RALEIGH — Carolina Hurricanes majority owner Peter Karmanos Jr. said today he believes he is closer to securing an investor or a group of investors in the NHL team.
"I think so, yes," Karmanos said in an interview. "It could happen in the next three to six months, but there's no rush.
"I'm taking my time to find the right one. I want people from the Raleigh area, because I think having more community involvement will help."
Karmanos is seeking to sell 49 percent of the Hurricanes, and hired Allen & Co., a New York investment firm to help locate and negotiate with potential investors. Thomas Thewes, Karmanos' former business partner and Hurricanes part-owner, died in September 2008 and Karmanos has said he is helping to sell Thewes' portion of the team for estate purposes.
Asked if he still hoped to sell 49 percent, he said, "It depends on what I feel like doing. In any case, I'm going to retain control, even if I sell 70-some percent."
Karmanos said he hoped to gather with potential investors before the Sunday All-Star Game at the RBC Center. He did not name any of those who might be interested in buying into the team.
Karmanos is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Compuware, the Detroit-based software firm. He said he planned to retire from the company March 31, 2013 and would move to Raleigh.
"I plan to spend a lot of time here and with this franchise," he said.
Karmanos said the sluggishness of the economy has not hurt in identifying potential investors, but said it has not helped.
"I think everybody is still nervous about a lot of things," he said.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at