Frank Thomas-Led Venture Buys 'Field Of Dreams' Site

DYERSVILLE, IA — “We are confident that people will come. They will most definitely come,” White Sox legend Frank Thomas said Thursday in front of a wooden sign reading, “If you build it…”

Thomas made that pronouncement at a news conference in Dyersville, Iowa, home of the iconic “Field of Dreams.” On Thursday, the Hall of Famer announced that his venture, This is Heaven LLC, has purchased the controlling interest in the company that owns the Field of Dreams Movie Site, where the 1989 Academy Award-nominated Kevin Costner film was set.

The site is also just a short walk from the recently-constructed 8,000-seat ballpark where the White Sox beat the New York Yankees on Aug. 12 in a game dubbed the “Field of Dreams” game.

Related:

Anderson’s Homer Ends Field Of Dreams Game With White Sox Win

This is Heaven LLC, a venture between Thomas and Chicago real estate developer and entrepreneur Thomas Heidner, purchased the site and all of the controlling interests in Go the Distance Baseball, owned by the late Oak Lawn health care consultant and entrepreneur Denise Stillman. In 2011, Stillman and a group of investors purchased the set and the surrounding 193 acres with the goal of turning it into a hub for youth baseball tournaments. Stillman spent years trying to bring an MLB game to Iowa, but died of cancer in 2018 before she could see it come to fruition.

Thomas, a two-time MVP and five-time All-Star during a distinguished 19-year baseball career, said Thursday in Dyersville that he is excited to continue Stillman’s vision of the site as a “baseball mecca.”

“I am excited to lead the future development and expansion of the Field of Dreams to make it a unique baseball destination and experience for us all, while also preserving the dream and enhancing the vision that Denise brought to this cornfield a decade ago,” he said at a news conference attended by his business partners and community leaders from the Dyersville area. “This is Heaven is a venture of partners with the baseball knowledge and acumen, combined with experience in real estate development and capital resources needed to make Denise and her family’s dreams a reality.”

Thomas will serve as CEO of This is Heaven, while former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Dan Evans will serve as chief operating officer, according to a news release. The name of the company is an affirmative nod to the famous line in the movie, when Kevin Costner’s father asked, “Is this heaven?”

“We named our venture This is Heaven because it captures the feeling we have towards this sacred shrine...that reminds us all of what was once good, and could be good again,” Thomas said Thursday.

On Aug. 12, Costner himself asked the question to 8,000 cheering fans, and then answered, “Yes, it is.” That day was at least heaven for White Sox fans, who eked out a 9-8 win against the Yankees, thus winning the first-ever game played at the Field of Dreams site. The MLB has since announced that the Cubs will play the Cincinnati Reds in August 2022.

“The time is right to move forward, to put in place a team with the resources to make things happen and a team with the baseball and business experience to do it right,” Tom Mietzel, Stillman’s widower and the trustee of the Denise M. Stillman Trust, said in a news release. “The family is confident that we found a buyer that will honor Denise’s legacy and vision for the Field of Dreams.”