Mormons are only 1.4% of Americans, but the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is characterized by increased business interest in various areas, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Farming: industry sources say that the Mormon Church has over 1 million acres on continental America in farms, orchards and hunting reserves. It also owns land in Australia, Britain, Brazil, Canada, Argentina and Mexico. “Desert Ranch”, a 280,000-acre farm in Florida, has 44,000 cows and 1,300 bulls.
City Creek Center: a mega-mall opened in March across the street from the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City. The estimated cost of the mall, with retractable glass roof and wells that provide water and fire shows, was $2 billion.
Real estate: aside from malls, the organization’s business includes ownership and management of residential buildings, parking lots and many other real estate properties.
Hawaii Reserves: a company producing consistent profits for the Mormon Church, controls a company doing business with water, sewerage and two cemeteries.
Insurance: Beneficial Financial Group, a company that in 2010 had assets worth $3.3 billion and a net income of $17 million, according to the Utah Insurance Department.
Media: Deseret Management Corporation, a company owned by Mormons, has several subsidiaries operating in newspapers, a television channel, 11 radio stations, a distribution publishing company and more. Last year, the Mormon Church has sold 17 radio stations for $505 million dollars.
Deseret Books – publisher of religious books and books addressed to “audiences with values and principles”. Topics covered are faith, family, marriage or battle between good and evil. The printing company, Shadow Mountain, sells books in Desert Book stores and other larger stores such as Wal-Mart.
Polynesian Cultural Center: located on the island of Oahu, Hawaii covers 40 acres and includes seven Polynesian villages. Tickets cost between $40 and $230. According to the tax declaration for 2010, the center had assets worth $70 million with income from ticket sales of $23 million and $36 million from donations.
Ensign Peak Advisors: an investment fund of the Mormon Church. One of its leaders said in 2006 that “billions of dollars are traded by the fund every day.”
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