Got this in an email today.
To whom it may concern:
Recently I have been contacted by two reporters that were writing articles about the Dayton Gems owners previous business failure, namely, Buddy's Pizza Buffet of Fort Wayne.
In their questioning of me, and pursuant to their impending article releases, they wanted to know if the Dayton Gems hockey team was in financial trouble due to our previous pizza chain closing. The answer is no. As I explained to them, one business has nothing to do with another. The Buddy's Pizza Buffet chain was incorporated in the state of Indiana, did business accordingly, and ultimately failed. The reasons for the failure are many, the economy, the rise of food cost, inability to oversee daily operations with other ventures, and the list could go on and on. The ultimate ending was the closing of the stores. It is hard for anyone to admit defeat, or accept what might be construed as a failure, but as adults, and businessman, we have to deal with what we're dealt, and what we can and cannot do. After several financial loses, keeping the stores open was foolish.
We have learned from our experiences with Buddy's, as businessman, as entrepreneurs, and restauranteurs. I think life gives us all certain experiences to help us grow and learn from, and Buddy's was one of those life experiences for us. We are now in the process of finalizing all the of Buddy's debt and preparing for bankruptcy procedures in accordance with the law. This procedure will not affect our hockey team. I am writing this letter so my friends, our fans, and the community of which we are a part of, will not worry.
The Dayton Gems are here to stay; come rain or shine, prosperity or hardship, playoff after playoff, turner cup after turner cup. We are proud to be a part of this community.
Thanks for your continued support of professional hockey in Dayton, and the Gems.
Best regards,
Richard Bruner Ryan Yerrick
President/General Manager Vice-President
Comments
You reap what you sow.
These guys say they had success in Hollywood. Then why to move to Fort Wayne and open a few Pizza dives? Why not go back to Hollywood and continue with the success they left behind? The sad part is they act and talk like it is no big deal. It is a big deal because they screwed the landlords and led everyone to believe that they were pizza moguls flush with case. They announce they are opening a few Mexican restaurants in Dayton after leaving the financial mess in FW. They sound like wannabees to me. They wanna be bigtime and they wanna be famous. Good luck Gems fans and good luck IHL. With numerous ownership groups in finanacial messes this league looks very "bush league". What kind of background and financial information does the league do to ensure strong financial backing? Maybe that doesnt matter. They are just grasping at straws to keep the league going.
Every successful business person has had thier fair share of failures and these guys are no different... I know some good business people who have either had to close thier doors or are hanging on by the skin of thier teeth to survive in this tough economic climate... So to lambaste these guys for the pizza businesses going under is really not fare, IMO. Businesses go under all the time and leave venders unpaid, this is no different...thats why you incorporate when you have multiple business ventures, they all wont make it.... All this is doing is giving all those grumpy armchair qb's/coaches/gm's something to whine about.
All business is a risk. This applies no matter if you are a restaurant or a business renting space or selling supplies to that restaurant. It applies if you are buying a minor league team or a major league team.
Some businesses fail. Sometimes it's a lemonade stand on the street corner and sometimes it's the world's largest auto manufacturer. Sometimes it's even a pizza store or two.
All sports teams are businesses, all are risky businesses, and some fail. Especially in the minors. All minor leagues have teams coming and going, have teams doing good and teams hanging on by a thread. It has always been this way.
IMO, anyone who doesn't understand the above has little knowledge of the history of professional sports or an understanding of business.
I get tired of the cut downs of the IHL's financial footing. It has been better and it has been worse in the past as with all minor sport leagues.
If I'm sent to the box for this rant I will go but I won't feel shame. :-)
So Boots Del Biaggio has come to the IHL?
It is too early to make judgments. One would have hoped that before they opened their pizza/coney restaurants they would have studied the market. Maybe they did. They were a Komet or Memorial Coliseum sponser. Were they caught up on their bills/payments? Legally they can walk away from their debt. Morally I would hope that they feel some kind of responsibility and pay their debts a little at a time until the obligation is fulfilled. If the Dayton Gems are successful, ( which I hope they will be), I hope they do the right thing. If the release that Blake presented us with is literally what they sent, then I am dissappointed that they stated "turner cup" twice without knowing enough to capitalize it. Maybe that is not important to some, but the little things coiunt.
Time has come to pay your rent, pay your bills, pay your share.Time has come./ 62 days/ I would like 1 dollar beer nights
so if your business fails you can bolt to the next state and file for bankruptcy and not be liable to pay off your own bills? interesting! i think ill close up my shop, file bunkruptcy and move to antwerp.
if your business fails you can file for bankruptcy and open something else right away in your own state. it it was it is. if you dont understand business then stop getting on here and spreading doom and gloom. the pizza places failed and the owners are moving on to their next venture. sure theyvve got money but thats why you incorporate so if the business fails you dont lose your own money. happens all the time. its not the same as a personal bankruptcy so all of you anti ihl people just need to give it a rest. it doesnt matter a bit to the komets success or our enjoyment of hockey one bit if the owners in dayton failed in their previous business, we just need to hope they make dayton a viable venture, nothing more and nothing less.
I didn't know there were so many business lawyers on this blog! Well, if I decide to invest locally, I know where to bounce ideas around.
Hey Buddy!!!
sorry chuckit, no doom and gloom here! the I is strong!
I sure am glad I was out of town for the week-end. That way I couldn't put my foot in my mouth. I have enough minutes in the box already. It is what it is. Let's get the season going. Why not leave Dayton in Dayton, Flint in Flint. We have the Komets and when it is all said and done is there any thing else that matters more to Komets fans?
Well said, Dschebig. I do worry a little about other teams, but at the same time take comfort knowing we are solid. The only problem is, you have to have people to play at some point and I want the teams in the league to be strong also. Hope it all works out for everyone.
the i is totally strong and getting stronger. as the economy gets better and we get a couple more franchises, then we will see the ihl blueprint comming to fruition!!! go komets!!!!
chuckitt--The "blueprint" will someday be adopted by all of minor league hockey. I truly have faith it that statement. It is really a very sound idea. Everyone just has to have a little patients and give it time. The Franke's have put up with a lot of whiners and verbal bad mouthing they do not deserve. The idea has been around every since they left the old IHL. Komets fans have been the biggest benifactors of the plan to date. I believe they will continue to reap those benefits in years to come. The naysayers can say whatever they want. It's not their money and reputations at stake. I for one hope the Franke family just continue to do what they have believed in all along. Why not? It works!
++ Dschebig although I'm not sure there have been a lot of naysayers, just loud ones that don't make up anywhere near a majority of fans in this city or others in the IHL.
Great day for tanning yesterday, anyone know where oil is on sale? Need a few gallons.
Burgee--You can buy oil real cheap in Irag. I am not trying to get rid of you or anything like that just trying to help to you out. While your there you could get a real good tan. (You ask for it my friend)
Don't need that kind of earl, tanning lotion, rub on, not spray.