Wolves co-founder Harvey Ratner dies at 79 http://www.startribune.com/511/story/399752.html For most of their lives, they walked together. From elementary school on the north side of Minneapolis, to high school, college and, for more than 50 years in business, it was always Harvey Ratner and Marvin Wolfenson. Harv and Marv. Until now. Ratner, half of the team that returned the National Basketball Association to the Twin Cities, died Friday morning in his St. Louis Park home after a long struggle with cancer. He was 79. "I loved him like a brother," said Wolfenson from his winter home in La Jolla, Calif. In a lifetime of uncommon success, bold moves and quiet philanthropy, Ratner was clear on one issue: "My brother asked him what achievement he was most proud of," said Ratner's son, Mark. "And he said it was bringing pro basketball back to Minneapolis." Ratner and Wolfenson prospered in real estate, and they founded and developed the Northwest Racquet, Swim and Health Clubs. But they are best known for the Timberwolves, who started playing in 1989, nearly 30 years after the Lakers left Minneapolis for Los Angeles. "I know they were partners for 50 years and never had an argument," said Elayne Wolfenson, Marvin's wife. "There are some people you meet in life who are just precious treasures. Harvey was a precious treasure." Ratner served in the U.S. Navy in World War II. Soon after it ended he and Wolfenson each put $500 into a fledgling real estate business that blossomed into the largest family-owned apartment group in the Upper Midwest. They did it all with a simple business philosophy: If one objected to an idea, they wouldn't do it. So when Wolfenson decided to go for an NBA expansion team, Harvey went along. "Harv was a little hesitant," said Bob Stein, the Timberwolves inaugural CEO and president. "But he wouldn't not support anything that was important to Marv." Said Mark Ratner of his father: "He was the quieter of the two, and probably the more conservative, in terms of his approach to business. There is a famous quote from the mid-'80s, when they were making a bid for the [Timberwolves]. He said he'd be happy if they won the bid and happier if they didn't." It's a quote that shows Ratner's dry humor. Still, the partners were awarded the franchise in 1987 and the team began playing two years later. Ratner and Wolfenson also built the Target Center, a process that turned out to be difficult. The cost of building continued to increase as the project went on. When Midwest Federal, the lender, went under, Ratner and Wolfenson took an unexpected $15 million hit after buying bad debentures from the savings and loan. Ultimately, the building project proved to be a bigger drain than the $32.5 million franchise cost. By 1993, Ratner and Wolfenson were looking to get out of the basketball business, shopping the team and working to sell the arena to the city of Minneapolis. After an offer by a Louisiana group to buy the team was disallowed by the NBA, the pair sold the Timberwolves to Glen Taylor in 1994. Target Center was sold to the city. "I found [Ratner] to be a very up-front type of guy," Taylor said. "There was no hidden agenda. ... From the meetings we had [to buy the team], we became friends. They ventured into unknown land, and they were the guys who brought a team back to Minnesota." Even after it was over, Ratner's humor shined through. Ratner always joked that he wanted to thank his partner for getting him into the Timberwolves. "It made me a millionaire," he'd say. Then, after a pause: "Of course, I was a multi-millionaire before we did it." "They went through some very exhilarating times and some difficult times with it," Mark Ratner said. "In the end, I think he was happy he did it. It was not an easy thing; they bet their net worth on that whole venture. It was a wild ride." There is a plaque on the wall at Target Center, inside the main entrance. It reads, simply: "The primary purpose of this arena is for the entertainment of the people of Minnesota." It is signed by the Ratner and Wolfenson families. When the arena and team were sold, Ratner and Wolfenson made sure that the plaque would remain on the wall. "Besides being an extremely bright guy, he was extremely loyal," Stein said. "And he was proud of building the Target Center, the impact it had on the city. Who has that much impact? Not many people. They were both proud of that, in a locally patriotic way." Ratner is survived by his wife, Barbara, and four children. Funeral services are scheduled for Sunday. --

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