Monaghan recounts life from orphan to AMU founder

As he flashed the green inner lining of his black blazer, assuring his audience that he was just, “an Irishman making Italian pizza,” Domino’s Pizza founder Thomas Monaghan provoked hearty laughter from nearly 400 government leaders gathered Thursday at a convention on Marco Island.

The laughter rarely ceased throughout the 69-year-old multimillionaire’s 20-minute speech about his climb to the top from an Ann Arbor, Mich., orphanage to owning one of the most successful pizza chains in the United States.

Though his message of honesty and hard work was serious, Monaghan made light of his success, calling it “a combination of stupidity and luck.”

“I made every mistake in the book,” he said. “But I guess we did a few things right.”

Monaghan’s speech at the Florida Association of Counties luncheon turned out to be the brief autobiography of a man who accomplished two of his life’s dreams — the first being the ownership of a successful pizza business.

The second is even more well-known in Collier County, which hosted the three-day conference of county leaders from throughout Florida.

Monaghan opened the doors of Ave Maria University, the Catholic university he founded, and is now the chancellor of, at its temporary site in Collier County in 2003. He is at work now building the town of Ave Maria to complement the college’s permanent campus in eastern Collier County.

“I felt that there was a need for a Catholic school that didn’t compromise its faith, and didn’t compromise its academics, either,” Monaghan told the crowd. “I think we’re off to a pretty good start.”

Monaghan spoke at the luncheon at the request of Collier County Commissioner Frank Halas.

“He seemed to me to be a very humble person, and he had a story to tell that I thought people here should hear,” Halas said.

“Obviously, it turned out very well.”

Without using too many numbers, Monaghan explained his jump from 300 Domino’s stores in 1980 to 5,000 in 1990 was mainly the result of honest business practices.

“I never cheated anybody. I’ve always paid every cent I’ve owed,” he said. “I’ve never treated anyone unfairly.”

Monaghan also explained his mix of business and pleasure, purchasing the Detroit Tigers in the 1980s for $54 million — about $34 million more than they were probably worth at the time, he said.

“Funnily enough, the year I bought them, we broke attendance records and won the World Series,” he said, flashing a mischievous grin.

Halas said he felt the crowd was wowed by Monaghan’s success and integrity.

“It’s the American dream: If you can dream something, you can do it,” Halas said. “He accomplished two dreams, and he was honest.

“It was inspirational.”

Monaghan heaped his praises on the convention’s host site, saying Collier County was the best place in the world for Ave Maria.

“We were outgrowing our Ann Arbor (Mich.) campus, and getting nowhere with the permitting, so I thought, ‘Why not go where it is best for the university?’” he said.

“Right away, I knew that the best was Naples.”