KELO is working on a story about a company expanding Downtown SF;
Docutap, a Sioux Falls technology company, will be leasing space in the old CNA Western Surety building on Phillips Avenue.
Docutap’s founder Eric McDonald says the company will be adding another 150 jobs in the next two to three years.
Hmm, that name sounds familiar;
Let’s look at the (DT 2025) committee the MAYOR has appointed;
Eric McDonald, co-founder of a medical document company
No worries, I don’t think anything nefarious is going on here, Eric will be owning a business DT and would make a good fit on the committee, I just found it a little funny that he was named to the committee before he announced he would be leasing property Downtown. I tried to figure out his connection to DT when he was appointed, I guess I got my answer.
Lewis,
When you did the post titled:
The DT SF 2025 committee, A Stacked Deck?
I found this comment to be very interesting.
#36 DTDweller on 10.06.13 at 11:45 am
Great, just the crew I want making decisions about what happens in my neighborhood.
Be weary of this McDonald character. Some would say he’s the devil in sheep’s clothing. He’s too busy playing god, doing exorcisms and forcing the leadership in his company to let him wash their feet. No skin in the DT game for this guy, why have him on the DT council?
We don’t need a bunch of religo/conservo-freaks deciding what happens downtown.
How do you spell oooh? As in disgusting.
I’d be weary of that McDonald guy too! He is totally a “devil in sheep’s clothing” (DTDWeller on 10.06.13). He has adopted 2 kids from China one of which needed needed open heart surgery as soon as they got back from China. These are clearly the actions of a “devil in sheep’s clothing”.
None, some people are easily scorned by other people’s success.
But I think where the commenter is coming from (but I am not sure) is that Eric is a neo-con. And I have known plenty of neo-cons who have adopted sick foreign children. That being said I think the person is saying they may be a ruthless business person. Gotta give him credit, he got appointed to the DT 2025 committee before he even signed a lease agreement with a company that hasn’t even signed a purchase agreement (this according to Schwan on the 100 Eyes show yesterday) Pretty shrewd.
I applaud Mr. McDonald for adopting his children from China. There’s no downside to that, however that’s not the subject of discussion here.
Yes, McDonald has done all of the right things to apply a superficial veneer of righteousness. From the outside he seems like a stand-up guy. He has a great sales pitch and is a gifted speaker.
Unfortunately his treatment of employees and outlook on business don’t match his sales pitch.
There’s too many details to go into but there are a growing number of former employees you could reach out to that could tell you a story or two. If you’re not in the prayer club you’re screwed. Lot’s of bad and borderline unethical business practices going on in that company and I’d recommend thinking twice if you’re considering going into business with this character. Ever listen to one of his interviews? Pay attention to the number of me, I and my’s. He seems to forget that there a lot of people busting their hump to make his business successful. Lot’s of empty promises from this man and his leadership.
When you mix cult-like religion with business bad things are bound to happen. For the record, I’m a Christian man but what’s going on out there is crazy plain and simple.
Who knows if that company is making money? They’re growing like crazy thanks to cash infusions from investors, but is the product profitable? I’m guessing we won’t know for a few more years. He’s just lucky money is being handed out like candy in the healthcare sector. His ship would have sunk long time ago in another sector.
l3wis – No, McDonald isn’t a neo-con DTDweller clearly has something out for him and is clearly providing incorrect information about him.
DTDweller – Latest video clip from this week on Kelo disproving your “I†and “Me†theory about McDonald.. http://www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/old-building-gets-new-high-tech-tenant/?id=154935
Number of times that McDonald refers to “I†or “me†= Zero.
Number of times that McDonald refers to “us†or “we†= 11 times.
It appears as though you are a disgruntled ex-employee or have something against his success. I’d rather not run through your entire list of additional untrue facts about the company or McDonald. It’s a great company with a great leader. Bummed that you feel differently.
What I think is cool is that McDonald was willing to commit to the city knowing that a deal wasn’t inked but that his word to move down there is just as strong. Maybe I’m the goofball but I think it takes a lot for him to commit to a 2025 Vision Committee without having an inked deal. It means that he has to really step up and make sure the deal happens. Is that shrewed or is it his way of committing to help invest into a community that invested into his company?
Either way, I (as a current DocuTAP employee) am really excited to make the move downtown!!
I know nothing about Mr. MacDonald. I just found it interesting that someone was able to get on this committee virtually coming out of nowhere. But it holds water for my philosophy that it is ‘who you know’ in this town, not ‘what you know’. As for being a Christian, I guess that is his business, none of mine, good for him. I just don’t have a lot of respect for politicians or businessmen who wear their religion on their sleeves to make personal gain in their professional lives. Not saying Eric is doing this, because I am hearing conflicting stories here.
DTDweller on 10.24.13 at 4:04 pm
there are a growing number of former employees you could reach out to that could tell you a story or two
Given the amount of influence Eric McDonald is going to have on the future of DT SF with the relocation of his company to the old CNA building, I wish those former employees would tell their first-hand stories for the benefit of taxpayers!!
McDonald reminds me of a local opportunistic businessman who would force employees out of the ‘family’ business. These soon to be former employees would be out when they would not accept the prays and praises before business meetings.
The opportunistic one wasted the family fortune on every scam he could come up with to look important. My father used to call people like him a “front pew” Christian. Make it look good while screwing everyone behind.