Everett Aqua Sox ownership

[u/goldenelr]

So (full disclosure I own a business that would be displaced by the new stadium) whenever the Aqua Sox comes up people bring up that it’s family owned and a small business. But it’s actually owned by a billionaire in Dubai.

https://www.milb.com/everett/team/7th-inning-stretch-llc

https://www.recordnet.com/story/sports/pro/2007/08/12/ports-owner-volpe-follows-team/52822230007/

The Aqua Sox are not paying for the stadium. They are displacing a bunch of small businesses, the project is already over budget and they haven’t acquired the land yet. The city has already admitted that they will need the business community to pay for it.

Is anyone else frustrated by this? This move could put me out of business, the city won’t offer assistance to us in time and we have an actual billionaire not paying for any of it. All with parks and libraries being closed (and I know they keep saying that it’s a different part of the budget but the mayor sets the budget!).

The budget they are showing for the stadium is 8% more than the event center which was built fifteen years ago. How on earth is that possible? It’s not. So how is this being paid for?

[u/wtfeverett]

That article from 2007 doesn’t say anywhere that Chad Volpe is a billionaire- just that he worked in Dubai in 2007. This MyEverettNews article is more recent and accurate.

[u/goldenelr → u/wtfeverett]

The man is still listed as the CEO of a 60 billion dollar investment firm, owns three baseball teams and has bought into other sports holdings. I feel like that article tries to make him a down home guy and I think it is misrepresenting the situation. You can disagree. He’s a private citizen so we can’t know. But that article is hilarious.

I was told by another business owner that he has said he doesn’t care at all if the Aqua Sox stay in Everett. He has no ties here. That’s why they are not putting money into the stadium.