Craig Leipold is a successful businessman in his own right

Craig Leipold, by most accounts, is a successful businessman in his own right who just happens to have a little something extra in the family financial portfolio -- one of the richest spouses in the United States.

Leipold, the Wild's new owner, is married to an heir to the S.C. Johnson fortune, the Racine, Wis.-based manufacturer of cleaning (Pledge, Windex) and outdoor (Off, Raid) products.

Helen Johnson-Leipold, 50, is chair and CEO of Johnson outdoors. In 2007, she ranked 204th among the 400 wealthiest Americans as compiled by Forbes magazine with a net worth of $2.2 billion.

But Leipold, 55, is no slouch in the business world either. His 1997 purchase of the Nashville Predators netted Leipold upward of $30 million, or three times his initial investment, according to published reports, when he sold it for $193 million late last year.

Although he disputed some of the calculations used by the Nashville Tennessean in estimating his profit, Leipold didn't dispute that he came out in the black on the deal even though operating losses for the club totalled $70 million during his tenure.

"I made money," Leipold told reporters Thursday after he was introduced as the Wild's new majority owner.

Leipold, who initially was looking to buy a semipro basketball team, heard of the hockey opportunity in 1996 in Nashville where a new arena was being built. He shrewdly partnered with Gaylord Entertainment, the Nashville company that runs the Grand Old Opry and operates cable television's Nashville Network and Country Music Television, and obtained the NHL expansion team for $75 million.

Leipold helped finance his stake in the Predators by selling half of his interest in Rainfair, Inc., of Racine, to LaCrosse Footwear for $10 million. Leipold later sold the remaining 50 percent to LaCrosse for an additional $8 million.

Once skates hit the ice, Leipold became a Nashville resident by proxy, renting a five-bedroom apartment near the hockey arena and attending virtually every home game. During the Predators' inaugural season, Leipold was named Sports Person of the Year by the Nashville Sports Council. In 1999, he was named Easter Seals Nashvillian of the year and the Nashville Father's Day Council named him father of the year (he has three sons with wife Helen and two from a previous marriage).

Leipold strongly indicated Thursday that he would become a hockey-season resident of St. Paul as well. He said he would buy "a place" in downtown St. Paul and be a fixture at the Xcel Energy Center with his sons.

Leipold also said he has asked the Wild's nearly two dozen minority investors, as well as current owner Bob Naegele, to remain as partners.

Jac Sperling, vice chair of the Wild's parent company, Minnesota Sports and Entertainment, said he did other deals with Leipold "before hockey" and that Leipold is very similar to Naegele in terms of love of the game, commitment to the community and responsibility to the fans.

As a corporate executive, Leipold is active in management but not overly hands on, Sperling said.

"He's smart. He understands marketing and sales and putting the customer first," Sperling said. "He's good at hiring talented people and giving them the authority to do their job. He's a good delegator."

Leipold attended his introductory news conference in a dark suit with a pale blue and yellow dress shirt absent a tie. He spoke forcefully about his love of hockey and his admiration of the Wild operation.

"You don't want to mess with this franchise," he told reporters.

Leipold also talked about the importance of a positive culture in business and in professional sports.

"In the businesses I've been in, culture is a lot about what I do," Leipold said. "This is a fantastic culture [in the Wild]. This is a winning culture. ... My eyes are wide open and I know the challenge to continue that culture. It's not just about winning on ice, but winning in life, too."

David Phelps • 612-673-7269 John Wareham helped research this story.