U.S. Farm & Ranch Supply Company, Inc. (d/b/a USFR Media Group ) was an integrated media company incorporated in Texas in February 2000. A family-owned business, it was headed by Chairman and CEO Gregory L. Brown, a rancher who previously owned an independent oil and gas firm, and his wife, socialite Linda Lyons Brown. It owned television stations, published lifestyle magazines, and created infomercials and promotional videos.
21-432: USFR Media Group joined John B. Goodman (industrialist) 's Westchester Media to publish three magazines Westchester Media previously founded or bought: Cowboys & Indians (magazine) , Western & English Today , and a magazine for International Polo Club Palm Beach named Polo that was mired in lawsuits with Ralph Lauren Corporation . In 1995, they established America One , a network of about 100 stations across
42-472: A little-known but well-positioned company, had been started in 1975 and run by the elder Goodman since its inception. It was launched by the elder Goodman based on his decades of experience as an air conditioning contractor and concentrated on making flexible ducts. From his Massachusetts boarding school, Goodman attended Wesley College in Delaware. Upon returning home, Goodman worked for the family business in
63-454: A piece of their investment portfolio. In Feb. 2009, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission began a lawsuit against Allen Stanford and the financial services companies involved in his Ponzi scheme. USFR Media Group and other companies that were part of the Stanford investment portfolio were put into receivership. That same year, a shareholder buyout removed America One from USFR. USFR formed
84-685: A reported $ 325 million. Goodman was given control of the company before his father's death in 1995. Goodman sold the company in 2004 for approximately $ 1.43 billion. At the time, it was the second largest air conditioning manufacturer in the United States. Goodman married Isla Carroll Reckling in December 1986. Her family has ties to Exxon oil. She is a descendant of Frank Sterling and philanthropist Isla Carroll Sterling Turner. The couple, who had two children, became estranged and originally filed for divorce in 2005, but reconciled. The Goodmans' divorce
105-409: A stop sign and collided with a car driven by Scott Patrick Wilson, 23. Goodman left the scene of the accident without calling emergency services. Wilson's car ended up overturned in a canal and he drowned. Goodman broke his wrist. Goodman hired well-known criminal defense attorney, Roy Black , best known for high-profile trials involving William Kennedy Smith and Rush Limbaugh . While testifying in
126-533: A variety of different positions, starting as its president of international sales. He ultimately served as president and chairman. The company grew to become the largest privately held air conditioning and heating equipment manufacturer in the United States. In 1996, the company hired Frank H. Murray to become chairman and CEO, a role which he held until the end of 1999. Goodman was a board member when Murray purchased Amana from Raytheon in 1997, then sold its microwave and appliance divisions to Maytag in 2001 for
147-540: A variety of other appliances, including furnaces, ovens, countertop ranges, dishwashers, and clothes washers and dryers. Whirlpool manufactures products under the Amana, JennAir, KitchenAid, Maytag and Whirlpool name at their factory in Amana, Iowa. The plant, in operation since 1940, was sold in October 2020 to Wramia001, a Chicago-based limited liability company. The company has a long-term lease agreement. This article related to
168-429: A video production division to produce infomercials and promotional videos. As owners of KTBU, USFR Media Group had ended much of the remaining local programming and mostly aired paid programming, network reruns, and Sunday services from Lakewood Church. However, they had been operating at a loss for several years and could not attract more investors because Stanford was still a stakeholder in their company. John B. Goodman
189-704: Is incarcerated by the Florida Department of Corrections , with a 2028 release date. He continues to file appeals. Amana Corporation The Amana Corporation is an American brand of household appliances . It was founded in 1934 by George Foerstner as the Electrical Equipment Co. in Middle Amana, Iowa , to manufacture commercial walk-in coolers. The business was later owned by the Amana Society and became known as Amana Refrigeration, Inc. It
210-523: Is now owned by the Whirlpool Corporation . Today, the Amana brand is marketed as the economy brand of Whirlpool Corporation, slotting below Whirlpool in the lineup. Its closest competitor in the United States is the Hotpoint brand owned by GE Appliances / Haier . In 1947, Amana manufactured the first upright freezer for the home, and in 1949 it added a side-by-side refrigerator. In 1950 the company
231-663: The United States. In June 2001, Stanford Financial Group started investing in USFR Media Group as one of many companies that was part of that Ponzi scheme . In total, Stanford invested almost $ 25 million over nine years. In 2006, USFR Media Group bought KTBU from Lakewood Church for $ 30.5 million. In 2007, they moved their headquarters to a 30,000 square foot broadcasting facility in Houston which had been built by Time Warner and used by News 24 Houston . Stanford Financial Group's marketing publications touted USFR Media Group as
SECTION 10
#1732883741115252-400: The club was specifically designed to attract South American players as well as wealthy individuals and celebrities from nearby Miami and Palm Beach . Goodman was also involved in publishing. He provided start up funds for Cowboys & Indians (magazine) , later becoming sole owner of Westchester Media and joining with USFR Media Group to publish several other magazines, including Polo ,
273-575: The company was purchased by Goodman Global (now part of Daikin North America), a heating-and-cooling manufacturer which sold it to Maytag (now part of Whirlpool) in 2002. Goodman still owns Amana's air conditioner and furnace division, and Amana home appliances are now owned and manufactured by the Whirlpool Corporation . Amana Under Counter Wine was spun off and is now marketed under the Aficionado marquee. Amana has since expanded into manufacturing
294-470: The criminal case, Goodman said his car malfunctioned, which was the cause of the crash. He denied being drunk or under the influence of drugs; however, his blood alcohol level of .177 was more than twice the legal limit three hours after the crash. Goodman was found guilty of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in March 2012. In May 2012, Goodman was sentenced to 16 years in prison and fined $ 10,000. Goodman
315-465: The family appliance and air conditioning businesses, Goodman Manufacturing Company . A Houston, Texas , native, he became more widely known in the United States for his legal difficulties stemming from a manslaughter conviction in 2012. Goodman was born in 1963, one of four children of a wealthy Texas couple. His father, Harold V. Goodman, amassed a fortune in air conditioning manufacturing and also raised racehorses . Goodman Manufacturing Company ,
336-482: The official publication of International Polo Club Palm Beach . That publication was tangled in a lengthy lawsuit with the Ralph Lauren Corporation concerning brand confusion. Goodman gained notoriety following a DUI manslaughter arrest after involvement in a hit-and-run automobile collision on February 12, 2010, at about 1:00 AM. He was driving his car near the polo club he founded, when he disregarded
357-428: The tower operating company, licenses that were still being held under the name Humanity Interested Media (from when KTBU first went on the air), and permits. This United States media company article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . John B. Goodman (industrialist) John Bailey Goodman (born 18 September 1963) is an American businessman and polo player whose wealth originates in
378-737: Was finalized in November 2008 after 22 years of marriage. Around 1989, Goodman took up the sport of polo and became a member of the United States Polo Association (USPA). He was also a member of board of directors of the Houston Polo Club and served as its president in 1994 and 1995. Goodman was the founder of the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida . He told Palm Beach Life in 2004 that
399-550: Was granted a new trial in May 2013 due to juror misconduct . At retrial, Goodman was again convicted of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide and on November 21, 2014, he was again sentenced to 16 years in prison. Prison credit was denied for 810 days spent on house arrest pending the second trial. He was also denied bail pending his second appeal. In 2017, the Florida District Courts of Appeal affirmed his conviction Goodman
420-474: Was sold to a group of investors, including its founder, and became Amana Refrigeration, Inc. In 1954, it began making air conditioners . Amana was acquired in 1965 by Raytheon , which had invented the microwave oven in 1947, and introduced the commercial Radarange Model 1611 in 1954. In 1967, Amana introduced a consumer model of the Radarange , the first popular microwave designed for home use. In 1997,
441-448: Was still an equity shareholder; in December 2009 he formed a Limited Liability Company to buy Stanford's interest and in April 2010 the courts were petitioned to allow this purchase, but in that same timeframe he was arrested for DUI manslaughter during a hit-and-run car accident. In 2011, USFR Media Group sold KTBU for $ 16 million to Spanish Broadcasting System . The sale included all assets,
SECTION 20
#1732883741115#114885