Nelson Skalbania
| Nelson Skalbania | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 12, 1938 Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Alma mater |
University of British Columbia California Institute of Technology |
| Occupation | Businessman, Sports Franchise Owner, Engineer |
Nelson M. Skalbania (born February 12, 1938) is a businessman from Vancouver, British Columbia known for high-profile flipping of real estate and sports teams, eventually going into bankruptcy in 1982.[1] In December 1998, Nelson Skalbania was put in jail for a 12 months sentence for theft; he illegally used money from an investor to cover debts in his real estate firm.[2]
Career
Education
In 1961, Skalbania received his Bachelor of Applied Science degree from UBC, then received his Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) designation in 1962 and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering in1964 from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Consulting
President and majority owner of McKenzie Snowball & Skalbania, consulting engineers from 1971. Skalbania closed the practice in 1981 before going into bankruptcy.
Real Estate
Active in flipping real estate, including:
- Bought and sold property from Genstar and 31 Eaton's properties/stores across Canada
- Bought and sold Omni Complex in Atlanta, Georgia, Circus World in Orlando, and Opera Square, San Francisco
- Bought and sold Watergate Apartments, Oakland, California.
Sports
Skalbania bought and sold or folded several sports teams, including:
- Bought and sold the Edmonton Oilers and Indianapolis Racers of the WHA.
- Bought and folded the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Fans were infuriated by his remarks "It's not like I raped a nun."
- Bought and sold the Memphis Rogues of the North American Soccer League.
- Bought and sold the Vancouver Canadians baseball team.
- Bought the BC Lions of the CFL in 1996, but was forced into receivership.