Chapter 282: Golf Clubs?

Ivanka Trump suddenly brought up Jared Kushner out of nowhere.

"Why are you talking about him?" Charles Capet asked, taking a sip of red wine.

Ivanka glanced at Charles. "The Kushner Group made a big move in New York recently."

"What kind of big move?"

"The Kushner Real Estate Group purchased a 41-story skyscraper at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York for a record-breaking price of $1.8 billion!" Ivanka laughed as she spoke.

"The 666 Fifth Avenue building, completed in 1957, isn't particularly eye-catching, but it's in a prime location!"

Charles couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself, Kushners are such fools. "Not bad," he remarked.

"So, I have my own plans. Jared Kushner led this deal. I want to discuss potential collaborations with you!" Ivanka seemed a bit inspired. After all, compared to the Trump Group, the Kushner Group was less impressive.

"Me? I don't know anything about real estate," Charles smiled and then reminded her. "The Kushner Group took out a mortgage for this purchase, right?"

"The Kushner Group only paid $50 million in cash as a down payment, plus $535 million short-term high-interest loans from a group of investors, including a $135 million loan from SL Green Realty and a $1.215 billion mortgage!" Ivanka didn't hide anything.

"Pfft," Charles couldn't help but laugh. The subprime mortgage crisis would hit in a few months. Could the heavily indebted Kushner Group have any future?

"Jared Kushner sold quite a few properties in New Jersey to raise $100 million, and another $50 million was invested in the Madoff Fund," Ivanka continued.

"Ah, that," Charles looked at Ivanka.

"You mentioned before that Jared Kushner is Jewish, so it's not difficult for him to get into the Madoff Investment Fund," Ivanka said and then looked at Charles again.

"Jared Kushner doesn't like you, you know. Because you invested in The Passion of the Christ, he never had a good impression of you. And you outbid him for The New York Observer, ruining his family's plans!"

Charles waved his hand, completely unconcerned. "No matter. I never took the Kushner Group seriously. But you, if you're thinking about doing some real estate business, you should wait a bit!

It's not like you are running the Trump Group. Jared Kushner is now the CEO of the Kushner Group, while you're just a vice president at the Trump Group."

Ivanka was taken aback. "I can still give my father some advice. The Trump Group manages quite a few hotels and apartment buildings now!"

Charles stroked his chin. Indeed, the Trump Group had many branded buildings in the U.S., even if their shareholdings were small; it was still managed under the Trump name.

"I remember the Trump Group operates several golf clubs, right?" Charles asked.

Ivanka nodded. "My father loves golf. In 1999, he acquired the Trump West Palm Beach Golf Club in Florida; in 2002, he took over the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester, New York; by 2004, the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, opened; and in 2005, the Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles opened too."

Charles nodded. The Trump Group owned over 500 related companies, with Trump Real Estate, Trump Hotel Management, and Trump Golf Resorts being the most important segments.

"Charles, are you interested in golf clubs too?" Ivanka asked.

Charles nodded. "A little bit. It's a good place to discuss business with other companies."

"We can cooperate on running a large golf club and hotel resort!" Ivanka immediately suggested.

"You want your own business too, right? If we jointly acquire a golf club and put you in charge of managing it, will you handle it?" Charles asked with a smile.

After all, what Charles wanted most was a movie theme park resort. Golf clubs were usually membership-based, and their investment and earnings were no match for the movie theme park resort model.

Capet Pictures' main business was movies!

"I can do it. I'll get my father to support me with some funds. Golf courses and resort villas, I'm experienced in that," Ivanka said, indicating she would take on an overall coordination role but would have professionals manage the operations.

Charles nodded, as long as the Trump name wasn't involved, he was fine with it.

"You might want to check out the golf clubs near major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. If they're poorly managed, or the owners lack funds, or the facilities are outdated, we can analyze and then acquire, renovate..."

Charles and Ivanka had dinner and discussed some investment matters.

However, Charles didn't take Ivanka's ideas seriously. He knew her well enough, and her ventures into clothing, shoes, and bags hadn't made any progress. Other ideas were even less worth considering.

But in the field of real estate management and golf clubs, her father, Trump, surely had plenty of experience to share.

When she returned, Ivanka would certainly seek her father's advice on such investment matters. After all, being a real estate tycoon in New York, he had an eye for opportunities.

That night, they drove back to the Capet estate in Beverly Hills.

*****

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