Ron Fowler
Ron Fowler | |
|---|---|
 Fowler in 2014 | |
| Born | Ronald L. Fowler 1943 or 1944 (age 80–81) St. Cloud, Minnesota, U.S.[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of St. Thomas (BBA, 1966)[2] University of Minnesota (MBA)[3] |
| Occupation(s) | Chairman and CEO of Liquid Investments, Inc. Vice chairman and co-owner of the San Diego Padres |
| Spouse | Alexis Fowler |
| Children | 5 |
Ronald L. Fowler (born 1943/1944)[4] is an American businessman. He is the vice chairman of the ownership group of the San Diego Padres franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB) and CEO of Liquid Investments Inc., a San Diego beer distributorship.
Liquid Investments
Fowler is the chairman and CEO of privately held Liquid Investments Inc., the parent company of former operating entities in California and Colorado. The investment group distributed Miller, Coors, Heineken, and other beer brands; and had annual sales exceeding $220 million.[5][2]
San Diego Padres
Fowler was a member of a minority group that owned 49.32 percent of the Padres. The group, headed by then-Padres chief executive Jeff Moorad, attempted to buy the Padres from controlling owner John Moores for $530 million, but the deal fell through in April 2012. Fowler then replaced Moorad as the general partner of the minority group, and he served on the Padres executive committee.[6][7]
Fowler joined a new group to purchase the Padres that included four heirs to the O’Malley family—who owned the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise for five decades. Kevin and Brian O'Malley are the sons of former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley and grandsons of Walter O'Malley, the owner who moved the Dodgers west from Brooklyn after the 1957 season. Peter and Tom Seidler are the nephews of Peter O’Malley.[7] MLB approved the $800 million sale,[7][8] which completed on August 28, 2012.[9] As much as $200 million of the sale price included the team's 20-percent stake in Fox Sports San Diego, a cable channel that pays the Padres annual fees as part of a $1.2 billion, 20-year agreement.[5] Fowler was named the ownership group's executive chairman and was designated to represent the Padres in all league meetings.[7][10] He became the first locally based control person of the team since founding owner C. Arnholdt Smith.[10] Under the Fowler/Siedler/O'Malley group, the Padres have signed 3 players to contracts that beat the previous franchise record contract, giving 6 years and $83 million to Wil Myers in January 2017, 8 years and $144 million to Eric Hosmer in February 2018, and 10 years and $300 million to Manny Machado in February 2019.[citation needed]
On November 18, 2020, MLB approved Fowler transferring the role of chairman to Peter Seidler, who purchased a stake in the team from Fowler to become the largest stakeholder. Fowler remains with the team as vice chairman.[11]
Other interests
Fowler owned the San Diego Sockers, an indoor soccer team that won 10 championships in 11 years. He also chaired San Diego's first task force that selected a site for what was eventually Petco Park, and he chaired the host committee for Super Bowl XXXVII held in Qualcomm Stadium in 2003.[10]
Philanthropy
Fowler and his wife Alexis have made major contributions to her alma mater, San Diego State University. The school's College of Business Administration was renamed the Fowler College of Business in 2016 in response to the couple's $25 million endowment pledge to the business school. An earlier challenge donation that raised $10 million for the athletics center resulted in its being named the Fowler Athletic Center.[12]
References
- ^ Appleman, Marc (October 15, 1987). "A LOOK AT RON FOWLER". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ a b "Fowler Business Challenge Competition". stthomas.edu. University of St. Thomas. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012.
- ^ "Ron Fowler". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ Canepa, Nick (August 29, 2012). "Canepa: New owners don't tease with false promises". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012.
- ^ a b Grover, Ronald (August 16, 2012). "Beer distributor gets league OK to buy San Diego Padres". Chicago Tribune. Reuters. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012.
- ^ Bloom, Barry M. (April 6, 2012). "Moores to stay Padres' majority owner for now". MLB.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Center, Bill (August 16, 2012). "MLB approves sale of Padres". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012.
- ^ "Baseball approves sale of Padres". The Miami Herald. The Sports Network. August 16, 2012. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012.
- ^ Center, Bill (August 29, 2012). "Padres sale complete". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012.
- ^ a b c Bloom, Barry M. (August 16, 2012). "MLB owners approve sale of Padres". MLB.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012.
- ^ Acee, Kevin (November 18, 2020). "Padres chairman Ron Fowler steps down; Peter Seidler to take over". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ Hirsh, Lou (October 26, 2016). "Fowlers' Name to Adorn SDSU Business School After $25M Gift". San Diego Business Journal. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
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