Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics today announced another multimillion-dollar gift towards the completion of the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center. CA Ventures, a real estate investment company founded by University of Illinois alumnus Tom Scott, has pledged $2.5 million to the state-of-the-art football facility, bringing DIA's total announced fundraising effort to $28.175 million. The athletic program is now less than $2 million away from its philanthropic goal of $30 million for the project.
Founded in 2004, CA Ventures is a Chicago-based real estate investment holding company whose international portfolio includes $8 billion in assets throughout the U.S., Europe and Latin America.
"As a real estate investor that has completed numerous developments across the country – many in college towns like Champaign – CA Ventures has a keen appreciation for what it takes to finance and build meaningful projects like the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center," said Scott. "We are honored to help the University realize its vision for one of the most advanced sports training facilities in the country. This new centerpiece of the football program will support the recruitment and advancement of top student-athletes for years to come."
Tom Scott, founder and CEO of CA Ventures, is an Urbana native and a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Illinois. As a member of the University of Illinois President's Council, lifetime member of the University of Illinois Alumni Association, and member of the University of Illinois Foundation, he is committed to the pursuit and progress of higher education. Along with his wife, Julie, Tom advanced their passion for scholastic achievement and founded the Scott Family Foundation in 2010. Together, they are highly involved with the University of Illinois on many levels.
Julie Scott is also a proud graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, in Accountancy and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Illinois. Julie serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business Alumni Association, consisting of over 60,000 Business alumni worldwide, and is its Immediate Past President. In addition, she serves on the Gies College of Business Dean's Business Council. At the University-wide system level, she also serves on the Board of Directors for the University of Illinois Alumni Association Alliance overseeing all three campuses and over 770,000 alumni globally, where she sits on the Operations Committee. Along with her husband, Tom, she is also a member of the University of Illinois President's Council and the University of Illinois Foundation.
Julie is the President of CTS Impact, a hands-on business consulting firm she founded in 2002. Along with the CTS Impact team, she advises Fortune 1000 clients on a wide array of business and systems integration by leveraging the firm's unique industry-experienced business model to offer innovative and practical solutions.
"Tom and Julie have been incredibly generous and committed members of the Illini Family, and today's gift illustrates their strong passion for, and loyalty to, their alma mater," Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said. "They see the bigger picture of how a successful athletic program – and, in particular, a successful football program – can raise the overall profile of our University, leading to a more vibrant, talented, and resourceful institution. We can't thank them enough for their belief in how we're building this football program and their willingness to provide the resources needed to be successful at the highest level."
The Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center will be a 107,650-square-foot facility adjoining the south end of the Irwin Indoor Practice Facility. The facility will feature new and expanded strength and conditioning and sports medicine space, coaches' offices, position meeting rooms, player development areas, locker rooms, and other areas for recruiting and prospect hosting. Construction of the new $80 million football performance center will be completed prior to the 2019 season.
The $2.5 million gift from CA Ventures counts toward the $300 million fundraising goal for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, which is part of "With Illinois," the recently announced $2.25 billion University-wide fundraising campaign.
About CA Ventures:
CA Ventures LLC is a Chicago-based real estate investment holding company whose international portfolio includes $8 billion in assets throughout the U.S., Europe and Latin America. While initially focused on student housing, CA Ventures has since diversified into other sectors, including multifamily, senior living, office and industrial. In addition to development and renovation, the firm specializes in institutional joint ventures; value-add investing; equity and debt sourcing; and asset management services. CA Ventures serves as the holding company for the CA family of companies, including CA Student Living, CA Residential, CA Senior Living, CAV International, CA Industrial, and CA Office / Vanderbilt Partners. For more information, visit www.ca-ventures.com.
