Finding investors to put their money into the perpetually money-losing Phoenix Coyotes has not been easy for prospective buyer Greg Jamison.
How tough has it been? According to the Globe and Mail’s David Shoalts, Jamison explored using something called the EB-5 program, which provides foreign nationals with a green card for investing money (typically a minimum of $1 million) in the United States.
Ultimately Jamison abandoned the EB-5 avenue, but not before he reportedly traveled as far as the Middle East in his search for backers.
“I’ve been at this 18 months, I’ve looked at everything,” Jamison told the Globe and Mail. “I’m aware of the [EB-5] program and what it can do. We did discuss it, but we’re not using it as part of our program, no.”
Who exactly comprises Jamison’s potential ownership group has been a mystery. The former Sharks executive has declined to share that information, even with the City of Glendale which recently signed the controversial arena management deal that calls for $320 million to be paid to Jamison’s group over a 20-year term.
Jamison hopes to close on his purchase by the end of January. Whether he actually gets it done, as usual we’ll have to wait and see.