Milwaukee businessman Ab Nicholas and his wife, Nancy, are donating $10 million to create a center in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago for leadership development..
The Journal Sentinel reports:
To be called The Nicholas Center, the facility will hold overnight retreats and programs to develop leaders in the Episcopal church and foster vitality in congregations.
The facility is expected to open in 2014 at the St. James Commons in downtown Chicago and will also serve as the headquarters for Living Compass, now based in Glendale. That organization provides training and resources to support church leaders and members.
Ab Nicholas is the founder of Nicholas Company Inc., a Milwaukee-based investment advisory firm that manages the Nicholas’s mutual funds. The $10 million gift is the largest ever received by the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.
“In my life in the business world I have seen that effective leadership makes all the difference,” Ab Nicholas said. “I believe it is the same in the church.”
Nicholas managed about $3 billion of assets in mutual funds and individual accounts as of Dec. 31, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.