Town
Monaghan's Person Appreciates $1M
Mon, Dec17, 2007
Yesterday, AveWatch reviewed Tom Monaghan's use of
non-profit charities to self-stimulate
his for-profit businesses. Today, we
reconsider how Tom Monaghan's non-profit and
for-profit activities are both directly
benefiting his person, via his
"Thomas S. Monaghan Living Trust".
In May 2007, AveWatch was the first to report how Tom Monaghan personally acquired 74.55 acres of prime Ave Maria Town real estate in November 2004 valued at $840,000. Given its proximity to what has become the largest construction site in America, Monaghan's privately owned land appreciated (unimproved) to $1,442,500 in 2006. That same year, Monaghan deeded 10 acres of that parcel to an AMU employee for $210,000. The 2007 Assessed Value of Monaghan's 64.55 acres is now at $1,862,550 (Folio No. 00138521008; Collier County Property Appraiser; see shaded area in image below).
In May 2007, AveWatch was the first to report how Tom Monaghan personally acquired 74.55 acres of prime Ave Maria Town real estate in November 2004 valued at $840,000. Given its proximity to what has become the largest construction site in America, Monaghan's privately owned land appreciated (unimproved) to $1,442,500 in 2006. That same year, Monaghan deeded 10 acres of that parcel to an AMU employee for $210,000. The 2007 Assessed Value of Monaghan's 64.55 acres is now at $1,862,550 (Folio No. 00138521008; Collier County Property Appraiser; see shaded area in image below).
His personally owned land
in Ave Maria Town has appreciated over $1 million
since he acquired it.
This personal asset appreciated in direct response to
Tom Monaghan's own for-profit business activity
(acting as Ave
Maria Development LLC) and in direct response
to his non-profit business activity (acting as
Chancellor of Ave Maria University and as the
Board Chairman of Michigan's Ave Maria School of
Law - the Chairman who threatened to financially
devastate his own institution if it refused to
move 1,300 miles to his for-profit Florida real
estate development... a move that directly
benefits his personal land asset).
The following are also owned by the Thomas S.
Monaghan Living Trust in Collier County:
+ La Piazza, Condo Unit 1302 - $596,500 (bought 2007,
see shaded below)
+ 10047 Gulf Shore Dr. - 2007 Market Value =
$3,579,778, (bought 1995)
+ 318 N. Storter Ave - 2007 Market Value = $457,432
(bought 2005)
As already stated on AveWatch, it matters not if Tom Monaghan gives his personal land holding, or the subsequent land appreciation, to fund a leper colony. The point is that Mr. Monaghan receives a direct and personal benefit from the management decisions that he makes with his tax-exempt charity and with his for-profit businesses. The conflict-of-interest is stunning.
Monaghan Buys Monaghan
Sun, Dec16, 2007
Tom Monaghan shamelessly admits to artificially
inflating figures to jump start his
projects. So, it should come as little surprise
that his for-profit south Florida real estate
venture engages in the same tactic. The problem
here, however, is that Monaghan is using a
501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit
charity - Ave Maria University, Inc. -
to bolster and directly benefit the start-up of
his for-profit interests as
Ave
Maria Development LLC.
Consider, for example, the real estate transactions involving Monaghan's Ave Maria Town from just the past two weeks:
+ Mon. Dec. 3 = 0 sold
+ Tue. Dec. 4 = 0 sold
+ Wed. Dec. 5 = 4 sold - 1 to AMU Inc. & 1 to AMU's Jane & Nick Healy
+ Thu. Dec. 6 = 0 sold
+ Fri. Dec. 7 = 3 sold - all 3 to AMU Inc.
+ Mon. Dec. 10 = 6 sold - 4 to AMU Inc.
+ Tue. Dec. 11 = 3 sold; - 2 to AMU Inc.
+ Wed. Dec. 12 = 0 sold
+ Thu. Dec. 13 = 0 sold
+ Fri. Dec. 14 = 0 sold
In summary, of the 16 total units sold over the past two weeks in Monaghan's Ave Maria Town, 10 units - or 62% - were bought by Tom Monaghan himself as Chancellor of Ave Maria University Inc. One of the 16 total units was bought by AMU's lawyer-President.
Consider just the Middlebrooke Townhomes area of Monaghan's development. This is the cheap part of Ave Maria Town where "Sales are limited to buyers meeting certain maximum income qualifications". Ave Maria University Inc. owns 23 total units at an estimated cost of over $12 million (click "More..." below for details). To date, only 2 units in total have been sold to "real" people.
Ignore the fact that billionaire Tom Monaghan likely doesn't meet the "maximum income qualifications" to buy at Middlebrooke and, instead, consider the flow of money. Tom Monaghan plunks his private money into Ave Maria Foundation (AMF) to call his investments a lay ministry and protect his enormous wealth from taxes. He then gives that money back to himself to control as Chancellor/Chairman under another tax-exempt charity, Ave Maria University Inc. What does AMU Inc. do with the many millions of its charity dollars? - It recruits donors to collect even more money and then, among other things, buys non-institutional property from Monaghan's own for-profit Ave Maria Development.
Ave Maria Foundation --> Ave Maria University Inc. --> Ave Maria Development LLC
But, it is worse than that. Middlebrooke receives its utilities from Ave Maria Utilities. Who is part owner in the utility company? - Tom Monaghan! Where can a buyer go for a loan to purchase a Tom Monaghan home? - Tom Monaghan's local Shamrock Bank, of course. [follow the links located on this page for a summary] Tom Monaghan is using tax-exempt money under the auspices of a "university" to directly benefit his for-profit real estate ventures.
But, it is even worse than that. In 2007, Tom Monaghan used coercive control as primary benefactor and Board Chairman of Ave Maria School of Law - a Michigan non-profit - to force the institution to move to Ave Maria Town in Florida... an act that directly and substantially benefits Monaghan's Ave Maria Development LLC.
To fully realize what an egregious abuse this is, consider the following excerpts from the IRS on 501(c)(3) requirements:
IRS - Exemption Requirements
To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual.
Organizations described in section 501(c)(3) are commonly referred to as charitable organizations. Organizations described in section 501(c)(3), other than testing for public safety organizations, are eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions in accordance with Code section 170.
The organization must not be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, and no part of a section 501(c)(3) organization's net earnings may inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. If the organization engages in an excess benefit transaction with a person having substantial influence over the organization, an excise tax may be imposed on the person and any organization managers agreeing to the transaction.
Has Tom Monaghan been paying any excise tax on all this self-directed benefit?
After AMU Inc. pumps millions into Chairman Monaghan's non-institutional properties, it has the audacity to tell prospective donors that they should "pray, fast, and give alms" to this "charity" because it "builds the Church" and is "good for my soul".
Given the apparent drive to self-stimulate Town development, Tom Monaghan's hand in real estate might be the hairiest in south Florida.
More...
Consider, for example, the real estate transactions involving Monaghan's Ave Maria Town from just the past two weeks:
+ Mon. Dec. 3 = 0 sold
+ Tue. Dec. 4 = 0 sold
+ Wed. Dec. 5 = 4 sold - 1 to AMU Inc. & 1 to AMU's Jane & Nick Healy
+ Thu. Dec. 6 = 0 sold
+ Fri. Dec. 7 = 3 sold - all 3 to AMU Inc.
+ Mon. Dec. 10 = 6 sold - 4 to AMU Inc.
+ Tue. Dec. 11 = 3 sold; - 2 to AMU Inc.
+ Wed. Dec. 12 = 0 sold
+ Thu. Dec. 13 = 0 sold
+ Fri. Dec. 14 = 0 sold
In summary, of the 16 total units sold over the past two weeks in Monaghan's Ave Maria Town, 10 units - or 62% - were bought by Tom Monaghan himself as Chancellor of Ave Maria University Inc. One of the 16 total units was bought by AMU's lawyer-President.
Consider just the Middlebrooke Townhomes area of Monaghan's development. This is the cheap part of Ave Maria Town where "Sales are limited to buyers meeting certain maximum income qualifications". Ave Maria University Inc. owns 23 total units at an estimated cost of over $12 million (click "More..." below for details). To date, only 2 units in total have been sold to "real" people.
Ignore the fact that billionaire Tom Monaghan likely doesn't meet the "maximum income qualifications" to buy at Middlebrooke and, instead, consider the flow of money. Tom Monaghan plunks his private money into Ave Maria Foundation (AMF) to call his investments a lay ministry and protect his enormous wealth from taxes. He then gives that money back to himself to control as Chancellor/Chairman under another tax-exempt charity, Ave Maria University Inc. What does AMU Inc. do with the many millions of its charity dollars? - It recruits donors to collect even more money and then, among other things, buys non-institutional property from Monaghan's own for-profit Ave Maria Development.
Ave Maria Foundation --> Ave Maria University Inc. --> Ave Maria Development LLC
But, it is worse than that. Middlebrooke receives its utilities from Ave Maria Utilities. Who is part owner in the utility company? - Tom Monaghan! Where can a buyer go for a loan to purchase a Tom Monaghan home? - Tom Monaghan's local Shamrock Bank, of course. [follow the links located on this page for a summary] Tom Monaghan is using tax-exempt money under the auspices of a "university" to directly benefit his for-profit real estate ventures.
But, it is even worse than that. In 2007, Tom Monaghan used coercive control as primary benefactor and Board Chairman of Ave Maria School of Law - a Michigan non-profit - to force the institution to move to Ave Maria Town in Florida... an act that directly and substantially benefits Monaghan's Ave Maria Development LLC.
To fully realize what an egregious abuse this is, consider the following excerpts from the IRS on 501(c)(3) requirements:
IRS - Exemption Requirements
To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual.
Organizations described in section 501(c)(3) are commonly referred to as charitable organizations. Organizations described in section 501(c)(3), other than testing for public safety organizations, are eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions in accordance with Code section 170.
The organization must not be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, and no part of a section 501(c)(3) organization's net earnings may inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. If the organization engages in an excess benefit transaction with a person having substantial influence over the organization, an excise tax may be imposed on the person and any organization managers agreeing to the transaction.
Has Tom Monaghan been paying any excise tax on all this self-directed benefit?
After AMU Inc. pumps millions into Chairman Monaghan's non-institutional properties, it has the audacity to tell prospective donors that they should "pray, fast, and give alms" to this "charity" because it "builds the Church" and is "good for my soul".
Given the apparent drive to self-stimulate Town development, Tom Monaghan's hand in real estate might be the hairiest in south Florida.
More...
More Oratory Hubris
Thu, Dec13, 2007
A tip-of-the-hat goes to JW Trainer for pointing-out
this gem to AveWatch.
Tom Monaghan's club for rich Catholic businessmen, Legatus, is having a "Winter Summit" at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples. The advertised "Highlights" include:
"Latin Mass, at the new Ave Maria Oratory"
The date stamped on the flier announcing the Summit is "9/27/07".
So, once again, Tom Monaghan pushes the hand of the Bishop of Venice to approve AMU's oratory by announcing a Mass in a yet unapproved structure. This Mass was announced as a "Highlight" to people paying $1,500 each to attend the conference.
Since Pat Boone is the headlining entertainment for the Summit, let's see if Mr. Monaghan invites him to sing at Mass.
Tom Monaghan's club for rich Catholic businessmen, Legatus, is having a "Winter Summit" at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples. The advertised "Highlights" include:
"Latin Mass, at the new Ave Maria Oratory"
The date stamped on the flier announcing the Summit is "9/27/07".
So, once again, Tom Monaghan pushes the hand of the Bishop of Venice to approve AMU's oratory by announcing a Mass in a yet unapproved structure. This Mass was announced as a "Highlight" to people paying $1,500 each to attend the conference.
Since Pat Boone is the headlining entertainment for the Summit, let's see if Mr. Monaghan invites him to sing at Mass.
Why is the AMU Oratory Not Approved?
Thu, Dec13, 2007
AveWatch has received multiple, but unconfirmed,
reports from reliable sources on the Bishop of
Venice's consideration in approving Tom Monaghan's
secular oratory for sacramental use. Readers will
recall that AMU President Healy sat for a local
newspaper interview last month concerning
the oratory's unavailability for Christmas mass.
The interview can easily be seen as an attempt -
whether intended by AMU or not - to push the
Bishop's hand in the matter.
AveWatch was recently told that, in the days leading-up to a private meeting last week between Healy, Monaghan, and Bishop Dewane, AMU's Nick Healy leaked to multiple individuals that he anticipated an announcement of "big news" soon after the meeting. Yet, after visiting the Bishop, Healy declined to offer any information about the results of the meeting that he so enthusiastically leaked earlier.
It is no surprise that Ave Maria was again eager to promote its (counted) chickens before the eggs were even laid. So, why was there no grand announcement about the oratory this week? Could it be that the bishop may have agreed to consecrate the oratory (and thereby allow public celebration of Mass) but still have reserved the right to name a pastor for the campus and Ave Maria Town (that is, if the town ever grows to a size sufficient to justify a parish)? Resistance to such a tradeoff seems plausible given the proclivities of Ave Maria to view priests as its "employees," and for some of these priest-employees, like the Law School's Chaplain Orsi, to see Ave Maria administration as its "bishop."
Since the chaplain of a Catholic university is canonically equivalent to a pastor, it seems quite appropriate that the Bishop be the one to name the university oratory's chaplain, particularly for a so-called "unabashedly Catholic university" like Ave Maria that claims to be "from the heart of the Church". What obedient Catholic could object to recognizing the Magisterial right and privilege of the local bishop to appoint a pastor to a church designated as "Catholic"?
But, what is reasonable and appropriate to the obedient of the Church seems quite difficult for Tom Monaghan when it requires even the smallest loss of control - in this case, it may be authority over the chaplain of the oratory. The current AMU chaplain, Fr. Robert Garrity, is a Monaghan employee from the Diocese of Rockford. The golf-playing Garrity was not appointed by the bishop of the diocese in which he now practices, namely the Diocese of Venice under Bishop Dewane. Under an agreement in which Dewane oversees the oratory's pastor, there would be nothing to stop the Bishop from naming a different chaplain at AMU and more formally exercising his existing canonical right and responsibility to act as shepherd for the Catholics of AMU and Ave Maria Town. Without the bishop's clear line of authority over the chaplain and the oratory, the students of Ave Maria would likely be treated to more of the same "lay ministry" misappropriation already observed on campus (see recent and series). As the Diocese of Venice acquaints itself with the likes of Ave Maria School of Law's Chaplain Orsi, including his unchecked controversial behavior and outspoken stance on issues like immigration, rape, and discrimination, Bishop Dewane would be wise to not let Monaghan's problematic ministry become the face of south Florida Catholicism.
If AW's speculation proves true - and the crux of the issue with opening the oratory is Tom Monaghan's concession of who has final authority over the chaplaincy - then this week's media silence would be a loud commentary on the inability of Tom Monaghan and Nick Healy to do for themselves what they're so good at telling everyone else to do - be faithful and obedient to the Church's Magisterium. They persist in referring to Ave Maria University as a "Catholic university" even though the Bishop of Venice has made it perfectly clear, and public, that Ave Maria has not earned diocesan approval to call itself "Catholic". It could be said that Healy and Monaghan can kneel for the Bishop of Rome to whom they are not directly accountable but, paradoxically, cannot kneel for Rome's appointed local shepherd, the Bishop of Venice, to whom they are directly accountable.
Tom Monaghan and Nick Healy seem to enjoy the misplaced assumption of authority that goes with their Protestantized sense of "lay ministry" and self-importance for church "authenticity".
AveWatch was recently told that, in the days leading-up to a private meeting last week between Healy, Monaghan, and Bishop Dewane, AMU's Nick Healy leaked to multiple individuals that he anticipated an announcement of "big news" soon after the meeting. Yet, after visiting the Bishop, Healy declined to offer any information about the results of the meeting that he so enthusiastically leaked earlier.
It is no surprise that Ave Maria was again eager to promote its (counted) chickens before the eggs were even laid. So, why was there no grand announcement about the oratory this week? Could it be that the bishop may have agreed to consecrate the oratory (and thereby allow public celebration of Mass) but still have reserved the right to name a pastor for the campus and Ave Maria Town (that is, if the town ever grows to a size sufficient to justify a parish)? Resistance to such a tradeoff seems plausible given the proclivities of Ave Maria to view priests as its "employees," and for some of these priest-employees, like the Law School's Chaplain Orsi, to see Ave Maria administration as its "bishop."
Since the chaplain of a Catholic university is canonically equivalent to a pastor, it seems quite appropriate that the Bishop be the one to name the university oratory's chaplain, particularly for a so-called "unabashedly Catholic university" like Ave Maria that claims to be "from the heart of the Church". What obedient Catholic could object to recognizing the Magisterial right and privilege of the local bishop to appoint a pastor to a church designated as "Catholic"?
But, what is reasonable and appropriate to the obedient of the Church seems quite difficult for Tom Monaghan when it requires even the smallest loss of control - in this case, it may be authority over the chaplain of the oratory. The current AMU chaplain, Fr. Robert Garrity, is a Monaghan employee from the Diocese of Rockford. The golf-playing Garrity was not appointed by the bishop of the diocese in which he now practices, namely the Diocese of Venice under Bishop Dewane. Under an agreement in which Dewane oversees the oratory's pastor, there would be nothing to stop the Bishop from naming a different chaplain at AMU and more formally exercising his existing canonical right and responsibility to act as shepherd for the Catholics of AMU and Ave Maria Town. Without the bishop's clear line of authority over the chaplain and the oratory, the students of Ave Maria would likely be treated to more of the same "lay ministry" misappropriation already observed on campus (see recent and series). As the Diocese of Venice acquaints itself with the likes of Ave Maria School of Law's Chaplain Orsi, including his unchecked controversial behavior and outspoken stance on issues like immigration, rape, and discrimination, Bishop Dewane would be wise to not let Monaghan's problematic ministry become the face of south Florida Catholicism.
If AW's speculation proves true - and the crux of the issue with opening the oratory is Tom Monaghan's concession of who has final authority over the chaplaincy - then this week's media silence would be a loud commentary on the inability of Tom Monaghan and Nick Healy to do for themselves what they're so good at telling everyone else to do - be faithful and obedient to the Church's Magisterium. They persist in referring to Ave Maria University as a "Catholic university" even though the Bishop of Venice has made it perfectly clear, and public, that Ave Maria has not earned diocesan approval to call itself "Catholic". It could be said that Healy and Monaghan can kneel for the Bishop of Rome to whom they are not directly accountable but, paradoxically, cannot kneel for Rome's appointed local shepherd, the Bishop of Venice, to whom they are directly accountable.
Tom Monaghan and Nick Healy seem to enjoy the misplaced assumption of authority that goes with their Protestantized sense of "lay ministry" and self-importance for church "authenticity".
Project Director Takes New Post
Mon, Dec10, 2007
South Florida's News-Press.com is reporting today that Don
Schrotenboer, the director of project
development for Tom Monaghan's real estate
development Ave Maria Town, has been named vice
president of a local real estate consulting
group. Schrotenboer had been with Monaghan for
the past six years as project manager for Ave
Maria University. Many attributed the
development's rapid construction progress to
Schroetenboer's leadership. IRS-990 returns for
the non-profit Ave Maria University, Inc. show
Schrotenboer's salary at $275,000 (2003).
Sales, and Partnerships, Disappoint
Mon, Dec03, 2007
Tom Monaghan runs in two circles - conservative
Catholics and wealthy businessmen. To date, the
questions and concerns have come from the former, not
the later. But, based on this month's issue of
Conde Nast, the later is also
starting to wonder. The article opens:
"The soil of southwest Florida is loose and sandy, and it absorbs rich men's fortunes as readily as the summer rains."
The article said that there have been "just 73 completed home sales - a fraction of the 600 he [Monaghan] expected by the end of the year". But it may be worse than just 73. How many of those sales were made by Monaghan himself via his Ave Maria University?
There are signs that Monaghan's relationship with his business partners (Barron Collier Co. and Pulte) is beginning to strain. According to the article:
"I wonder sometimes whether they don't treat this as if it's the same as every other development they do," Monaghan says of his secular partners. "I think if they put a lot of money into marketing to the general population, they might be wasting a lot of it."
AMU's high-profile theologian Fr. Fessio dogpiles on BCC-Pulte:
"Since last winter, television commercials and billboards around Naples have been advertising the development with the slogan "Every family, every lifestyle, every dream." "They're trying to disguise it," says the Reverend Joseph Fessio, a priest and confidant of Pope Benedict XVI's who is Ave Maria University's theologian-in-residence. "Every lifestyle? That's kind of a code word."
For Ave Maria School of Law - still slated to move from its established home in Michigan to Monaghan's south Florida real estate development - those "disappointing" home sales vividly question the wisdom of chaining a school's financial stability and success to a startup business venture in a cyclical market.
"The soil of southwest Florida is loose and sandy, and it absorbs rich men's fortunes as readily as the summer rains."
The article said that there have been "just 73 completed home sales - a fraction of the 600 he [Monaghan] expected by the end of the year". But it may be worse than just 73. How many of those sales were made by Monaghan himself via his Ave Maria University?
There are signs that Monaghan's relationship with his business partners (Barron Collier Co. and Pulte) is beginning to strain. According to the article:
"I wonder sometimes whether they don't treat this as if it's the same as every other development they do," Monaghan says of his secular partners. "I think if they put a lot of money into marketing to the general population, they might be wasting a lot of it."
AMU's high-profile theologian Fr. Fessio dogpiles on BCC-Pulte:
"Since last winter, television commercials and billboards around Naples have been advertising the development with the slogan "Every family, every lifestyle, every dream." "They're trying to disguise it," says the Reverend Joseph Fessio, a priest and confidant of Pope Benedict XVI's who is Ave Maria University's theologian-in-residence. "Every lifestyle? That's kind of a code word."
For Ave Maria School of Law - still slated to move from its established home in Michigan to Monaghan's south Florida real estate development - those "disappointing" home sales vividly question the wisdom of chaining a school's financial stability and success to a startup business venture in a cyclical market.
Town Loses Medical Facility Operator
Thu, Aug16, 2007
NCH Healthcare Systems has pulled out of its Ave Maria Town
involvement over "restrictions on practices at
the clinic".
Nick Healy, AMU President, is quoted as saying: "We’ve made it clear from the beginning with any medical provider that would come into the town center that we wouldn’t want them to provide anything immoral to our students". On the topic of finding another provider in the Town who will refuse certain types of medical services to AMU students, Blake Gable of Barror Collier Co. is quoted as saying "If there's an agreement between the university and EPN [another potential provider], that's between them. It has nothing to do with us."
But it has everything "to do with us". Gable's "us" also includes Tom Monaghan, the 50/50 partner in "Ave Maria Development" with the Colliers. Monaghan is AMU Board Chairman and AMU Chancellor, but he is also Collier's partner. Such are the entanglements of business partnerships laden with conflict of interest.
The Florida ACLU is looking into it. This returns to the issue of whether holding an AMU student ID card should trigger denial of anything in the Town, even if it is deemed "immoral" by AMU or the Church. Charles Rice, AMSL's "Gubernator Ejectus", saw this conflict coming. It also raises the larger issue of the University's control over students within the Town, and how incoming Ave Maria School of Law students will react to having their behavior in the Town regulated.
Naples News - full text
Nick Healy, AMU President, is quoted as saying: "We’ve made it clear from the beginning with any medical provider that would come into the town center that we wouldn’t want them to provide anything immoral to our students". On the topic of finding another provider in the Town who will refuse certain types of medical services to AMU students, Blake Gable of Barror Collier Co. is quoted as saying "If there's an agreement between the university and EPN [another potential provider], that's between them. It has nothing to do with us."
But it has everything "to do with us". Gable's "us" also includes Tom Monaghan, the 50/50 partner in "Ave Maria Development" with the Colliers. Monaghan is AMU Board Chairman and AMU Chancellor, but he is also Collier's partner. Such are the entanglements of business partnerships laden with conflict of interest.
The Florida ACLU is looking into it. This returns to the issue of whether holding an AMU student ID card should trigger denial of anything in the Town, even if it is deemed "immoral" by AMU or the Church. Charles Rice, AMSL's "Gubernator Ejectus", saw this conflict coming. It also raises the larger issue of the University's control over students within the Town, and how incoming Ave Maria School of Law students will react to having their behavior in the Town regulated.
Naples News - full text
Ave Maria "Good" For Immokalee?
Mon, Aug06, 2007
Latino USA, and NPR reporter Nik Steinberg, are not
sure.
"For decades, Immokalee, Florida, has been a home away from home for thousands of migrant workers, who come to labor in the area's tomato and citrus farms. But the development of a high profile new Catholic town down the road called Ave Maria may change the face of the region. Will the construction of one town mean the transformation of another? Nik Steinberg reports from southwestern Florida."
The co-founder of the Coalition for Immokalee Workers says:
"They call it, 'changing the face of Immokalee'. When they say 'change the face of Immokalee', they're not talking about remodeling the community or creating more jobs. They're talking about getting rid of the workers who have lived in Immokalee for decades and moving them out."
Latino USA is produced by the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas, Austin.
NPR report - MP3
"For decades, Immokalee, Florida, has been a home away from home for thousands of migrant workers, who come to labor in the area's tomato and citrus farms. But the development of a high profile new Catholic town down the road called Ave Maria may change the face of the region. Will the construction of one town mean the transformation of another? Nik Steinberg reports from southwestern Florida."
The co-founder of the Coalition for Immokalee Workers says:
"They call it, 'changing the face of Immokalee'. When they say 'change the face of Immokalee', they're not talking about remodeling the community or creating more jobs. They're talking about getting rid of the workers who have lived in Immokalee for decades and moving them out."
Latino USA is produced by the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas, Austin.
NPR report - MP3
Monaghan's Bank Opens
Mon, Aug06, 2007
AveWatch was the first
to report back
in May that Tom Monaghan's Florida bank project
changed its application name to "Shamrock Bank
of Florida". Today, Naples Daily News reports on
that change, and the opening of a physical
location for the bank in Naples.
The article mentions: "The new bank’s chairman is CPA Paul R. Roney, the only director who does not live in Naples." Naples Daily News failed to state why he isn't in Naples. Chairman Roney lives in Michigan where he works as CFO of Tom Monaghan's Ave Maria Foundation. NDN also failed to state that Roney is the CFO for Ave Maria University, Ave Maria School of Law, and is Tom Monaghan's business partner in Nua Baile, the company that partnered with Barron Collier Company to make "Ave Maria Development" (AMD) - the developer of Ave Maria Town and a number of businesses orbiting the Town's creation, including Ave Maria Utilities.
In addition to Roney, Tom Monaghan and Timothy Kaiser are also on Shamrock's Board. All three happen to serve together on the board of another for-profit venture, "Ave Maria Financial Corporation".
Is this the vision?: A faculty member receives his paycheck from Tom Monaghan as AMU Board Trustee and Paul Roney as AMU CFO. The professor, an at-will employee, got his paycheck because he followed policies approved by Tom Monaghan (Trustee) and also implemented by Tom Monaghan, who also serves as AMU Chancellor. The professor goes home to his house purchased from Pulte / Ave Maria Development, of which Tom Monaghan is a part owner in AMD. Part of the sale of his house went to benefit AMU via the agreement that exists between AMD and AMU. The professor turns-on the light at his desk, powered by Ave Maria Utilities, of which Tom Monaghan is a part owner through AMD's management of Ave Maria Utilities. He signs his mortgage payment to Shamrock Bank, managed by Paul Roney (bank chairman) and Tom Monaghan (bank trustee). He then writes the check for his children to attend Ave Maria Grammar and Prep School, run by Ave Maria Foundation/College employee Dan Guernsey, and whose Board includes AMU's Fr. Fessio. He also writes a donation to the place where he attends daily mass, Ave Maria Oratory, a place of worship that is "located in the boundaries of the Diocese of Venice, and is not related to the Diocese of Venice" (according to the Bishop, NDN, 3/22/07).
Conflict of interest: a situation when a professional in a position of trust has competing personal or professional interests; when duty to one interest influences decisions in another interest; a conflict of interest exists even if no unethical or improper act results from it.
Naples Daily News: full text
AveWatch: background on Shamrock Bank
The article mentions: "The new bank’s chairman is CPA Paul R. Roney, the only director who does not live in Naples." Naples Daily News failed to state why he isn't in Naples. Chairman Roney lives in Michigan where he works as CFO of Tom Monaghan's Ave Maria Foundation. NDN also failed to state that Roney is the CFO for Ave Maria University, Ave Maria School of Law, and is Tom Monaghan's business partner in Nua Baile, the company that partnered with Barron Collier Company to make "Ave Maria Development" (AMD) - the developer of Ave Maria Town and a number of businesses orbiting the Town's creation, including Ave Maria Utilities.
In addition to Roney, Tom Monaghan and Timothy Kaiser are also on Shamrock's Board. All three happen to serve together on the board of another for-profit venture, "Ave Maria Financial Corporation".
Is this the vision?: A faculty member receives his paycheck from Tom Monaghan as AMU Board Trustee and Paul Roney as AMU CFO. The professor, an at-will employee, got his paycheck because he followed policies approved by Tom Monaghan (Trustee) and also implemented by Tom Monaghan, who also serves as AMU Chancellor. The professor goes home to his house purchased from Pulte / Ave Maria Development, of which Tom Monaghan is a part owner in AMD. Part of the sale of his house went to benefit AMU via the agreement that exists between AMD and AMU. The professor turns-on the light at his desk, powered by Ave Maria Utilities, of which Tom Monaghan is a part owner through AMD's management of Ave Maria Utilities. He signs his mortgage payment to Shamrock Bank, managed by Paul Roney (bank chairman) and Tom Monaghan (bank trustee). He then writes the check for his children to attend Ave Maria Grammar and Prep School, run by Ave Maria Foundation/College employee Dan Guernsey, and whose Board includes AMU's Fr. Fessio. He also writes a donation to the place where he attends daily mass, Ave Maria Oratory, a place of worship that is "located in the boundaries of the Diocese of Venice, and is not related to the Diocese of Venice" (according to the Bishop, NDN, 3/22/07).
Conflict of interest: a situation when a professional in a position of trust has competing personal or professional interests; when duty to one interest influences decisions in another interest; a conflict of interest exists even if no unethical or improper act results from it.
Naples Daily News: full text
AveWatch: background on Shamrock Bank
Monaghan-Collier Want Fee Deferral
Thu, Aug02, 2007
Tom Monaghan and his south Florida real estate
partner
(Barron Collier Co.) are coming under fire for
arguing that county impact fees should be
deferred from Ave Maria Town's "Middlebrooke"
development, the "affordable housing" area of
town. An attorney for Collier county insists
that the County Board of Commissioners "never
intended that Ave Maria would be entitled to
participate in the impact fee deferral program".
Why? - because Ave Maria Town's development
agreement already negotiated the
requirement that Monaghan and Collier
provide affordable housing, and because the
purpose of the impact fee deferral program is to
"incentivize the private sector to build
affordable housing" apart from negotiations and
agreements with individual developers.
Interestingly, Ave Maria University already bought 30 of the "affordable housing" residencies.More...
Interestingly, Ave Maria University already bought 30 of the "affordable housing" residencies.More...
Over 70% Say "No" to Tom's Town
Sun, Jul29, 2007
"Would you move to Ave Maria?"
That was the question asked by the Naples Daily News to its readers. Here are the results published today, one week after Ave Maria Town's grand opening, with 3,232 votes cast:
No - 72% (2,355 votes)
Yes - 22% (717 votes)
Undecided - 4% (160 votes)
That was the question asked by the Naples Daily News to its readers. Here are the results published today, one week after Ave Maria Town's grand opening, with 3,232 votes cast:
No - 72% (2,355 votes)
Yes - 22% (717 votes)
Undecided - 4% (160 votes)
Ave Maria Town - A Review
Wed, Jul25, 2007
For all of the boring coverage and overused hype that
revolved around the opening of Ave Maria Town last
week, this review, by an on-the-ground
self-described traditionalist/orthodox Catholic,
gets the award for "Most Colorful". Be sure to
watch the video.
Monaghan's Soft Porn Mag. Interview
Tue, Jun26, 2007
Why would Tom Monaghan grant an interview to a
magazine that he'd likely not allow a Ave Maria
student or employee to have exposed on a desk or
coffee table? For all his talk of the evils of the
world, does he not see that his interview with a
sexed-up magazine could be an occassion of sin for
prospective acne-riddled faces who are reading-up on
Ave Maria?
The July 2007 issue of GQ is consistent with the magazine's long-standing well-known tradition of covering men's fashion, sexual interests, and politics. In addition to this piece on Monaghan, the print issue features:
+ Cover Story - all about sex kitten Jessica Biel, described in the GQ article as "the one person that a friend’s wife would give him a free pass to sleep with"
+ "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Suck-Ups"
+ "Lil Wayne - American's Greatest Rapper?"
The online edition includes:
+ "an intimate look at the lovely 22-year-old Mary Elizabeth Winstead"
(Photo by Paul Jasmin)
+ the 'art' of Mati Klarwein (Photo)
+ the reasons why "Benny Hill: The Naughty Early Years" is a "must have DVD pick"
+ 10 million inescapable ads for the free GQ Jessica Alba poster (Photo)
+ the Women of GQ (click "More" below)
It may be true that William F. Buckley Jr. did a Playboy interview; but he never asked people to "fast and give alms" to National Review as a means to "build the Church".
UPDATE, 6/27 - In the interest of family-friendly good manners, AveWatch has decided to replace some of the embedded photos with links. If you're unconvinced that GQ fits the label "soft porn", have at it.More...
The July 2007 issue of GQ is consistent with the magazine's long-standing well-known tradition of covering men's fashion, sexual interests, and politics. In addition to this piece on Monaghan, the print issue features:
+ Cover Story - all about sex kitten Jessica Biel, described in the GQ article as "the one person that a friend’s wife would give him a free pass to sleep with"
+ "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Suck-Ups"
+ "Lil Wayne - American's Greatest Rapper?"
The online edition includes:
+ "an intimate look at the lovely 22-year-old Mary Elizabeth Winstead"
(Photo by Paul Jasmin)
+ the 'art' of Mati Klarwein (Photo)
+ the reasons why "Benny Hill: The Naughty Early Years" is a "must have DVD pick"
+ 10 million inescapable ads for the free GQ Jessica Alba poster (Photo)
+ the Women of GQ (click "More" below)
It may be true that William F. Buckley Jr. did a Playboy interview; but he never asked people to "fast and give alms" to National Review as a means to "build the Church".
UPDATE, 6/27 - In the interest of family-friendly good manners, AveWatch has decided to replace some of the embedded photos with links. If you're unconvinced that GQ fits the label "soft porn", have at it.More...
South Park + TM = Ave Maria Town
Tue, Jun12, 2007
AveWatch will toss this softball over to The Real Transition Team for
development of its full story potential.
For this website, enough chuckles can be had by simply showing how Naples News continues its hard-hitting unbiased coverage of Tom Monaghan's South Florida real estate development. Naples News has yet to report on Monaghan's extensive for-profit businesses, personally-owned land, and bank tied directly to the development of Ave Maria Town and his non-profit Ave Maria University. Yet, an article now saved into their news archive (unlike typical infomercials and advertisements), ran yesterday to "report" that the pickle ball courts of the Del Webb gated community's "South Park" will be open to all.
“It’s fresh and innovative,” said Jill Hoffman, vice president of sales and marketing for the Southwest Florida market of Pulte Homes, of the plan for Del Webb at Ave Maria. “Ave Maria is for all people, and the style of this Del Webb truly reflects that.”
It says much about a project when "non-exclusivity" is called "fresh and innovative". We'll see how much court time visitors from Immokalee get. Sarcasm aside, having a company oversee a "public" park is anything but innovative in Monaghan's "company town" concept; such an arrangement allows for restrictions on visitors since the public does not outright own/run the park.
Ammenities. Tom Monaghan clearly has his finger firmly on the pulse of today's faithful engaged Catholics.
Naples "News" - full text
For this website, enough chuckles can be had by simply showing how Naples News continues its hard-hitting unbiased coverage of Tom Monaghan's South Florida real estate development. Naples News has yet to report on Monaghan's extensive for-profit businesses, personally-owned land, and bank tied directly to the development of Ave Maria Town and his non-profit Ave Maria University. Yet, an article now saved into their news archive (unlike typical infomercials and advertisements), ran yesterday to "report" that the pickle ball courts of the Del Webb gated community's "South Park" will be open to all.
“It’s fresh and innovative,” said Jill Hoffman, vice president of sales and marketing for the Southwest Florida market of Pulte Homes, of the plan for Del Webb at Ave Maria. “Ave Maria is for all people, and the style of this Del Webb truly reflects that.”
It says much about a project when "non-exclusivity" is called "fresh and innovative". We'll see how much court time visitors from Immokalee get. Sarcasm aside, having a company oversee a "public" park is anything but innovative in Monaghan's "company town" concept; such an arrangement allows for restrictions on visitors since the public does not outright own/run the park.
Ammenities. Tom Monaghan clearly has his finger firmly on the pulse of today's faithful engaged Catholics.
Naples "News" - full text
"A Great Start"?
Fri, Jun01, 2007
Two days ago, southwest Florida's News-Press ran a
brief story to say that 15 leases have
been signed for La Piazza, the town center of
Ave Maria. Ave Maria Development's project
manager said that it represented "a great start
in providing necessary services to the residents
of Ave Maria as well as the students and staff
of the Unviersity".
But, of the 15, who is directly affiliated with some aspect of Ave Maria's own development?
1) Ave Maria University Visitor's Center - obvious
2) Pulte Homes - the contracted builder of the town's houses
3) Legatus - Tom Monaghan's organization for rich Catholic businessmen
4) Ave Maria Development, LLLP - obvious; see here
5) WilsonMiller - principal planner of Ave Maria Town master model
6) Follett Bookstore - contracted by AMU to run their required campus bookstore
After 5 years of planning, 40% of the leases are directly tied to Ave Maria itself.
But, of the 15, who is directly affiliated with some aspect of Ave Maria's own development?
1) Ave Maria University Visitor's Center - obvious
2) Pulte Homes - the contracted builder of the town's houses
3) Legatus - Tom Monaghan's organization for rich Catholic businessmen
4) Ave Maria Development, LLLP - obvious; see here
5) WilsonMiller - principal planner of Ave Maria Town master model
6) Follett Bookstore - contracted by AMU to run their required campus bookstore
After 5 years of planning, 40% of the leases are directly tied to Ave Maria itself.
Monaghan: No Vision For Town. Really?
Fri, Jun01, 2007
Forbes.com; March 3, 2006:
"There's a lot of misconceptions about this. I don't really have a vision for the town. I have a vision for the university," Monaghan said Friday on U.S. television.
For a man with no vision for Ave Maria Town, Tom Monaghan is engaged in a visionary series of for-profit ventures in business, banking, and personally-owned land that will all benefit from the Town's construction and operation.
"There's a lot of misconceptions about this. I don't really have a vision for the town. I have a vision for the university," Monaghan said Friday on U.S. television.
For a man with no vision for Ave Maria Town, Tom Monaghan is engaged in a visionary series of for-profit ventures in business, banking, and personally-owned land that will all benefit from the Town's construction and operation.
Exposed: Monaghan's Business Playland
Thu, May31, 2007
If a new town was being built from scratch near you, what for-profit business ventures would you like to own/manage? Maybe a bank for "small businesses and individual real estate investors"? [Yesterday, AveWatch reported on the new bank run by Tom Monaghan and Paul Roney.] How about land sales? Utilities? Road & construction materials? Housing? Tom Monaghan & his CFO Paul Roney have all of those covered in south Florida with their for-profit businesses.
Wasn't this supposed to be about starting a Catholic university?More...
Monaghan Gets His Florida Bank
Wed, May30, 2007
Over one year ago, Naples News reported that Tom Monaghan was
interested in creating his own bank in the
Naples area. Since then, the project has
proceeded silently... until now.
Late last week, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation confirmed for AveWatch that a denovo bank application for "Shamrock Bank of Florida" was accepted three weeks ago bearing the names of Tom Monaghan and his CFO for all things Ave Maria, Paul Roney. In short order, the Florida Department of State received and filed a For-Profit Corporation application for Monaghan's bank.
Monaghan, Roney, and another Shamrock bank Board member, Timothy N. Kaiser, serve together on the board of yet another Florida For-Profit, "Ave Maria Financial Corporation", formed in November 2005.
It was reported last year that the bank would be called "Gulf Coast Bank". Missing from the current list of officers for Shamrock is the former director of the Bank of Naples, Robert Carney Jr., who was slated to be Gulf Coast's director; Carney, however, still serves as President of Ave Maria Financial Corporation. It was also reported in 2006 that Paul Roney would be Shamrock bank's chairman; in that report, Naples News neglected to mention that Roney was also the CFO for Monaghan's Ave Maria Foundation, Ave Maria University, Ave Maria College, and Ave Maria School of Law. It is unclear whether Roney is designated as Shamrock's chairman.
The stated target of the bank is "small businesses and individual real estate investors".
It is no wonder that, just yesterday, Senator Charles Grassley, a long-time advocate of increased financial accountability in the non-profit sector, initiated a strong push to increase transparency in how non-profits manage and report endowments, joint ventures, governance, and related organizations.
For additional details on Shamrock Bank, click below.More...
Late last week, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation confirmed for AveWatch that a denovo bank application for "Shamrock Bank of Florida" was accepted three weeks ago bearing the names of Tom Monaghan and his CFO for all things Ave Maria, Paul Roney. In short order, the Florida Department of State received and filed a For-Profit Corporation application for Monaghan's bank.
Monaghan, Roney, and another Shamrock bank Board member, Timothy N. Kaiser, serve together on the board of yet another Florida For-Profit, "Ave Maria Financial Corporation", formed in November 2005.
It was reported last year that the bank would be called "Gulf Coast Bank". Missing from the current list of officers for Shamrock is the former director of the Bank of Naples, Robert Carney Jr., who was slated to be Gulf Coast's director; Carney, however, still serves as President of Ave Maria Financial Corporation. It was also reported in 2006 that Paul Roney would be Shamrock bank's chairman; in that report, Naples News neglected to mention that Roney was also the CFO for Monaghan's Ave Maria Foundation, Ave Maria University, Ave Maria College, and Ave Maria School of Law. It is unclear whether Roney is designated as Shamrock's chairman.
The stated target of the bank is "small businesses and individual real estate investors".
It is no wonder that, just yesterday, Senator Charles Grassley, a long-time advocate of increased financial accountability in the non-profit sector, initiated a strong push to increase transparency in how non-profits manage and report endowments, joint ventures, governance, and related organizations.
For additional details on Shamrock Bank, click below.More...
Sluggish AMU Lowers Town Growth
Tue, May29, 2007
Bradenton Herald - May 24, 2007
Interview with Michael J. Beaumier, VP of West Coast Operations with Suffolk Construction, builder of Ave Maria Town.
Excerpt:
Company officials hosted a gathering of about 200 local business people at a networking event Wednesday afternoon [in Lakewood Ranch].
In 2003, Beaumier moved about 30 of his Suffolk staff to Ave Maria near Naples to begin what he thought was a decade-long building project at the first new Catholic university in 40 years.
But Ave Maria hasn't grown as fast as projected, Beaumier said, noting that the university has about 400 students.
Beaumier, whose firm will have eight buildings at the university ready to open to students for the first time on August 15, didn't panic.
Instead, his company, which has built in Boston, West Palm Beach, Miami, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., adjusted and decided to redirect some of those 30 staffers to the Gulf Coast's growing construction market, including what they hope will be new schools in Sarasota and Manatee, hotels, assisted living centers and condos, Beaumier said.
Interview with Michael J. Beaumier, VP of West Coast Operations with Suffolk Construction, builder of Ave Maria Town.
Excerpt:
Company officials hosted a gathering of about 200 local business people at a networking event Wednesday afternoon [in Lakewood Ranch].
In 2003, Beaumier moved about 30 of his Suffolk staff to Ave Maria near Naples to begin what he thought was a decade-long building project at the first new Catholic university in 40 years.
But Ave Maria hasn't grown as fast as projected, Beaumier said, noting that the university has about 400 students.
Beaumier, whose firm will have eight buildings at the university ready to open to students for the first time on August 15, didn't panic.
Instead, his company, which has built in Boston, West Palm Beach, Miami, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., adjusted and decided to redirect some of those 30 staffers to the Gulf Coast's growing construction market, including what they hope will be new schools in Sarasota and Manatee, hotels, assisted living centers and condos, Beaumier said.
Let's Pad The Numbers
Sun, May20, 2007
AveWatch is happy to be partnering with a Catholic
university as an advertising partner. The university
is looking to generate increased interest in the
university, particularly in the area of real estate
around the univeristy.
We are currently in a two-week trial period of advertising. Depending on results, the contract could be expanded dramatically. The results that need to be seen are primarily identified as hits on the university's website. Please take a few minutes on many occasions this week to go to their website and click around.
Please also let your friends and family know how important this is to AveWatch and encourage them to visit the web-site this week as well, and pass on this message.
Please click below for details on the project and to see how much AW stands to make -
UPDATE, 3/25/07 - Comments to AveWatch show that visitors are not reading the full article. This is a parody of an actual technique employed by Monaghan to artificially bump the number of people that appear interested in his South Florida real estate development, Ave Maria Town. Click below for the scoop:More...
We are currently in a two-week trial period of advertising. Depending on results, the contract could be expanded dramatically. The results that need to be seen are primarily identified as hits on the university's website. Please take a few minutes on many occasions this week to go to their website and click around.
Please also let your friends and family know how important this is to AveWatch and encourage them to visit the web-site this week as well, and pass on this message.
Please click below for details on the project and to see how much AW stands to make -
UPDATE, 3/25/07 - Comments to AveWatch show that visitors are not reading the full article. This is a parody of an actual technique employed by Monaghan to artificially bump the number of people that appear interested in his South Florida real estate development, Ave Maria Town. Click below for the scoop:More...
Questioning Ave Maria Town
Sat, May19, 2007
Pope Pius XI's exhortation for truth-seekers was "Go
to Thomas" (Aquinas). So too, focused insight on
things Ave can be found by going to the memos of
Charles E. Rice, co-founder & former Board member
of Ave Maria School of Law, and Professor Emeritus of
Law at The University of Notre Dame. His memo to AMSL
Dean Dobranski and Tom Monaghan from March 28, 2006
is deserving of a complete read by the public (click
below). In the letter, Rice tackles head-on two very
troublesome issues that are not well understood by
the public:
1) .. the questionable basis of Ave Maria Town's "catholicity", and the representation of such characteristics to the public - excerpt:
However, these and other similar Monaghan-Marinelli statements raise an overall inference that there never was an intention to institute a regime in AMT comparable to what Tom described in his Boston address. Those statements can be reasonably understood to create the impression that anyone who said that the founding intent resembled in any way the content of Tom's Boston statement was uttering a falsehood.
2) .. the terms under which Ave Maria University could be acquired by Barron Collier Companies (BCC) in Monaghan's current 50/50 real estate development deal with them - excerpt from draft of AMU-BCC agreement:
If the University intentionally ceases to be a Catholic university, or intentionally or materially deviates from its stated plan to become a broad-based high quality institution for higher-learning and does not correct these defaults after due warning from Collier, then.. Collier shall have the option to... acquire the University's 50% interest in undeveloped lands at the original cost to the University, and... acquire the University's remaining interest in the Partnership at the then current market value. (edited)
More...
1) .. the questionable basis of Ave Maria Town's "catholicity", and the representation of such characteristics to the public - excerpt:
However, these and other similar Monaghan-Marinelli statements raise an overall inference that there never was an intention to institute a regime in AMT comparable to what Tom described in his Boston address. Those statements can be reasonably understood to create the impression that anyone who said that the founding intent resembled in any way the content of Tom's Boston statement was uttering a falsehood.
2) .. the terms under which Ave Maria University could be acquired by Barron Collier Companies (BCC) in Monaghan's current 50/50 real estate development deal with them - excerpt from draft of AMU-BCC agreement:
If the University intentionally ceases to be a Catholic university, or intentionally or materially deviates from its stated plan to become a broad-based high quality institution for higher-learning and does not correct these defaults after due warning from Collier, then.. Collier shall have the option to... acquire the University's 50% interest in undeveloped lands at the original cost to the University, and... acquire the University's remaining interest in the Partnership at the then current market value. (edited)
More...
Monaghan Owns Town Property
Tue, May08, 2007
Note the highlighted plot in the northwest corner of Ave Maria Town, immediately off of Ave Maria Blvd.More...
The Hypocrisy of Size
Fri, Feb02, 2007
Funded by billionaire Tom Monaghan, AMU writer Joseph
Pearce's new book ("Small is Still Beautiful") is
either a brilliant spoof on conservative Catholic
thought, or ironic to the point of being
hypocritical. The University being built by money
from Domino's global fast food franchise - and
located in a new south Florida super-development
recently named "the nation's largest construction
site" - has put forth a writer to "warn of impending
calamity if rampant consumerism, technological
dynamism, and economic expansionism" continue. Huh?
UPDATE, 2/22 - The response to this post has been stunningly positive and appreciative. Businessman Mark Egger tells AveWatch "I made a contract proposal three years ago to manage the college bookstore at AMU, but instead they selected the world's largest college bookstore contractor [Follett]. I guess a small Catholic family-run business just didn't fit with their plans." Other important points were submitted:
+ [visitor quote] "You can't tell Wal-Mart and Walgreens that they can't sell contraceptives, but a Catholic pharmacist could be found who would operate under Catholic teaching and would not sell contraceptive. But this is not Monaghan's way of doing things. For him, big is beautiful."
+ Several visitors stated that Dominos franchises, under Monaghan's tenure, would hire manager trainees with the verbal promise that they'd eventually become managers. The trainees worked long hours for low wages. Just prior to the end of their trainee period, they were fired.More...
UPDATE, 2/22 - The response to this post has been stunningly positive and appreciative. Businessman Mark Egger tells AveWatch "I made a contract proposal three years ago to manage the college bookstore at AMU, but instead they selected the world's largest college bookstore contractor [Follett]. I guess a small Catholic family-run business just didn't fit with their plans." Other important points were submitted:
+ [visitor quote] "You can't tell Wal-Mart and Walgreens that they can't sell contraceptives, but a Catholic pharmacist could be found who would operate under Catholic teaching and would not sell contraceptive. But this is not Monaghan's way of doing things. For him, big is beautiful."
+ Several visitors stated that Dominos franchises, under Monaghan's tenure, would hire manager trainees with the verbal promise that they'd eventually become managers. The trainees worked long hours for low wages. Just prior to the end of their trainee period, they were fired.More...
"Why am I still hung-up in Ann Arbor?"
Thu, Feb01, 2007
Tom Monaghan at the Marco Island Civic Association
annual meeting, January 30, 2007.
Besides the usual canned lines about wanting to die broke, Monaghan makes the case that he moved the University to Naples despite his own "selfish" reasons to stay in Michigan, and that he was prepared to pay "$120 million in cold cash" for another parcel of land prior to the Barron Collier deal.
"I didn't have to do a marketing study. I've been doing demographics of the whole world as a hobby. I knew where the best place in the country was for a school.."
"Some people have suggested that its [Ave Maria Town] only going to be open for Catholics. That's ridiculous.."
"And we ended-up with an arrangement where we got 900 acres of land for the school. We have there's a total of 10,800 acres, and the other ninety-nine hundred acres we bought 50% of. So, in effect, the university owns 50% of ninety-nine hundred acres."
Updated 2/2/07 (click below)More...
Besides the usual canned lines about wanting to die broke, Monaghan makes the case that he moved the University to Naples despite his own "selfish" reasons to stay in Michigan, and that he was prepared to pay "$120 million in cold cash" for another parcel of land prior to the Barron Collier deal.
"I didn't have to do a marketing study. I've been doing demographics of the whole world as a hobby. I knew where the best place in the country was for a school.."
"Some people have suggested that its [Ave Maria Town] only going to be open for Catholics. That's ridiculous.."
"And we ended-up with an arrangement where we got 900 acres of land for the school. We have there's a total of 10,800 acres, and the other ninety-nine hundred acres we bought 50% of. So, in effect, the university owns 50% of ninety-nine hundred acres."
Updated 2/2/07 (click below)More...