“Sarbanes Oxley, They’ve Got Moxie, But for Businesses, Their Act is Toxic…”

Joe Nocera’s New York Times business column recently addressed Sam Zell’s takeover of the Tribune Company, owner of The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, baseball’s Chicago Cubs, among other assets. In the article (“Offering a Lifeline of Sorts to Newspapers”) Nocera describes how the Tribune Company, a public company, will convert to an S corporation to be owned solely by an ESOP.

Nocera describes the 65 year-old Zell as, “a short gruff man….” who, “trends toward gold chains, colored shirts and jeans.” Fitting for a true artist.

He also describes Zell’s office as adorned with a collection of extravagant music boxes that Zell designs each year and sends to friends. I wish he’d put me on his Christmas list. Last year Zell designed a music box that plays a song sung by a man who sounds like Frank Sinatra and mocks the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation. The hyper-humorous lyrics to the song, which Zell wrote, are set to the melody of Sinatra’s classic rendition of “Love and Marriage.”

After reading Nocera’s article I visited the website where you too can sample some of Zell’s handiwork. Get ready to laugh out loud! Mr. Zell is one very funny man. Click here to visit www.yegsz.com.

©Copyright 2007 David A. Macchia. All rights reserved.