Leaf
Well-Known Member
I was torn when Stray Rescue won because I'm somewhat involved with them - but had wanted the rabbit rescue that was promoted here to win...
Anyhow:
$1M Mo. Animal Shelter Makeover Never Happened
By CHERYL WITTENAUER
Associated Press Writer
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Stray Rescue of St. Louis learned last
May it had won a $1 million shelter makeover in pursuit of its mission to
rescue, rehabilitate
and adopt out former street dogs.
The group beat out 1,000 other entries from around the
country in a contest that garnered national attention.
But nearly a year later, the nonprofit said it has
gotten headaches - but no money - from sponsor zootoo.com,
the pet lovers' social networking site founded by
multimillionaire Richard Thompson, who disputes Stray Rescue's account of what
happened.
Stray Rescue founder Randy Grim said Wednesday his group
wired zootoo.com $170,000 of its own money - which it had
budgeted for animal care - and that Thompson pressured him
into begging subcontractors, suppliers and labor unions to
donate their goods and services for the shelter makeover.
Grim said he understood the $170,000, which helped pay
for some preliminary work, would be reimbursed.
"We've yet to see one penny (of the $1 million),"
Grim said.
"I believed in this guy," he added. "I'm disappointed
in myself for believing in him."
Meanwhile, Stray Rescue's donations have plummeted
50 percent in the last year as donors believed the group
was awash in money, Grim said.
Thompson, former chief executive of Secaucus,
N.J.-based Meow Mix, said Wednesday he was "absolutely
flabbergasted and shocked" by Grim's statements.
Thompson said the contest rules pledged "up to $1
million in value" to include cash, and donated goods and
services.
Thompson said zootoo.com has provided $400,000 to
the makeover so far. Stray Rescue says most of that is
in donated goods and services, or its own $170,000 that
it wired to zootoo.com.
Grim and the makeover's general contractor, Dan Green,
said they ultimately learned that the donated goods and
services they were pushed to obtain went toward the $1 million.
Thompson said Stray Rescue's vision for a shelter
exceeds what can be done for $1 million. But Green, who's
earned nothing in the project, said Thompson agreed to a
$2 million budget and then solicited donated goods and
services. When they didn't come through, he scaled back
the project to $1.7 million.
Green said Thompson also threatened to cut suppliers
and subcontractorsout of the project - an assertion to
which Thompson didn't respond. Green, who has been in
business 30 years here, wanted no part of that.
"They've budgeted, bid and rebid," Green said.
"We've wasted a tremendous amount of time because of
(Thompson's) approach to the project."
Green dropped out last month after Thompson said
$600,000 worth of electrical, plumbing and other work
had to be donated.
"I'm not their donation solicitor," Green said.
"I'm a general contractor. I'm not calling these guys
and twisting their arms harder."
Stray Rescue wants to build a shelter from a
warehouse donated by the former A.G. Edwards before
the financial services company merged with Wachovia
in 2007.
The build-out was an estimated $3 million; Stray
Rescue had raised a significant portion of the balance.
Thompson said he will be in St. Louis next week
to negotiate an agreement.
Janice Wolf, who runs a small, independent animal
rescue in Gassville, Ark.,said Wednesday that Thompson
promised her on the Ellen Degeneres show to build a barn
and keep her in critter food for a year.
She got the barn and some of the food, but, she said,
"he pressured local businesses to donate everything."
"He played big time to the cameras, and the press,"
she said. "But he pressured people real hard. He made a lot
of enemies. He made some pretty big scenes."
Wolf, who owns Rocky Ridge Refuge, said "somebody
needs to stop Richard from misrepresenting what he's all
about, or force him to step up and become what he says
he is."
Zootoo.com, part of Secaucus, N.J.-based Zootoo LLC, is
wrapping up another shelter makeover contest. A shelter in
Columbia, Mo., is among the 10 finalists.
---
On the Net:
Stray Rescue of St. Louis: http://www.strayrescue.org/
Zootoo.com: http://www.zootoo.com/
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MO_SHELTER_ASTRAY_NJOL-?SITE=WFMZ&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Anyhow:
$1M Mo. Animal Shelter Makeover Never Happened
By CHERYL WITTENAUER
Associated Press Writer
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Stray Rescue of St. Louis learned last
May it had won a $1 million shelter makeover in pursuit of its mission to
rescue, rehabilitate
and adopt out former street dogs.
The group beat out 1,000 other entries from around the
country in a contest that garnered national attention.
But nearly a year later, the nonprofit said it has
gotten headaches - but no money - from sponsor zootoo.com,
the pet lovers' social networking site founded by
multimillionaire Richard Thompson, who disputes Stray Rescue's account of what
happened.
Stray Rescue founder Randy Grim said Wednesday his group
wired zootoo.com $170,000 of its own money - which it had
budgeted for animal care - and that Thompson pressured him
into begging subcontractors, suppliers and labor unions to
donate their goods and services for the shelter makeover.
Grim said he understood the $170,000, which helped pay
for some preliminary work, would be reimbursed.
"We've yet to see one penny (of the $1 million),"
Grim said.
"I believed in this guy," he added. "I'm disappointed
in myself for believing in him."
Meanwhile, Stray Rescue's donations have plummeted
50 percent in the last year as donors believed the group
was awash in money, Grim said.
Thompson, former chief executive of Secaucus,
N.J.-based Meow Mix, said Wednesday he was "absolutely
flabbergasted and shocked" by Grim's statements.
Thompson said the contest rules pledged "up to $1
million in value" to include cash, and donated goods and
services.
Thompson said zootoo.com has provided $400,000 to
the makeover so far. Stray Rescue says most of that is
in donated goods and services, or its own $170,000 that
it wired to zootoo.com.
Grim and the makeover's general contractor, Dan Green,
said they ultimately learned that the donated goods and
services they were pushed to obtain went toward the $1 million.
Thompson said Stray Rescue's vision for a shelter
exceeds what can be done for $1 million. But Green, who's
earned nothing in the project, said Thompson agreed to a
$2 million budget and then solicited donated goods and
services. When they didn't come through, he scaled back
the project to $1.7 million.
Green said Thompson also threatened to cut suppliers
and subcontractorsout of the project - an assertion to
which Thompson didn't respond. Green, who has been in
business 30 years here, wanted no part of that.
"They've budgeted, bid and rebid," Green said.
"We've wasted a tremendous amount of time because of
(Thompson's) approach to the project."
Green dropped out last month after Thompson said
$600,000 worth of electrical, plumbing and other work
had to be donated.
"I'm not their donation solicitor," Green said.
"I'm a general contractor. I'm not calling these guys
and twisting their arms harder."
Stray Rescue wants to build a shelter from a
warehouse donated by the former A.G. Edwards before
the financial services company merged with Wachovia
in 2007.
The build-out was an estimated $3 million; Stray
Rescue had raised a significant portion of the balance.
Thompson said he will be in St. Louis next week
to negotiate an agreement.
Janice Wolf, who runs a small, independent animal
rescue in Gassville, Ark.,said Wednesday that Thompson
promised her on the Ellen Degeneres show to build a barn
and keep her in critter food for a year.
She got the barn and some of the food, but, she said,
"he pressured local businesses to donate everything."
"He played big time to the cameras, and the press,"
she said. "But he pressured people real hard. He made a lot
of enemies. He made some pretty big scenes."
Wolf, who owns Rocky Ridge Refuge, said "somebody
needs to stop Richard from misrepresenting what he's all
about, or force him to step up and become what he says
he is."
Zootoo.com, part of Secaucus, N.J.-based Zootoo LLC, is
wrapping up another shelter makeover contest. A shelter in
Columbia, Mo., is among the 10 finalists.
---
On the Net:
Stray Rescue of St. Louis: http://www.strayrescue.org/
Zootoo.com: http://www.zootoo.com/
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MO_SHELTER_ASTRAY_NJOL-?SITE=WFMZ&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
