Gunsite Sold!

R

Rich Lucibella

Staff
Yup, it's true. Gunsite Training Center was sold on 9/30/99 to Owen "Buzz" Mills, a retired businessman in S. Florida. Rich Jee has move into full time pharmacy work and there is a promise that Col. Cooper will be Director of Curriculum. Former Salisbury, MD Police Chief, Bud Dykes, will be running the operation.

This is a bittersweet victory, as I had been attempting to purchase the operation since 1995. Finally, in late July 1999, we changed direction and Colonel Cooper agreed to join us in a competing venture....actually, next door on 500 acres.

One week later, Mills approached the Coopers with plans to purchase the operation. I offered to step aside if they could get the deal done by 9/30 and they did it. I'd like to think that our alternative plans helped to force Jee to finally sell, but this is only speculation. However, I know of no less than 4 other deals that died in the 11th hour due to Rich's "maneuvers".

I've spoken to Buzz Mills a couple of times in past and he seems like a straight up guy. Good things are also being said of Chief Dykes, so we have high hopes. While I questioned Mills motives and methods for a while, I believe he has done this well and trust he will restore the institution to the respectability of Orange Gunsite.

I owe many thanks to many people for their support of our efforts to purchase the operation. They know who they are and it is not my place to mention them publicly. Suffice it to say we had an outstanding team lined up.
Rich Lucibella
 
Pharmacy work? Guess I really am out of touch. I wonder what new directions Gunsite will take now?
 
I hope Jeff will be back at Gunsite. Mr. Jee seems to have stiffed Jeff with the dal they had. I wish them well, Jeff and Mr. Jee with his freelance pharmacy. lol
 
Rich - you seem to have a great knowledge of that whole episode. Could you post the in's and out's of the Cooper/Jee sale?

Giz
 
Rich;I went to gunsite several years back and after seeing its relative remote location had this thought--Do a similar deal in Montana;lots of space,gun freindly;good air service,anyplace within 100 miles of Great Falls or Billings would do,decent temps in summer when its way to hot at gunsite.It would simply be like arizona, slow down for a few months in winter instead of mid summer.just a thought.
 
Thanks guys. Fact is that firearms training is just not a financially rewarding business. I would have been willing to support this if it were to continue and improve the legacy of Cooper's Modern Technique. With the new owner in place, it's appropriate that I support, rather than compete....even though, I believe, the Colonel would be willing to support us.

Gizmo-
The original sales terms were no secret. The Coopers took a 10 year payout for the school...reasonably priced. Jeff took a 10 year consulting contract. In the deal, Jee recieved the land, Cooper's home (upon the couple's demise), Cooper's cooperation and support and all of Coopers existing and future intellectual property rights. This means the revenues from all of Coopers books and publications, including the G&A column.

It was a one sided deal, given the fact that one party was honorable and the other a snake.
Rich
 
Rich, if ya had bought Gunsite yourself, may Mykl and I come to play and teach?

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt
 
Please Rich, don't crash the entire internet by posting all the information!!! There can't be enough bandwidth to handle the politics of this entire story! ;)

honestly, I am more than a little dissapointed that you didn't end up with GunSite... but I respect and agree with your opinion that this is still a bit of a victory.
 
Rich - there are other operations to consider.... Several that would make fairly good investments...Ah, well... several good... Ah... Several WELL KNOWN operations!

Utah doesnt have any... Maybe if I got that loan... :)

As the Eurythmics sang "Sweet dreams are made of these..."

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Not all Liberals are annoying... Some are Dead.
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
The Critic formerly known as Kodiac
 
Guys-
I am not the Gunsite inside expert here. There are so many wild rumors floating around about the sale that I could spend a lot more time refuting those than telling what I know first hand. What I've posted is simple fact, obtained first hand.

There is no "bad blood" between the Colonel and Mr. Mills. Quite the opposite, the Colonel regards the sale with "cautious optimism" and will certainly help if they return to the Orange Gunsite precepts. This is first hand.

As for my opening elsewhere, it's not in the cards. I'd prefer to see what happens at GTC and throw our support behind it to the extent that the Coopers are satisfied.
Rich
 
The bad blood between Cooper and his immediate successor is well known. The reasons are not.

Richard Jee, a long time asst instructor at gunsite, received a great deal. Within a year he banned Cooper from the ranges, and has claimed many reasons for this. Though Jee had stayed at my home for almost a week during our negotiations, I believe I understand Cooper better...he's more straightforward and honest. I believe that Jee wanted to overshadow the Gunsite legacy and believed he could do well without Cooper.

Over the years, Rich Jee has made far more enemies than friends, due to his business and personal practices. At the time of last week's sale there were no less than three lawsuits pending against Jee and his companies. Two days before the sale, a Prescott Judge froze Gunsite's assets, due to one of the suits.

The Coopers had many reasons to dislike Richard Jee.
Rich
 
Wow. And to think I nearly went to Gunsite but instead had a slight problem of getting married. We were still planning to go soon for as a belated honeymoon so to speak. Guess I won't be after all! Not until somebody sorts all this out anyway.

Thanks for the info. Rich. I hate politics like this, but it's there. Good luck to all of you. Just one question though: What're you going to do now, Rich?
 
Rich, thank you for the information. Yes, the name (Jee) rang an immediate bell when I read it.

I believe now from memory I read of the dischord in one of the Col's own commentaries -- but being a gentleman, he never came out and said anything outright.

Thanks again.

B
 
Rich, thanks for the info in regards to the original deal bewt. Mr. Jee and Col. Cooper. Based on what you say, it appears to me that Mr. Jee got an unbelievable deal in receiving all the associated rights to Col. Cooper's works/legacy in addition to Gunsite when he bought it from Col. Cooper. But it seems to me that Mr. Jee reneged on the original deal by banning Col. Cooper from Gunsite afterward.

It's too bad that you didn't buy Gunsite. I would have loved to take a class from Mr. Mykl or whomever you selected to be teaching at the Gunsite under your ownership.

Thanks.

Shutoku
 
SB-
What am I going to do?

Well, I've had my 15 minutes of near fame. I guess I'll just fade back into obscurity..... ;) As I said, this was a bittersweet victory; I never did figure a way to make the endeavor work financially, but woulda done it anyway. "Sometimes you just gotta say, 'What the ____'". :)
Rich
 
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