league operations headquarters and a host of other functions year-round,” he said. “We hope to structure a deal that runs a minimum of 30 years. That’s $1.5 billion in economic impact, not counting inflation.”

Arizona’s most recent study said the Chicago Cubs’ direct economic impact to Mesa was $31.1 million annually. The impact for Arizona was figured to be $52.2 million annually.

There is a cost to maintaining stadium facilities year-round. Based on recent Lee County figures, it would cost Collier County $1.5 million to $2 million annually in maintenance expenses.

Covering these costs is often part of the negotiations a city or county has with the team. Costs can be covered through means such as parking, rent, concessions, naming rights to the stadium, and in some cases, a percentage of ticket sales.

“A facility of this type would be an incredible asset for the community, not only a destination attraction for baseball and special events, but a haven for adult and youth sports,” Lyon said.

What are the odds?

The Cubs went West in 1946. They began training in Mesa, Ariz., in the 1950s. Mesa has been the team’s full-time winter home since 1979. What are the odds that the Cubs, after all that time, would leave the Cactus League in Arizona for the Grapefruit League in Florida?

The answer depends on who you talk to.

“We are still a long shot but I agree with the mayor of Mesa that we are a serious threat,” Bouchard said. “We offer an outstanding destination for families, award-winning beaches and a belief that we can put together a proposal that is favored by the Cubs. Sometimes, long shots win.”

The Cubs’ 25-year lease with the city of Mesa expires in 2016. However, the team has an escape clause, allowing them to pay $4.2 million to the city next spring in order to leave Mesa in 2012.