From MLB To Hollywood: Where The Pohlad Family Makes Their Money

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Speculation about the Pohlad family’s finances has intensified since their effort to sell the Minnesota Twins fell through.

Carl Pohlad bought the franchise in 1984 for $44 million. Four decades later, with the team under family control ever since, the Pohlads began exploring a sale at the end of last season.

But potential buyers were reportedly deterred by the team’s heavy debt load.

The family’s business roots go back to the Great Depression, when Carl worked in banking as a teenager, collecting on loans.

After serving in World War II and earning three Purple Hearts, he built his fortune through banks, car dealerships, real estate, and a Pepsi bottling business.

By the time he died in 2009 at age 93, his net worth topped $3 billion, the Star Tribune reported.

His sons, Jim, Bill, and Bob, now manage the remaining holdings, which span a mix of legacy assets, niche ventures, and personal projects.

Over the years, the family has sold major assets, including PepsiAmericas, Marquette Financial, and Carousel Motor Group.

What remains is a broad portfolio shaped more by Carl Pohlad’s decades of dealmaking than by a single corporate strategy:

Minnesota Twins – The family’s Major League Baseball franchise, purchased by Carl Pohlad in 1984. The team won the World Series in 1987 and 1991.

Pohlad Investment Management – The family’s private asset management office, with investments in public equities, fixed income, and private companies. It also oversees the investment portfolio of the Pohlad Family Foundation.

River Road Entertainment – An independent film production company founded by Bill Pohlad. Its projects include 12 Years a Slave, Brokeback Mountain, Love & Mercy, and Dreamin’ Wild.

PAR Systems – A robotics and automation firm with work spanning medical device manufacturing, clean energy, space exploration, and U.S. Navy ship systems.

United Properties – A commercial real estate company with more than a century in operation, developing and managing projects in office, industrial, retail, mixed-use, and senior housing sectors.

Northmarq – A commercial real estate finance and investment firm with a loan servicing portfolio valued at $76 billion.

Whether the Twins stay in the family for another generation or eventually change hands, the Pohlads’ influence on Minnesota’s business and sports landscape remains deeply rooted for better or worse.

Frustrated Twins fans looking to boycott the family’s businesses will find it difficult because most of their holdings are in private investment, real estate, and niche industries rather than consumer retail.