Does anyone have that picture of the marines in Iraq who sent Kerry a misspelled message when he said that our fighting forces were dumb?
If you Google the address for listed owner of the yacht - Great Point LLC - 625 LIBERTY AVE SUITE 3200, Pittsburgh, PA you find that the entity located in that location is one named Sustainable Technology Capital. The companies website describes itself as is a “cleantech investment advisory and asset acquisition firm for venture capital funds, founded by André Heinz.”
Andre Heinz is second child (born 9 December 1969) to Teresa and the late John Heinz III. Also located in Pittsburgh’s Dominion Tower at 625 Liberty Ave is the office of the Heinz Endowments. They consist of two seperate foundations: the Howard Heinz Endowment and the Vira I. Heinz Endowment. Together these two organizations dispense 60 million dolloars per year in grants. These endowments were seeded with money from the Heinz family and currently list Teresa Heinz as the chariman and Andre Heinz as the director. Isabel however, receives no mention.
So it can probably be said with some assurance that the lovely ‘Isabel’ is owned by some entity under the Heinz umbrella. No big story there. If the sloop is to be chartered out as was indicated by Kerry’s chief of staff, it would be unwise to own it personally due to liability issues. If it’s owned by the Heinz endowments it could be used for business purposes, the profits from chartering it could be used to help fund the endowments. There are many perfectly legal and legitimate reasons why a the boat would be owned by an LLC and not by either Kerry or Heinz personally. Great Point LLC can choose to berth it’s boat anywhere it wants. Presumably, as a legal entity of Pennsylvania it wouldn’t be liable for Massachusetts sales tax. Maybe PA sales tax. So why, when first asked about the boat didn’t senator Kerry simplys say that it is owned by the Heinz Endowments and that the couple occasionally use it when they are vacationing at their $9 million ocean-front home on Nantucket? If Great Point LLC is own by Teresa or her son, or some combination thereof then why not just come out and say it. Afterall, Teresa’s tax home is Pennsylvania not Massachusetts. Again the tax would not apply.