At last, John Kincade's "The Balkan" figure has been unveiled. The 680 The Fan host announced J.B. Smith as the potential buyer of the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers and Philips Arena. Kincade is throwing in the towel on keeping the story a secret as Craig Custance is apparently set to reveal it anyway.
Smith runs formerly ran* Equity 11, a private venture capitalism firm, and chairs chaired* iSekurity, an identity theft protection agency with a controversial reputation, according to certain search results, though it has a good reputation with the Better Business Bureau. He hails from Detroit and has previously announced a partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers to the tune of "tens of millions of dollars," along with investing in a Texas technology company. According to previous murmurings, he either attended Michigan or Michigan State -- nope, he went to Penn State.
What does this mean for the Thrashers? Well, Smith probably isn't involved in the standalone local deal for the team that was announced earlier Tuesday. Whether he's out of the running now remains to be seen. Perhaps revealing his name will help ignite local support?
* iSekurity chief operating officer Matthew Bitonti has told us Smith no longer holds these positions.
Here's Smith's company bio:
Smith has worked at the executive level in venture capital for ten years, playing a key role in the development of many companies. Smith was integral in the growth of Web Group, LLC, recognized in 2002 as one of Inc. Magazine's Fastest Growing Private Companies in America (#189). Smith is an active investor with a focus on, but not limited to, security-related businesses and hedge funds. Smith holds a bachelor's degree in Administration of Justice from The Pennsylvania State University. Also known as the creator of the "Philanthropic Investmentsm," Smith is currently a partner in WM Reign, Ltd., an investment model solely dedicated to helping finance churches and Christian causes by utilizing Smith's "Philanthropic Investmentsm" concept.
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