In March the Business Journal debuts our list of the largest charitable gifts of 2017… long list, considering the cutoff of $1 million. And we now add Mike and Lori Gray, with their donation to Hoag Hospital for drug-prevention education and mental health outreach, described by Hoag folks as among the largest in its history.
Mike helped his father, Bob, grow St. John Knits into a retail power, then became a successful random entrepreneur—cookie co. Sweet Life, custom homebuilder Puzzlemakers—already earned a rep for giving and for his cause—teaching young people about depression and addiction.
“Grew up with it,” he told me. “Shame treatment isn’t more oriented to prevention and education for kids.” Gray’s mom died of alcoholism.
He also grew up with Hoag.
“Betty Ford Center talked to me, but Hoag, we’d met a lot of folks there,” Gray said.
“I spoke at Hoag once, asked how many had a relative born there. One guy, 28! Defines community hospital.”
Gray won’t disclose the amount of the gift—he’s been active in the cause going back to D.A.R.E. He knows that addiction, even mental health outreach—doesn’t inspire universal compassion. The benefactor won’t evangelize.
“Giving money away is such a personal thing … my vision is touch people’s lives through the education process.”
Two Tans … Wall Street Journal reports Broadcom boss Hock Tan has few industry pals. “I hate competing against him,” one rival told the paper. The knock is that Tan skimps on R&D and elsewhere. But shrewd buys—and a CFO’s approach vs. an engineer’s—saw Broadcom profit jump 39% this year, and its stock is a grasshopper, sevenfold in three years. Among Tan’s slate for new Qualcomm directors in his hostile for the longtime rival is OC 50 fixture and UC-Irvine Foundation chairwoman Julie Hill … They could sell tickets to Irwin Jacobs Hall for the March 6 shareholders meeting in San Diego.
Call Him Al … my friend “Ageless” Al Hensling turns 35 and 25 this week … 35 years in the mortgage biz, 25 as owner of United American in Costa Mesa. From two employees to 100, expanded brokerage into funding in 2011, now $1 billion-plus annually. Best of all—“the second generation just got into the business,” Al said. My best of all—have met few business owners as low-key, humble and steady—in as endemically stressful trade as home lending—as my friend Al. Happy anniversary.
