Nury, Mike interview

Item

Transcript of Mike Nury interview

Title

Nury, Mike interview

Description

Talks about his friendship with Leon S. Peters, working with him in the wine business and how Peters helped them get their business going by financing equipment.  He discusses working with Pete Peters to design and develop some of the stainless steel tanks they used in the winery business. He talks about working with Leon S. Peters to get Bulldog Stadium built at Fresno State and with funding various projects at Community Hospital.

Creator

Nury, Mike
Mehas, Dr. Peter G.

Relation

Leon S. Peters Legacy Collection

Coverage

Fresno, California

Date

9/18/2009

Format

Microsoft Word 2003 document, 8 pages

Identifier

SCMS_lspl_00011

extracted text

>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We're delighted to have Mike Nury, a friend of Leon S.
Peters from the early ‘50s, and probably will give us an insight of how he -- on
special projects that came along, how he got to know Leon S. Peters, and what
capacity or friendship. So tell us a little bit about -- about your relationship
with Leon, and some of your fondest memories of Leon.
>> Mike Nury: My relationship with Leon and Pete started because we were in the
wine business. And -- and he was in the equipment manufacturing business, so we
had the intimate relationship of customer and supplier. And so we bought most of
our equipment from Valley Foundry, and that's how we got to know. Very first day
we moved to Fresno and I got the job here at the company, we met Pete and Leon,
and talked about equipment, and how we can use their equipment, and use their
know-how to process grapes and make wine.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So you had sort of a -- a unique perspective from a
business/client ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, basically that was it.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- point of view.
>> Mike Nury: And then we got -- became friends, you know. And had a lasting
friendship started, and continues on. So -- so it was a good -- good thing for
them, for us to -- to know each other. 'Cause we helped each other, and they
helped us a lot. And my boss, who -- Jim Riddell who was a founder of Vie -- our
company, Vie-Del Company, told me that Leon -- at the early start of the company
Leon helped finance a lot of the equipment he sold. 'Cause we didn't have very
much money and we wouldn't afford to buy equipment. And Leon said well don't
worry about it, you know, you can pay me when you have the money. You know, and
-- and he thought that was a great help for him to survive. 'Cause he had to
struggle to get the company going. And -- and Leon was the key factor in help
him survive the business, and difficult times that they had at the beginning.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Today there seems to be a lack of ethics in business.
People want to make that almighty dollar and ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- if their word isn't good, and we have all kinds of
lawyers to bill out contracts. When you did business with Lee, how was he in
terms of -- was his word good? Was he ->> Mike Nury: Absolutely.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Was he straightforward?
>> Mike Nury: Absolutely. He was a handshake guy. You know, you made deals that
involved a lot of money, and all you had to do is shake his hand and -- and he
would follow through, and he would deliver. And if things didn't work out he
makes it good. So -- so we had absolute trust in him, and to Pete too, so.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Tell us a little bit about Pete too. In other words, is
everybody always of course ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, Pete was a front guy. You know, he -- he was a salesman. He
would come in and talk to us, and we only go -- went to Leon when we had some
arguments, you know --

>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Of course.
>> Mike Nury: -- and disagreement, you know? And Leon would be -- was the guy
who would smoothen things out. You know, and he said okay, you know, we'll take
care of this thing for you, and don't worry about it. And -- and he was also
tough, you know? He was a tough guy, you know?
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>> Mike Nury: If you had an argument that wasn't -- we were unreasonable, you
know, he would -- he would get tough, you know? I mean he ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He would [inaudible]. He was a tough [inaudible] guy.
>> Mike Nury: And maybe he would understand, you know, that the, you know,
you're going a little too far. And so -- but we -- we had absolute trust in him,
and -- and we depended on the company to supply us with a lot of equipment. And
we became major customers for the company, 'cause we bought millions of dollars
worth of product -- equipment from Valley Foundry. And -- and the basis of our
winery are -- is Valley Foundry equipment.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Did you purchase also those stainless steel tanks, which
later on are ->> Mike Nury: Actually we -- yeah, Pete and I developed some of these stainless
tanks, you know, the -- that started. You know, because when I came to work for
our winery, we only had concrete tanks and ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right.
>> Mike Nury: -- wooden tanks, you know, and a few steel tanks with plastic
epoxy coating on the inside to -- to protect the -- the wine from the iron
metal. And we told Pete and told my boss too, you know, that eventually all the
wood and concrete and the steel tanks have to go, and we have to go 100%
stainless. And -- and he say right, you know, we won't be able to afford that.
You know, I said well, if you don't do it you're not gonna be in business very
long. 'Cause I was a technical guy, you know, and -- and I knew that you can't
make first-class products using wood and concrete, you know, or -- or steel
tanks, you know. So anyway, Pete and I worked on these stainless tanks
initially, and -- and developed some of the -- some of the technology to build
large stainless tanks using thin stainless sheets, which we were using support
from the outside, the angle iron support. Because we couldn't afford to buy the
real thick stainless, because that sells by the pound, you know? And ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right.
>> Mike Nury: And that would have made it too expensive.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That was pretty innovative. Because ->> Mike Nury: In that day.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- you were way ahead of your time ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, it was, yeah.

>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- to -- particularly I guess the real technical
difficulty was the size of it.
>> Mike Nury: Right, right.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Because people could build small ones, but ->> Mike Nury: Mm-hmm.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- but the larger, the more complex it became.
>> Mike Nury: Mm-hmm.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So you and Pete ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- were really innovators and ahead of your time.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah. Yeah, we did, yeah we did. And of course Pete had
competition too, you know.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: They had another company that was trying to get into the
stainless tank business. As a matter of fact, the first six tanks that I ordered
-- these are 30,000 gallon tanks, small tanks -- and I give three of them to
Pete, three of them to his competitor.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good.
>> Mike Nury: And I said which -- whichever one of you does the best job in
doing this business is gonna get our future business.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good.
>> Mike Nury: And of course Pete got -- got it hands down. He -- he beat the
other guy quality-wise, you know, and every other way, you know, service. So the
other guy just went by the wayside.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Of course many of us knew you from the winery industry.
But actually I really got to know your name when Leon got you involved with a
little project.
>> Mike Nury: Mm-hmm.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: They were a little short financially. Can you tell us a
little bit about that project?
>> Mike Nury: That has to do with Bulldog Stadium.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Stadium, very, very much.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah, yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.

>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Being a former Fresno State footballer ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- I had heard of your -- of your involvement and
contributions.
>> Mike Nury: Oh you had -- you had heard that, huh?
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh yes.
>> Mike Nury: Oh. I didn't know anybody remembered that.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I -- in fact when Bud Richter told me, I said oh yes. I
said isn't he the gentleman that -- that closed the gap at that? So can you tell
us ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- about how Leon approached you?
>> Mike Nury: Well he called me one day, and he said I want to come and talk to
you. So he came to my office, and he says that we're trying to build a football
stadium at Fresno State. And it's gonna cost 7 million dollars to build it.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: It did.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah, that's a lot of money then, but by today's standard wasn't a
lot. Anyway, he said we have 6 million dollars, we have another million dollars
in pledges. But still California does not allow us to build the stadium unless
all the money was in the bank. And we're afraid that if we wait until these -the next million comes in, it'll be another year, year and a half, the prices
will go up, and he says I'm afraid we may never build the stadium. Because when
the price goes up we need more money, you know, and that takes more time, and so
on. And he says I have a plan. I want to get ten people in Fresno to guarantee
100,000 dollars a person, bank guarantee to satisfy the state of California to
let us build -- start building. And we want to start building right away. We
have 6 million, we have this 1 million pledge -- or not pledge, but actually
guaran -- bank guarantee. And we want ten people to do that, would you be one of
those ten? You know, I said -- of course you couldn't turn him down, you know?
[Laughter]
>> Mike Nury: Leon was very hard to say no to.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Very persistent, huh?
>> Mike Nury: Very persistent, and, you know, he was such a persuasive man, and
goodwill, you know, that you couldn't say no to him, you know.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Mm-hmm.
>> Mike Nury: So I said sure. I'll personally guarantee. So Wells Fargo was
involved, and -- and Russell Giffen was involved, and other people. So they had
all these documents in Russell Giffen's office, we went and signed it up. And -and he got his million dollar guarantees, and they got the stadium going. And he
said, I have to tell you, you may have to pay this, but you may not. If my

pledges come in, we may not have to pay a dime. And we never
towards that guarantee. But he said, but you're obligated to
-- if the time comes, you know, and we don't have the money,
guaranteeing this university that you will put up the money.
signed these legal documents. I think it was 20, 25 pages of
We signed it up and gave it to him, and they got the stadium

did pay a dime
put up the money if
you are
And -- and so we
legal paper each.
going.

>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I -- I saw those names, because I was in the Governor's
office at the time.
>> Mike Nury: Oh were you?
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah, with Governor Deukmejian ->> Mike Nury: Oh yeah?
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- as his Secretary of Education. And that's why -- and
then I began to see the names of the people who ->> Mike Nury: Mm-hmm.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- 'cause then a lot of it was confidential ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, sure.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- as it -- as it went through. But you truly put your
money where your trust was. You would have ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- given anybody else but Leon S. Peters -- it showed
your faith and trust in Leon.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah, I -- I was ready to put up the money if the pledges didn't
come, you know.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right.
>> Mike Nury: It was a big ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>> Mike Nury: -- big commitment, you know ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>> Mike Nury: -- at that time, you know? And -- and I was willing to do it to
take care of his -- his particular demand, so.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And the whole community benefited [inaudible] ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, that's right. Exactly.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- 'cause they built it. And -- and -- and you were all
correct in a sense that the longer it was, the -- the more the -- the plan was
in jeopardy. Because cost --

>> Mike Nury: He said we would never get it built. If we have to wait another
year, the prices go up 2 million dollars, and then -- then we have to -- more
money to raise, and that takes more time. And ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>> Mike Nury: -- this is the way to do it. We got a good low bid right now, we
want to start building. But we need another million dollars.
[Laughter]
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well that was -- that was certainly significant. Now that
you look upon your relationship with Pete and Leon, what are the things that
come to your mind the most that you will always remember about that friendship?
If you had to pick two or three things that said, you know, you've said, you
know, he's a good businessman ->> Mike Nury: Mm-hmm.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- fair but hard ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- hard – harddriving, but honest.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah, well Leon and Pete, you know, they very sincere in their
pursuit of what -- whatever they're after. And -- and you respect them because
they give so much of their own money and time to philanthropic purposes, you
know? So -- so you have -- you have to respect them, you know, for that. And -and so our friendship was strengthened by that confidence in their goodwill, and
their philanthropic attitude. And -- and so just happened to like the people and
-- and work with them. And -- and he wasn't shy about coming asking for -[Laughter]
>> Mike Nury: -- for money, you know, like the hospital, you know, every time
they need money, you know, we -- he'd call up and as I said, you couldn't say no
to him. You know, you have to give him what he really wanted. So ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So he wasn't shy about doing it.
>> Mike Nury: No, no he wasn't. No he wasn't.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Okay.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah. You know, he -- he was a great guy and I loved the guy. And
-- and he was certainly a leader in the winery equipment business. You know, he
helped many, many wineries in California to grow to tremendous heights, you
know, and success. And -- and he was and he and Pete were really key factors in
-- in success of these wineries, including ours.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So that's -- that's important to know that -- that in
terms of the industry he also played a part ->> Mike Nury: Absolutely.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- in -- in developing --

>> Mike Nury: You bet, yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- the industry, working with ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- the orders to -- to go.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah, he would -- they would do anything. You know, we wanted to
develop a piece of equipment, you had an idea, you go talk to them. And -- and - and they say yeah, that's a good idea. We'll -- we'll work with you. And we
developed jointly the -- the processing equipment that would work. And then -then he would sell it to other wineries as well. So -- so we had a good -- good
close relationship in business as well as in personal contacts.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Is there anything else that you would like to add that I
probably should have asked you but I didn't, regarding your relationship with
both Leon or Pete? You clearly have pointed out that he was an honest man, a
good businessman.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But also in terms of gave to the community, he's
trustworthy, his word was ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- his bond.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well he broadened our spectrum too, in that -- in that we
had relationship -- business relationship with regard to wine business, and the
supplier/customer relationship. But he was also involved on other thing -- other
things he was involved in. University and the hospital, you know, museum, you
know, anything was going on, he was -- he had a hand in it, and he wasn't shy to
come in and try to ask people for help. And -- and he did that often, and we
were usually accommodating to him, to the extent that we were able to. Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Like you said, it was hard to say no to Leon and he
wasn't shy about asking.
>> Mike Nury: No, no, no. That's right, that's right.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well can we -- Mike, we want to thank you. We want to
thank you for your insights into Leon S. Peters, and -- and also for your
willingness to trust a friend. And thank goodness you didn't say no to Leon,
because all of us have benefited ->> Mike Nury: Absolutely.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- whether it's the Metropolitan Museum, Community
Hospital, or the University. It's folks like you that -- that tend to stay off
the radar screen, stay off in the recognition. But behind the scenes, if it
wasn't for your philanthropy and assistance, many of these projects wouldn't
have come off the ground.
>> Mike Nury: Well we -- we help -- help along the way.

>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So we want to thank you for -- for your -- for your
generosity ->> Mike Nury: You're welcome.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- to the community, and for your insights into -- to
Leon S. Peters and Pete Peters.
>> Mike Nury: Thank you.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We're delighted to have Mike Nury, a friend of Leon S.
Peters from the early ‘50s, and probably will give us an insight of how he -- on
special projects that came along, how he got to know Leon S. Peters, and what
capacity or friendship. So tell us a little bit about -- about your relationship
with Leon, and some of your fondest memories of Leon.
>> Mike Nury: My relationship with Leon and Pete started because we were in the
wine business. And -- and he was in the equipment manufacturing business, so we
had the intimate relationship of customer and supplier. And so we bought most of
our equipment from Valley Foundry, and that's how we got to know. Very first day
we moved to Fresno and I got the job here at the company, we met Pete and Leon,
and talked about equipment, and how we can use their equipment, and use their
know-how to process grapes and make wine.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So you had sort of a -- a unique perspective from a
business/client ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, basically that was it.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- point of view.
>> Mike Nury: And then we got -- became friends, you know. And had a lasting
friendship started, and continues on. So -- so it was a good -- good thing for
them, for us to -- to know each other. 'Cause we helped each other, and they
helped us a lot. And my boss, who -- Jim Riddell who was a founder of Vie -- our
company, Vie-Del Company, told me that Leon -- at the early start of the company
Leon helped finance a lot of the equipment he sold. 'Cause we didn't have very
much money and we wouldn't afford to buy equipment. And Leon said well don't
worry about it, you know, you can pay me when you have the money. You know, and
-- and he thought that was a great help for him to survive. 'Cause he had to
struggle to get the company going. And -- and Leon was the key factor in help
him survive the business, and difficult times that they had at the beginning.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Today there seems to be a lack of ethics in business.
People want to make that almighty dollar and ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- if their word isn't good, and we have all kinds of
lawyers to bill out contracts. When you did business with Lee, how was he in
terms of -- was his word good? Was he ->> Mike Nury: Absolutely.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Was he straightforward?
>> Mike Nury: Absolutely. He was a handshake guy. You know, you made deals that
involved a lot of money, and all you had to do is shake his hand and -- and he
would follow through, and he would deliver. And if things didn't work out he
makes it good. So -- so we had absolute trust in him, and to Pete too, so.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Tell us a little bit about Pete too. In other words, is
everybody always of course ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, Pete was a front guy. You know, he -- he was a salesman. He
would come in and talk to us, and we only go -- went to Leon when we had some
arguments, you know --

>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Of course.
>> Mike Nury: -- and disagreement, you know? And Leon would be -- was the guy
who would smoothen things out. You know, and he said okay, you know, we'll take
care of this thing for you, and don't worry about it. And -- and he was also
tough, you know? He was a tough guy, you know?
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>> Mike Nury: If you had an argument that wasn't -- we were unreasonable, you
know, he would -- he would get tough, you know? I mean he ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He would [inaudible]. He was a tough [inaudible] guy.
>> Mike Nury: And maybe he would understand, you know, that the, you know,
you're going a little too far. And so -- but we -- we had absolute trust in him,
and -- and we depended on the company to supply us with a lot of equipment. And
we became major customers for the company, 'cause we bought millions of dollars
worth of product -- equipment from Valley Foundry. And -- and the basis of our
winery are -- is Valley Foundry equipment.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Did you purchase also those stainless steel tanks, which
later on are ->> Mike Nury: Actually we -- yeah, Pete and I developed some of these stainless
tanks, you know, the -- that started. You know, because when I came to work for
our winery, we only had concrete tanks and ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right.
>> Mike Nury: -- wooden tanks, you know, and a few steel tanks with plastic
epoxy coating on the inside to -- to protect the -- the wine from the iron
metal. And we told Pete and told my boss too, you know, that eventually all the
wood and concrete and the steel tanks have to go, and we have to go 100%
stainless. And -- and he say right, you know, we won't be able to afford that.
You know, I said well, if you don't do it you're not gonna be in business very
long. 'Cause I was a technical guy, you know, and -- and I knew that you can't
make first-class products using wood and concrete, you know, or -- or steel
tanks, you know. So anyway, Pete and I worked on these stainless tanks
initially, and -- and developed some of the -- some of the technology to build
large stainless tanks using thin stainless sheets, which we were using support
from the outside, the angle iron support. Because we couldn't afford to buy the
real thick stainless, because that sells by the pound, you know? And ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right.
>> Mike Nury: And that would have made it too expensive.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That was pretty innovative. Because ->> Mike Nury: In that day.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- you were way ahead of your time ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, it was, yeah.

>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- to -- particularly I guess the real technical
difficulty was the size of it.
>> Mike Nury: Right, right.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Because people could build small ones, but ->> Mike Nury: Mm-hmm.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- but the larger, the more complex it became.
>> Mike Nury: Mm-hmm.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So you and Pete ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- were really innovators and ahead of your time.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah. Yeah, we did, yeah we did. And of course Pete had
competition too, you know.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: They had another company that was trying to get into the
stainless tank business. As a matter of fact, the first six tanks that I ordered
-- these are 30,000 gallon tanks, small tanks -- and I give three of them to
Pete, three of them to his competitor.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good.
>> Mike Nury: And I said which -- whichever one of you does the best job in
doing this business is gonna get our future business.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good.
>> Mike Nury: And of course Pete got -- got it hands down. He -- he beat the
other guy quality-wise, you know, and every other way, you know, service. So the
other guy just went by the wayside.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Of course many of us knew you from the winery industry.
But actually I really got to know your name when Leon got you involved with a
little project.
>> Mike Nury: Mm-hmm.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: They were a little short financially. Can you tell us a
little bit about that project?
>> Mike Nury: That has to do with Bulldog Stadium.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Stadium, very, very much.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah, yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.

>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Being a former Fresno State footballer ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- I had heard of your -- of your involvement and
contributions.
>> Mike Nury: Oh you had -- you had heard that, huh?
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh yes.
>> Mike Nury: Oh. I didn't know anybody remembered that.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I -- in fact when Bud Richter told me, I said oh yes. I
said isn't he the gentleman that -- that closed the gap at that? So can you tell
us ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- about how Leon approached you?
>> Mike Nury: Well he called me one day, and he said I want to come and talk to
you. So he came to my office, and he says that we're trying to build a football
stadium at Fresno State. And it's gonna cost 7 million dollars to build it.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: It did.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah, that's a lot of money then, but by today's standard wasn't a
lot. Anyway, he said we have 6 million dollars, we have another million dollars
in pledges. But still California does not allow us to build the stadium unless
all the money was in the bank. And we're afraid that if we wait until these -the next million comes in, it'll be another year, year and a half, the prices
will go up, and he says I'm afraid we may never build the stadium. Because when
the price goes up we need more money, you know, and that takes more time, and so
on. And he says I have a plan. I want to get ten people in Fresno to guarantee
100,000 dollars a person, bank guarantee to satisfy the state of California to
let us build -- start building. And we want to start building right away. We
have 6 million, we have this 1 million pledge -- or not pledge, but actually
guaran -- bank guarantee. And we want ten people to do that, would you be one of
those ten? You know, I said -- of course you couldn't turn him down, you know?
[Laughter]
>> Mike Nury: Leon was very hard to say no to.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Very persistent, huh?
>> Mike Nury: Very persistent, and, you know, he was such a persuasive man, and
goodwill, you know, that you couldn't say no to him, you know.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Mm-hmm.
>> Mike Nury: So I said sure. I'll personally guarantee. So Wells Fargo was
involved, and -- and Russell Giffen was involved, and other people. So they had
all these documents in Russell Giffen's office, we went and signed it up. And -and he got his million dollar guarantees, and they got the stadium going. And he
said, I have to tell you, you may have to pay this, but you may not. If my

pledges come in, we may not have to pay a dime. And we never
towards that guarantee. But he said, but you're obligated to
-- if the time comes, you know, and we don't have the money,
guaranteeing this university that you will put up the money.
signed these legal documents. I think it was 20, 25 pages of
We signed it up and gave it to him, and they got the stadium

did pay a dime
put up the money if
you are
And -- and so we
legal paper each.
going.

>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I -- I saw those names, because I was in the Governor's
office at the time.
>> Mike Nury: Oh were you?
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah, with Governor Deukmejian ->> Mike Nury: Oh yeah?
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- as his Secretary of Education. And that's why -- and
then I began to see the names of the people who ->> Mike Nury: Mm-hmm.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- 'cause then a lot of it was confidential ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, sure.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- as it -- as it went through. But you truly put your
money where your trust was. You would have ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- given anybody else but Leon S. Peters -- it showed
your faith and trust in Leon.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah, I -- I was ready to put up the money if the pledges didn't
come, you know.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right.
>> Mike Nury: It was a big ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>> Mike Nury: -- big commitment, you know ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>> Mike Nury: -- at that time, you know? And -- and I was willing to do it to
take care of his -- his particular demand, so.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And the whole community benefited [inaudible] ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, that's right. Exactly.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- 'cause they built it. And -- and -- and you were all
correct in a sense that the longer it was, the -- the more the -- the plan was
in jeopardy. Because cost --

>> Mike Nury: He said we would never get it built. If we have to wait another
year, the prices go up 2 million dollars, and then -- then we have to -- more
money to raise, and that takes more time. And ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>> Mike Nury: -- this is the way to do it. We got a good low bid right now, we
want to start building. But we need another million dollars.
[Laughter]
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well that was -- that was certainly significant. Now that
you look upon your relationship with Pete and Leon, what are the things that
come to your mind the most that you will always remember about that friendship?
If you had to pick two or three things that said, you know, you've said, you
know, he's a good businessman ->> Mike Nury: Mm-hmm.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- fair but hard ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- hard – harddriving, but honest.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah, well Leon and Pete, you know, they very sincere in their
pursuit of what -- whatever they're after. And -- and you respect them because
they give so much of their own money and time to philanthropic purposes, you
know? So -- so you have -- you have to respect them, you know, for that. And -and so our friendship was strengthened by that confidence in their goodwill, and
their philanthropic attitude. And -- and so just happened to like the people and
-- and work with them. And -- and he wasn't shy about coming asking for -[Laughter]
>> Mike Nury: -- for money, you know, like the hospital, you know, every time
they need money, you know, we -- he'd call up and as I said, you couldn't say no
to him. You know, you have to give him what he really wanted. So ->> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So he wasn't shy about doing it.
>> Mike Nury: No, no he wasn't. No he wasn't.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Okay.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah. You know, he -- he was a great guy and I loved the guy. And
-- and he was certainly a leader in the winery equipment business. You know, he
helped many, many wineries in California to grow to tremendous heights, you
know, and success. And -- and he was and he and Pete were really key factors in
-- in success of these wineries, including ours.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So that's -- that's important to know that -- that in
terms of the industry he also played a part ->> Mike Nury: Absolutely.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- in -- in developing --

>> Mike Nury: You bet, yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- the industry, working with ->> Mike Nury: Yeah, yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- the orders to -- to go.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah, he would -- they would do anything. You know, we wanted to
develop a piece of equipment, you had an idea, you go talk to them. And -- and - and they say yeah, that's a good idea. We'll -- we'll work with you. And we
developed jointly the -- the processing equipment that would work. And then -then he would sell it to other wineries as well. So -- so we had a good -- good
close relationship in business as well as in personal contacts.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Is there anything else that you would like to add that I
probably should have asked you but I didn't, regarding your relationship with
both Leon or Pete? You clearly have pointed out that he was an honest man, a
good businessman.
>> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But also in terms of gave to the community, he's
trustworthy, his word was ->> Mike Nury: Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- his bond.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well he broadened our spectrum too, in that -- in that we
had relationship -- business relationship with regard to wine business, and the
supplier/customer relationship. But he was also involved on other thing -- other
things he was involved in. University and the hospital, you know, museum, you
know, anything was going on, he was -- he had a hand in it, and he wasn't shy to
come in and try to ask people for help. And -- and he did that often, and we
were usually accommodating to him, to the extent that we were able to. Yeah.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Like you said, it was hard to say no to Leon and he
wasn't shy about asking.
>> Mike Nury: No, no, no. That's right, that's right.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well can we -- Mike, we want to thank you. We want to
thank you for your insights into Leon S. Peters, and -- and also for your
willingness to trust a friend. And thank goodness you didn't say no to Leon,
because all of us have benefited ->> Mike Nury: Absolutely.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- whether it's the Metropolitan Museum, Community
Hospital, or the University. It's folks like you that -- that tend to stay off
the radar screen, stay off in the recognition. But behind the scenes, if it
wasn't for your philanthropy and assistance, many of these projects wouldn't
have come off the ground.
>> Mike Nury: Well we -- we help -- help along the way.

>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So we want to thank you for -- for your -- for your
generosity ->> Mike Nury: You're welcome.
>> Dr. Peter G. Mehas: -- to the community, and for your insights into -- to
Leon S. Peters and Pete Peters.
>> Mike Nury: Thank you.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====

Item sets

Leon S. Peters Legacy Set