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
