P. T. Brent

Patrick Timothy Brent is an American businessman, who was born and raised in Chicago. After his business and entrepreneurial years, Mr. Brent became well known for his journalism and published works.

Family
Born Patrick C. Monahan, was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother Laura Mable Todd. Patrick Monahan became Patrick Timothy Brent at the age of fourteen when adopted by a career Marine Robert S. Brent. Mr. Brent has one daughter Laura Brent Walker who has an MBA in marketing. Brent has one son in law, Benjamin R. Walker, Marine Corps 2nd lieutenant, honor graduate Marine Corps The Basic School. Brent also mentored his nephew, now a career Marine, Thomas Prentice.

Education
Born in Chicago Illinois, Brent is the product of the Catholic educational system. These years including St. Patrick's High School; Loyola University Chicago; two years of Catholic seminary (where he suffered expulsion), and post graduate computer studies at the University of

Military
Patrick Brent served as an infantry Marine in the 2nd Battalion 24th Marines

Journalism
P.T. Brent has written approximately 150 stories for UPI, Honolulu Star Bulletin and Leatherneck (the national magazine of the Marine Corps). His journalism career began in 2003 when he was assigned as an embedded reporter with Marines in Kuwait and Iraq. He made a total of three trips as an embedded journalist sending breaking news and home town stories about our armed forces, primarily with infantry Marines in combat in Iraq, Afghanistan and Djibouti Africa. He also writes for Midweek.

Many stories were published under the pseudonym Tim Monaghan.

P.T. Brent has also published two books in his own name, including "29"

Business career
During college years in Chicago, Brent worked the night shift at several hotels as an auditor and became familiar with NCR accounting machines and computers. Mr. Brent was initially hired by NCR as a programmer for accounting machines and computers (hotel and hospital systems). Three years later he moved to University Company in Chicago; where he received a series of promotions leading to regional manager and was based in Houston. Five years hence he relocated to San Francisco, where he founded the first of several computer service companies. In four years, Western Twenty-nine, Inc. grew into a profitable operation with revenues exceeding twenty- eight million dollars, and serving customers in over thirty states and Canada and Europe. The company pioneered data communications between nine major airlines and designed the first reservation and accounting system for travel agents. A few years later a division of the McDonnell-Douglas Corporation acquired the company.

Subsequently, Patrick Brent became President of CRS, Inc. (the computer subsidiary of the Charles Schwab & company) undertaking its reorganization and sale. CRS was sold to National Data Corporation at which time he founded and became CEO and Chairman of Hamilton Taft & Company.

Hamilton Taft & Company originated computer services for payroll tax reporting and processing trust funds exceeding four billion dollars annually throughout the United States. The company had over five hundred major corporations as clients, and had assets worth approximately eighty million dollars. It was acquired by CIGNA in 1984.

Subsequently, Patrick Brent founded the Laura Todd Cookie Company, which was named after his grandmother. In 1987 he sold the majority of stock to the San Francisco Sourdough Company. Laura Todd has one location in Chicago, four in California, and eleven in Europe.

From 1985 to 1999 Brent created both Baldwin Forrester Company (San Francisco) an Information System Consultant Firm and Bradford Adams & company (Palo Alto) a Digital Publishing Firm.

In 1989 Patrick Brent, as CEO, spearheaded a turnaround of Windjammer Cruises in Hawaii. From 1992 to 1994 he reorganized and then sold the assets of Stellar Net, Inc. to Envoy Corporation. Later with partner James Patrick Sharp, Brent became the co founder of Sharp 29, Inc in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Brent is an Investor/Partner in Waikiki Marina & Ala Moana Hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii.

In 2007, Brent established a long term visitor center at Pearl harbor – Hawaii. The neighboring/attractions convinced the U S Navy to force Brent and his partner corporation – Hunt Building to cancel operations and relinquish the area to the National Park Service. The waterside U S Marine Corps owned Bronze remembrance was permitted to remain by the Park Service and the Navy.

Other activities
Patrick Brent has been a Director in the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, the Marine Corps University foundation, and a member of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation Founders Group. Has served for more than 15 years as a trustee of the summer camp for teenagers at Camp Pendleton, California known as Devil Pups of America. He founded and sponsored the Annual Irish Sprint in San Francisco and Hawaii since 1979. An avid runner, he has successfully completed sixteen marathons, including two in Boston, two in Honolulu, and two Marine Corps marathons. He swims competitively, plays tennis and polo. One of the founders of Eldorado, Honolulu, and San Diego Polo Clubs. Played for 29 years and was elected as Governor of the western polo circuit for eight years. Created the first movie on Polo Fundamentals as well as published POLO Gazette.