index

AAON, Inc., 79, 80

acquisitions, reverse, 80, 83

Adelphia, 16

Age Old Friends, 30, 158–160

Alda, Alan, 42, 45, 143

American Dairy, 78

antitrust laws, 14, 175

Antonio, Lou, 139

Asbjornson, Norm, 80

automobile industry, 11, 14, 123–124

Azenberg, Manny, 147–148, 150–151, 153–155, 158

Azoff, Irving, 113, 114

Bancroft, Anne, 154–157

Bank of America, 179, 180

banks and banking system, 11, 164–190

and failure of big banks, 171–179

and financial crisis of 2008, 180–184

knowledge of, 179–180, 184–186

management expertise in, 167–171

and size of banks, 15, 178, 180, 186–188

solution to crisis in, 188–190

barge business, 115–122

Beane, Billy, 58–60

Bernanke, Ben, 179

Berra, Yogi, 27, 32

Biloxi Blues, 149–150

Bispell, Bob, 99

Blinder, Alan, 180–181

Bodnar, Mike, 22, 23

Bowles, Samuel, 13

Brighton Beach Memoirs, 149, 151

Broadway Bound, 150

Burstyn, Ellen, 154

Cahn, Sammy, 137

Carlyle Hotel, 133–134

CBS, 141

character, 45

character loans, 168–170

China Sky One, 82–83

Chrysler, 11, 14

Chuck’s Fish, 22–24

Circle K, 111

Citibank, 172, 180

Citigroup, 175–177

Citizens South, 186

Comcast, 141

Comet Corporation, 82, 83

competition, 11, 16, 183

Continental Illinois, 173

convenience stores, 106–111

conventions, 86–101

challenging, 97–101

and redevelopment agencies, 93–97

Cool Hand Luke, 29–30, 139

corruption in business, 16–17

Cousteau, Jacques, 92

creative financing, 68–85

with bankrupt companies, 76–79

with high interest rates, 74–76

in real estate deals, 71–74

with reverse mergers, 79–83

when going public, 82–83

creative process, 4–5, 30, 32–33

creativity, 28–42

catalysts of, 31–34

imagination plus reason in, 40–42

and regulation, 19

in show business, 141–145

stifling, 29

variations of, 32

in vineyard development, 34–40

credit, 165, 182

Cronyn, Hume, 159–160

Crowley, Mike, 59, 60

Cumming, Ian, 63–64

customers

bankers’ knowledge of, 166, 168–169

benefits of serving, 131–133

and hospitality business, 133–136

input from, 123–136

Delta Pacific Transportation Company, 116

derivatives, 181–182

de Tocqueville, Alexis, 24–25, 214

Diamond Head Industries, 79, 80

due diligence, see homework

Duet for One, 153–157

economy, 10–12, 26–27, see also free-market economy

Eglin Air Force Base, 128–130

Einstein and the Polar Bear, 148

elected officials, 24–25

Enron, 16

entrepreneurs, 26–27, 30, 213–214

environmental solutions, 33

“executive dilemma,” 103

EXTEK Microsystems, 100

Extrapolation Techniques, 100

Exxon Mobil, 17, 108

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), 167, 168, 172–175, 187–189

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) financing, 129

financial crisis of 2008, 180–184

financial system, 10–11, 164–165

Ford Foundation, 19

Ford Motor Company, 11, 14

Four Seasons, 134–136

freedom, 4, 214

free-market economy, 5, 19, 175, 179, 211–214

Friedkin, William (Billy), 154, 155, 157

Frost, Robert, 32

gamblers, 41

gasoline prices, 107–109

General Motors, 11, 14, 124

Gerard, Manny, 148

Gertino, Jack, 83, 84

Giannini, Amadeo, 168

Gilroy, Frank, 156, 204–205

Gintis, Herbert, 13

Glass-Steagall Act, 11, 172, 186

Goldman, William, 142

government, 24–25, see also regulation

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, 175, 176

Greater China International Holdings (GCIH), 84

Gulf Opportunity (GO) Zone, 23–24

Hahn, Ernie, 96

Harris, Ira, 25–26

HBO, 158

Hilton hotels, 134–135

Hinckley, George Fox Steadman, 50–51

Hoffer, Eric, 210

Hollinger, Peanut, 64–66, 120

homework, 102–122

and barge business, 115–122

and convenience stores, 106–111

and perceived value, 104–105

value of, 111–115

honesty, 64

hospitality business, 133–136

hotel business, 136

House Calls, 145–146

Hunnicutt, Gayle, 204–205

Huntington Harbour project, 19–21

If I Ran the Circus (Dr. Seuss), 41–42

imagination, 41–42

innovation, 14, 19

insurance industry, 182

integrity, 45, 64

interest, taxes on, 70

interest rates, 74–76

John Zink Company (JZC), 79–81

JP Morgan Chase, 180

Jujamcyn Amusements, 152

Kamen, Stan, 6

Kemp, Jack, 25, 26

Kempinski, Tom, 153

Klane, Bob, 143–144

Kleinfeld Bridal, 191–210

customer relations of, 204–209

homework on, 194

location for, 196–201

reinvigorated brand of, 202–204

Krugman, Paul, 180–181

Lastfogel, Abe, 6

Lazarus Medical, 77–89

Leucadia, 63–64

leverage, 183

lobbyists, 15, 174

Lombardi, Vince, 45, 212

Malone, Wallace, 170–171

Marx, Louis, Jr., 49–53

M*A*S*H, 53–56, 142

McGann, Eileen, 14

McGee, Max, 64

McNall, Bruce, 112–114

mergers, reverse, 79–83

microfilm/microfiche, 98–100

Minor, Phil, 138

money, price of, 168, 175

A Month of Sundays, 158

Morgan, Charles, Jr., 22, 23

Morgan, Charles, Sr., 22

Morgenthau, Robert, 140

Morris, Dick, 14

National Amusements, 109

NBC Universal, 141

Nederlander Organization, 152

News Corporation, 141

Nichols, John, 65, 120

Oakland Athletics, 56–60, 114–115

oil industry, 11, 18–19

One Terrific Guy, 139–140

Overseas National Airways, 50–51

Paradigm Capital, 187–188

partners, 53–67

personal investment of, 60–62

qualities of, 45

and sense of yourself, 66–67

similarity of mindsets in, 56–60

Pasadena, California, 95–96

Patri, Piero, 126–127

Patton, George, 121–122

Paulson, Henry “Hank,” 177–179

people

reading, 43–44

trusting, 49–53

understanding, 44

see also partners

perceived value, 104–105

Peregrine Systems, 16

Phoenix Acquisition Recovery Corporation, 85

playing field, 10–27

and changes in economy, 10–12

and knowledge of “the system,” 22–26

leveling, 26–27

and the problem of size, 12–15

and regulation, 16–21

power, size and, 15

private investment in a public entity (PIPE), 81

public companies, 82–83, see also reverse mergers

Ralston, Dennis, 66–67

Rawn, Stan, 52–53

real estate deals

challenging convention in, 97–98

creative financing in, 71–74

customer input for, 123–136

environmental issues with, 109–111

and interest rates, 74–76

redevelopment agencies, 93–97

Redstone, Sumner, 109

regulation, 16–21

of banks, 165, 167, 168, 171–173, 190

competition vs., 11, 16, 183

cost of, 17–18, 21

of public companies, 83

in real estate deals, 73

and size of companies, 11, 18–19

taking advantage of, 188

retail businesses, 193–194

reverse acquisitions, 80, 83

reverse mergers, 79–83

risk assessment, 97–101

Rogers, Amy, 140, 141

Rosewall, Ken, 66–67

Rosewood, 136

Rothstein, Ronnie, 191–194, 205, 206

Rumsfeld, Donald, 102

Santayana, George, 8, 174

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 17–18

security, 31

Selfridge, Harry Gordon, 136

Semel, Terry, 113

Seuss, Dr., 41–42

sextants, 89–90

Sheetz, 27

shell companies, 77–78, 83

show business, 137–163

business side of, 145–147

creativity in, 141–145

odds of success in, 160–163

producing in, 147–160

Shubert Organization, 152

Side Show, 150–151

Simon, Neil, 149, 151

size, 12–15

companies’ arguments for, 18–19

in show business, 141–142

and “too big to fail” companies, 11, 178, 180

Slaner, Alfred P., 46

Sony, 141

Speigelmyer, Mike, 129

Stanfill, Dennis, 54–55

Steinberg, Joe, 63–64

Sterling, Don, 113, 114

Stiglitz, Joe, 180–181

Strasberg, Lee, 154

swaps, 182

Swiss Army Brands, 52

“the system,” 3–5, 12, 22–26

tax law, 70–71, 116

technology companies, 98–101

Triangle Marine, 120

Trivers, Robert, 212

trust, 49–53, 212

20th Century Fox, 53–54

Tyco, 16

Urshel, Mara, 192, 194, 205, 206

Veterans Administration (VA) financing, 129

Viacom, 141

Vishay Intertechnology, 17–18, 46

viticulture, 35–39

von Sydow, Max, 154

Wag the Dog, 73

Walt Disney Company, 113, 141

Warner Bros., 112–114

Weatherly, Mike, 51–52

Weill, Sandy, 175, 176

Weinberger, John, 37

Weisman, Wally, 161

Wells Fargo, 179, 180

wine business, 35–36, 39–40

Wolff, Lew, 16, 53–58, 95, 96, 112–115, 133–135, 166

WorldCom, 16

Wynn, Steve, 133

Zandman, Felix, 17, 46–50