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Associated Press
22-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Union Home Mortgage Foundation Announces Second Quarter Grant Recipients
Awardees include 3 nonprofits in Colorado, Georgia, and Pennsylvania CLEVELAND, July 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Union Home Foundation, the charitable arm of Union Home Mortgage whose mission is to equip families with the tools and resources needed to achieve economic self-sufficiency, has announced its grant recipients for the second quarter of 2025. The Foundation awarded grants to 3 nonprofits from across the country, totaling $9,500 for the quarter. In this round of funding, the Foundation provided support to organizations within its operational footprint that are making a tangible impact in their communities through the advancement of financial literacy and housing access. 'As we celebrate a decade of impact through the Union Home Foundation, we remain committed to empowering families and strengthening communities,' said Bill Cosgrove, CEO of Union Home Mortgage. 'We're proud to support these outstanding organizations and look forward to deepening our partnerships in 2025 and beyond.' 'This quarter's grantees are doing incredible work to expand access to housing and financial education,' said Ashley Ali, Director of Corporate Communications. 'Their missions align closely with ours, and we're honored to play a role in helping them create lasting change in the communities we serve.' Since being established in 2015, the Foundation has distributed more than $2 million in financial support to nonprofits in 23 states. For more information on the Union Home Foundation, visit The second quarter grant recipients are: Denver, Colorado Hope Communities: $2,500 toward housing and economic stability programming. Hope Communities offers affordable housing options, tailored to the needs of low-income individuals and families in Denver. With a focus on reducing homelessness and alleviating financial burdens, they also provide pathways to long-term housing stability and well-being. Through wrap-around support services, including case management, financial counseling, employment assistance, and access to healthcare and social services, residents are empowered to overcome barriers and achieve long-term self-sufficiency. Hope Communities manages four affordable housing communities across Denver, providing safe and well-maintained housing options tailored to low-income residents and clients beyond their properties. Roswell, Georgia Drake House Inc.: $2,000 in support of their mission, which is to empower women and their children experiencing homelessness to achieve economic independence and long-term stability. Drake House's emergency shelter serves as a safe haven for mothers and their children for up to 180 days. Drake House provides 15 one- and two-bedroom housing units, ensuring residents have a secure and nurturing environment without financial burden. They also offer transitional housing, the Drake Village, where mothers and their children can stay for up to two years at below-market rate rent with an annual lease. The Drake Village program comprises 16 two-bedroom apartments, exclusively available to qualified graduating Drake House residents. Exton, Pennsylvania Home of the Sparrow: $5,000 toward supportive housing programming, which prevents eviction and homelessness through a combination of financial assistance and case management. This program provides a suite of comprehensive services, including eviction prevention via direct rental payments to landlords, 12 to 24 months of trauma-informed case management alongside rental subsidies, and up to 3 years of on-going money management counseling and resource coordination, as well as access to the many in-kind donations HOS receives from the community, including household supplies not covered by the food benefits program, holiday gifts, gift cards, and back to school supplies. About the Union Home Foundation The Union Home Foundation was established in 2015 as the charitable arm of independent mortgage banking company Union Home Mortgage Corp (UHM). The Foundation's mission is to equip individuals and families with tools and resources to achieve economic self-sufficiency, specifically through financial literacy, and housing. The Foundation has awarded over $2 million since its inception toward these programs to help guide families on a pathway towards responsible homeownership. Union Home Mortgage Corp. is a high-growth, full-service retail, wholesale, and consumer direct lender with over 150 branches across the U.S. To learn more about Union Home Mortgage and its efforts in the community, please visit and View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Union Home Mortgage
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rays begin ‘exclusive discussions' to possibly sell team to group led by Florida developer
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Tampa Bay Rays are reportedly in the process of finding a new buyer for the team. A report by Sportico cited multiple unnamed sources that the Rays were negotiating a deal to sell the team to a group led by home developer and UF Board of Trustees member, Patrick Zalupski of Ponte Vedra Beach. Advertisement In a statement to WFLA News Channel 8, the Rays confirmed the negotiations. 'The Tampa Bay Rays announced that the team has recently commenced exclusive discussions with a group led by Patrick Zalupski, Bill Cosgrove, Ken Babby and prominent Tampa Bay investors concerning a possible sale of the team. Neither the Rays nor the group will have further comment during the discussions.' Video above: What's next for St. Pete after Rays pull stadium deal? This came after the Rays' deal to build a new stadium at Tropicana Field and help redevelop the Gas Plant District fell through due to the damage caused by Hurricane Milton. During the hurricane, the current stadium's roof was torn by high-speed winds that left devastation on the Rays' home base. Advertisement As a result, the Rays moved to Steinbrenner Field in Tampa to play during the 2025 season. According to St. Petersburg and county spokespeople, the Rays did not speak to them about the sale. 'It definitely appears that if the sale goes through that the Rays will be in Tampa Bay for the long term,' said Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala. 'Today is definitely a good day for Rays fans.' Latvala admits to being critical of the current Rays ownership because of how Latvala said they conducted themselves after the hurricane and who they blamed and what they were trying to get after the hurricane. He says it's all in the past now. Advertisement 'But I think also there should be credit to Mr. Sternberg for, you know, if he goes through with the sale, and selling the team to folks that will keep it in Tampa Bay,' Latvala said. Fans at Steinbrenner Field Wednesday said they don't want to see the team leave the area. 'The best move is to build a new stadium in Tampa where we feel like people will come,' said Dori Simpson, a Rays fan. Latvala said he would be open to revising a stadium deal with new owners. 'I think it's really up to the new owners where they want the stadium,' Latvala said. 'From what I've heard, it's probably on the Tampa side. I don't want to speak for them.' Advertisement He said he would ask whoever became the new owners to care about the Tampa Bay community. This is a developing story. Stay up to date on the latest from News Channel 8 on-air and on the go with the free WFLA News Channel 8 mobile app. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Forbes
19-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Who Is The Billionaire Making A Bid For The Tampa Bay Rays?
By Thomas Gallagher Patrick Zalupski On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Rays announced that a group led by Patrick Zalupski—a homebuilding billionaire–entered exclusive negotiations to buy the team from principal owner Stuart Sternberg. The price being discussed: $1.7 billion, according to Sportico. The announcement comes amid uncertainty regarding the team's future in the Tampa Bay area following a series of failed stadium proposals–including plans for renovations of Tropicana Field or a new ballpark in St. Petersburg. Now, ownership could be turned over to a group headed by the 44-year-old CEO of a publicly-traded developer. Zalupski, whose net worth Forbes estimates at $1.3 billion, is the founder and CEO of Dream Finders Homes, a Jacksonville-based company that describes itself as one of the country's fastest-growing homebuilders. Zalupski's group is in talks with Sternberg, a former partner at Goldman Sachs who purchased the Rays in 2004 with fellow Goldman Sachs partner Matthew Silverman for a reported $200 million. The two other buyers joining Zalupski, according to a Rays announcement, are Bill Cosgrove, CEO of Union Home Mortgage, and Ken Babby, the founder of the Fast Forward Sports Group and owner of two minor league baseball teams. Zalupski did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Forbes. Born in the suburbs of Detroit, Zalupski's family moved frequently during his childhood, as Forbes first reported in 2021. After graduating with a degree in finance from Stetson University, he became an auditor at FedEx, a job he felt dispassionate about. When his parents divorced, his mother moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where she worked as a realtor. Zalupski soon followed and began helping with her business. He flipped his first property in 2004 at age 24. Reinvesting the profits from the deal, he then bought a nine-unit condo project in 2006–just before the housing market crashed. Despite taking a loss on the investment, the mistake formed the foundation of Dream Finders, which Zalupski cofounded with a construction partner, Mark McGuigan, and McGuigan's wife, Tobi, in 2008. As the real estate market began to rebound following the financial crisis, Dream Finders built 27 homes the following year. By 2013, the company had sold a total of more than 1,000 homes, and Zalupski bought out the McGuigans for an undisclosed amount. Zalupski then expanded Dream Finders beyond Florida into Georgia, then Colorado and Texas. In 2021 he took the company public on the New York Stock Exchange. He owns about half the company's shares and has 84% of the voting rights. The business has been profitable every year since its founding, Zalupski told Forbes in 2021. That remains true four years later, based on Securities and Exchange Commission filings. In its most recent year, Dream Finders closed on 38,000 homes and earned $335 million in net income on revenue of $4.4 billion. More than 90% of Zalupski's estimated fortune lies in his Dream Finders shares, per Forbes calculations. Since taking the company public four years ago, he's sold about $20 million worth of his stock, plus has entered into more than one pre-paid forward only sale agreement. Just how he's going to come up with hundreds of millions of dollars to finance the purchase isn't clear, though there is always the chance he pulled out dividends when the company was private. He'll also have partners and the group will likely borrow to fund the deal. The Rays, meanwhile, have gone through a tough stretch. In 2024, the roof at the team's stadium, Tropicana Field, was destroyed by Hurricane Milton. For the 2025 season, the Rays elected to play home games at Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees' spring training stadium, located nearby in St. Petersburg. It only seats 11,026, making it the smallest ballpark in Major League Baseball and roughly a quarter the size of Tropicana. With ticket sales down for the 2025 season and the foreseeable future, Zalupski's group might have a plan to turn the franchise around. Despite being relegated to a stadium more compact than the Oakland A's, who are destined for relocation, billionaire Zalupski and his rich partners' potential ownership may be a needed shot in the arm for the team's stadium issues.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Tampa Bay Rays are in advanced talks to sell team
The Tampa Bay Rays are in advanced talks to sell team A group of investors led by a Jacksonville developer is in exclusive talks to buy the Tampa Bay Rays, the team said Wednesday. In a two-sentence statement, the Rays said the team is discussing a possible sale with Patrick Zalupski, Bill Cosgrove, Ken Babby 'and prominent Tampa Bay investors.' Advertisement Zalupski, 44, is the founder, president and CEO of Dream Finders Homes in Jacksonville. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Florida. 'Neither the Rays nor the group will have further comment during the discussions,' the statement concluded. The news comes at a critical time for the Rays, who were forced to play home games this season at the New York Yankees' spring training stadium in Tampa after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg last year. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
New York Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Tampa Bay Rays in ‘exclusive discussions' concerning possible sale
The Tampa Bay Rays are in 'exclusive discussions' concerning a possible sale of the franchise to a group including Jacksonville based real estate developer Patrick Zalupski, the team announced in a statement on Wednesday. News of the potential deal was initially reported by Sportico, which states the team's value at roughly $1.7 billion. In their statement, the Rays announced Bill Cosgrove and Ken Babby and unnamed prominent Tampa Bay investors as part of the group with Zalupski. Advertisement The possible move comes on the heels of a tumultuous eight months for the Rays and owner Stuart Sternberg , which have included numerous calls by local politicians for Sternberg to sell the team. Funding for the new $1.3 billion stadium at the Historic Gas Plant District in St. Petersburg was agreed to by all parties last July. However, the roof was ripped off of Tropicana Field amid strong winds from Hurricane Milton in October. Approval for the funding was subsequently delayed by both the city council and the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners, before eventually being agreed to in December and January. The Rays, however, pulled out of the agreement in March, citing elevated costs caused by the delayed funding. The relationship between the local government and Rays officials soured throughout the process. The Athletic's Evan Drellich reported in March that several other owners and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred were pressuring Sternberg to sell the team. Manfred has stated publicly that he'd like to keep the Rays in the Tampa Bay market, while Rays ownership never firmly committed to that. The Rays are playing the 2025 season at George Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees. The club has asked the City of St. Petersburg, who owns Tropicana Field, to have the stadium renovations completed in time for the 2026 season. However, completion of the project in time is far from certain, and the lease only runs through 2028. Manfred was asked about the Rays' stadium situation at MLB's owners meetings earlier this month. 'The repair of the stadium's moving along,' Manfred said. 'We remain optimistic that we will be ready either for Opening Day or very shortly thereafter. Obviously, the big contingency is what happens with hurricane season, right? There's not much you can do about that, other than keep your fingers crossed. But we are hopeful that we'll get it ready for Opening Day '26.' Advertisement When asked about the team's long-term future, he noted '(It's) clear they're gonna honor their lease through '28 and I don't really have anything to add beyond that right now.' Zalupski, 44, is the founder, president and CEO of Dream Finders Homes, which was formed in December 2008. Cosgrove is the CEO of Cleveland-based Union Home Mortgage. Babby currently owns two minor-league baseball teams, the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) and Double-A Akron Rubberducks (Guardians) and is the son of former Phoenix Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby. The Rays said in their statement that neither they nor the investment group would have any further comment during the discussions. (Top photo of Stuart Sternberg and Rays manager Kevin Cash: Thomas O'Neill/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
