Talk:Republic Tobacco

When I was a kid I first began hearing about Don Levin through family members in Chicago. They made him out to be larger then life, a man who built success out of nothing. When I began my career in RYO Tobacco, I sought out any way I could to emulate Don. I picked up his breadcrumbs - when he would discontinue an item I would use my savings to buy all of it and then sell it off slowly to make extra profit. I followed what he did in his career and trademarks and have always tried to learn whatever I could from him. He did an amazing move in 1998 where he learned that Imperial Tobacco was discontinuing a particular brand. He then swooped in and through some amazing legal maneuvers was able to cancel their trademark and obtain his own mark for that same name - all without paying Imperial any money! It was a bold, ingenius move that made him many millions of dollars.

He has grown his company into a huge worldwide empire. To this day I try to follow in his footsteps in the hopes that some day I will acheive even 25% of the success that he has. He is an amazing man, similar to Bill Gates, and certainly the biggest success story to come out of the tobacco market in decades!

We used to be a large distributor of his products. This was fun because every year he would invite us on a trip to some exotic locale - all expenses paid - for 2 weeks of vacation (picture Warren Buffet inviting you on a 2 week all expense paid trip; the best part would just be being around Warren right?) Unfortunately, as I mentioned above I try to follow in his footsteps - which sadly has caused him to think of me as a competitor, and thus he no longer invites me or my company on the trips :(

--Joshmann 22:21, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

(article from the Chicago Tribune)

Wolves owner wants chance to buy Cubs

Published November 12, 2006

If the Cubs are for sale, Don Levin wants to buy them.

Amid rampant speculation that Tribune Co. will sell all or some of its holdings, Levin, a wealthy businessman and lifelong Chicagoan, is eager to make a bid on the baseball team he has been rooting for his entire life.

"I would never do this for the money," said Levin, who owns Chicago's popular minor-league hockey franchise, the Wolves. "I'd do it to be the guy who after 98 years could help make a winner of the Cubs."

Levin, 59, said Friday that he planned to call Cubs President John McDonough as a first step in expressing his interest and in ascertaining what Tribune's plans are for the team and for the company.

"Will they sell it in pieces?" he asked. "Because if they break it up and sell the Cubs separately, I hope they will talk to me. I'll pay a fair price.

"I'm not a television guy. I'm not a newspaper guy. That part of Tribune Co. is not what I'm looking for. But if they want a sports guy and someone who cares deeply about what happens to the Cubs, that's me."

An offer for Tribune Co. in its entirety—its newspapers (including this one), radio and TV stations and its other properties including Wrigley Field and the Cubs—reportedly has been made by Los Angeles billionaire businessmen Eli Broad and Ron Burkle.

Music and film producer David Geffen also has been frequently mentioned as a possible bidder for the Los Angeles Times, another Tribune asset.

What is not commonly known is if Tribune would be willing to part with the Cubs by themselves. This nevertheless has resulted in unfounded, often ludicrous speculation with regard to potential buyers for the team.

For example, the only evident reason for individuals such as Donald Trump and NBA Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban being mentioned among parties interested in the Cubs is because they said yes when a journalist asked them if they would like to own the Cubs.

Levin fully intends to pursue his interest in the team.

"If they want to sell it, I want to buy it," he said Friday over lunch at Harry Caray's Restaurant. "If I can keep the team as it is, I will. If I can keep it on [WGN], I will. The only thing I want to change about the Cubs is their record."

Estimates have placed the value of the Cubs from $500 million to as high as $650 million. Levin is unfazed.

"I could do it on my own," he said. "If they would be willing to sell it to me, I could close it in 90 days."

Levin, who lives in Highland Park, is a self-made man who amassed a fortune in a wide variety of businesses. He owns a Glenview-based holding company called DRL Enterprises that trades worldwide in brands of loose tobacco and rolling papers including Drum and Top, with factories in Europe and Canada.

Sales volume in that industry skyrocketed over the last 20 years, according to Levin, as the price of cigarettes by the pack rose dramatically.

DRL is more than that. The firm leases medical equipment as well as machinery and even helicopters utilized in offshore oil drilling.

Levin also has produced low-budget Hollywood films featuring actors such as Emilio Estevez and Sharon Stone.

And since 1994 he has owned the Wolves, who offer a more affordable pro sports alternative for families. The team is named for Levin's mother, whose maiden name was Wolf.

"My first sports love is hockey," Levin said. "I've done well with the Wolves. My goal was to re-create the family experience for people who felt they weren't getting that at Blackhawks games anymore.

"As a kid, what I did was go to Cubs games. My dad would be there at Wrigley every day. He was born in 1914, the same year Harry Caray was and the same year the ballpark was. He passed away in 1994 without ever seeing them win a World Series, which is something I want to see in my lifetime."

Levin is concerned what other buyers of Tribune Co. might do with the Cubs, on or off the field.

"What would they want with the team?" he asked. "Just to make money? Would the Trib need to do what the Pittsburgh Penguins and other teams did and say we won't sell you the team unless you guarantee that it stays in Chicago, or that it stays at Wrigley Field?

"It should be somebody from Chicago who owns the Cubs."

Levin said he would endeavor to find out as soon as possible if Tribune is prepared to entertain a serious bid for the team, or only one that encompasses the sum of the company's many parts.

"At the end of the day, I suspect that it will come down to a cold-blooded business decision," he said. "But it would be a shame if this team was sold to somebody who didn't really care about the Cubs."

mikedowney@tribune.com