Bullding a Greater Family

"I'll call when I can. I've got to go. Bye."

I parked my car in the lot and was knocking on Vicki's door at ten until eight. She opened the door and said, "You're early. I like that but wasn't expecting it. Count to five and come in. I will be out in ten minutes." I counted to five slowly and then entered her room. She obviously was in the bathroom getting ready. Coffee was made, so I poured myself a cup. A moment later, an arm appeared from the bathroom and her voice said, "Refill." I took the cup and a moment later, I carefully put a full cup back in her hand. "Thank you. This will insure that I have a smile on my face when I come out. Be ready." I was ready.

She came out in a nice sun dress that proved that she had a great figure. Her smile was just as bright as her sun dress. It was an easy move to take her in my arms and give her a good morning kiss. It lasted just longer than the one last night. "That is the right way to start the day. Are you ready for breakfast? They have a buffet, so we won't have to wait."

"Then let's attack the buffet."

As we ate, Vicki asked, "Did you have any problems with your cousin by getting home late last night?"

"No, not at all. She didn't get home until after I did. She had dinner with one of her clients and may have met an even better one."

"Tell me about it."

"Her client brought her brother who just sold his business and is moving back here. He wants to put a couple of million away for the long term but is also looking for some short-term investment possibilities too. She is going to talk to her boss about that. She hasn't gotten into the short-term things yet."

Vicki thought for a moment and then said, "That is what this new program is all about. Why don't you tell her to bring him to the reception next Friday? I'd like to meet him and her and perhaps introduce the program to both of them early."

"I'll tell her. She would be coming alone anyway since her husband will be out of town for a couple of weeks."

"That's fine. The main reason I want to ask the spouses is to make sure that they support their spouse during this transition period. No one is going to lose their job unless they want to and the future could be much brighter for everyone. Did you call the receptionist?"

"Yes, I did and got a rather rude response. She thought I was a guy who hit on her in a club last night and she gave me a full ration of female anger before I could tell her who I was. Then she apologized."

Vicki laughed. "I understand that perfectly. So tell me about her personally. Is she married?"

I grimaced before I answered, "Yes but let's say that it is tenuous at the moment."

"Explain."

"When I met her two years ago, she referred to him as dumbass. Now she refers to him as dipshit. I met him once and her latest description fits him very nicely."

"Then she will be working during the reception and therefore her spouse doesn't need to attend."

"Good move unless you want to spend the evening fighting off a drunk who will try everything to get inside your panties."

"All right; he is not welcome at the office anytime."

"By the way, her name is Marla Dixon. She said that if she gets a good job, she will file for divorce. Don't judge her on this though. Her other assets more than make up for what she has at home."

"I understand that completely. How is she to work with?"

"Officially, she is very professional and polished. When she gets comfortable with you and you with her, she will be more direct and blunt than I am in private."

"Oh good. One bullshit detector is good; two are even better. I take it that the two of you can work well together?"

"That is an understatement. She fills in some of the gaps I have and I can fill in things for her. I can honestly look you in the eye and say that we are a good team."

"That is what I want to hear. I like teamwork both with me and in routine matters. We will talk about that some more later. Now, let's go see what we can find in Turtle Creek."

The drive to our meeting place with the agent only took ten minutes. We then spent twenty minutes with Vicki telling the woman what we were looking for. She was a much better listener than the one yesterday. She responded that she had three properties that we could see today and if we didn't like those, she could have several more next week when Vicki came back. The first one was a stand-alone building that might have worked except the whole interior would have to be redone and there would be more space than we needed. The second one was on the third floor of a five story building and it showed promise with couple of walls moved and new carpet and paint. Then she led us to the third one.

"I saved this one until last because you are either going to love it or hate it when you first see it." She led us up the elevator to the fifth and top floor. Once we left the elevator, we were in a small area with two doors on each side and a glass wall and door in front. She opened the glass door and led us inside. "This is the reception area and the office back there is the only office here. There is a small storage room over here. The man, who used this office, used it only to receive visitors for his oil and gas business. Let's go next door."

We went back into the entry way and she opened one of the doors. "This was a small office for a salesman. It has two offices here and a storeroom here that backs up to the one next door. The thing is that if this wall comes down and a doorway is put in here, this would be about the right size for the conference room you want. You also have access to the roof patio from the back office. Let's go see other office." We crossed the foyer again and entered a larger space. "This side had three good sized offices and a larger storeroom or computer room. Again, a doorway put in here also opens into the center office. All three of these offices open out onto the patio too. These have been vacant for over a year. The people who look at it love the location and the patio but they need more offices or more space. From what you described, this would be a perfect place for you unless you expect to expand significantly."

I could see everything she described and could easily see that this was very workable for what Vicki had described. I looked at her and found her looking at me. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Well?"

I got the feeling that Vicki was going to solicit my opinion before she offered me hers. "Unless you have bigger plans for an office than you told me about, I think that the layout here is perfect with the openings she described. If we join the two storerooms over there into one, it could be a small kitchen and break room. This storeroom should be adequate unless you will be bringing in tons of flies. When we first came in, I could picture you sitting at the big office behind the receptionist station." I turned to the agent and asked, "Let me ask, what are the utilities like up here? It is pretty exposed to the elements especially the sun in summer."

"The owner realized that and a couple of years ago had the original windows replaced with thermal ones. From the inside, they are always clear but on the outside, they tint during the peak sun hours. The elevator side is the west side, so you never get the hot afternoon sun. He also replaced the chiller and control system a year ago. It is very efficient now. He replaced the deck on the patio at the same time with non-wood decking. It won't rot or weather for a very long time."

I turned to Vicki and said, "I don't see a downside here at all, unless you see something that I don't know about."

Vicki nodded and turned to the agent, "What is the rent for all of it?"

"That is the best deal. It is a little higher than the square foot rent for other properties in the area but not a lot. The whole top floor would go for $3500 per month plus electric with a $5000 deposit. The offices separately would go for a total of $5000 per month."

Vicki stared at the agent but I could see the wheels turning in her head. "We'll take it. How long will it take to get the renovations done and do paint and carpet?"

"The owner is eager to get this rented. Like I said, it has been vacant for over a year. Unless you want something very extreme, the changes that I mentioned will take about two weeks. I can have paint and carpet samples for you to look at early next week."

"That is perfect, I will be out of town until Wednesday but Bob will bring you a deposit check on Monday. I'll sign the lease on Wednesday or Thursday depending on what time I get here Wednesday. Bob, bring Marla over on Monday and the two of you work out the details. Then you can pick out some furniture that you like to show me on Thursday."

"Sounds like a good plan to me. Who do I need to see to get the offices open?"

"What time do you want in? I'll be here to open it up and leave you alone for as long as you want."

"Let's say, ten. That will give us time to get anything else organized."

"That will be perfect and honestly, I think you have the best office in the area with the patio and all."

Vicki then asked, "Now that this is settled, I want to look for a place to live in the area. Do you have many places listed close by?"

"To lease or rent?"

"Either. I would buy if I found the right place. Otherwise, renting would give me time to find my way around first."

"That is good because most of these in the area are condos and the owners mostly want to sell or do a lease/purchase if someone is interested in buying. The ones for rent are usually cheaper and on the lower floors. What size and budget are you thinking?"

"I want a nice place with at least two bedrooms, a study, living room and den, and a patio. I don't want to be above the tenth or eleventh floor but higher than the fifth. Pricewise, let's just say that I want to see the best you have listed with those parameters. It will be a cash sale and I would like to close it quickly. I don't like living in hotels."

"Right now I know of ten that I can show you on Thursday. A couple of those are also available on different floors but with the same floor plan and different decorating."

"That sounds perfect. If I like the floor plan and floor, I can redecorate to suit me if necessary. Thank you for today. This has been great. We need to get going to a lunch meeting. Bob will be in touch on Monday."

"Thank you so much. Go on; I will lock up and talk to the building manager."

Vicki and I caught the elevator to the first floor. As soon as we were outside, she took out her phone and called a number. "Hi, Gwen. I need for you to have the bank down here cut a certified check for $8500. Bob Calvert will pick it up at nine Monday morning. It is for the deposit and first month rent on our office. It is a perfect size and location and even has a roof patio. You will love it when you come down. We've got to run. Bye."

I helped her into the car and started driving back to her hotel. I finally asked, "You asked for my opinion. What is yours?"

"I nearly wet my pants when I got off the elevator. As soon as I walked in the first office, I knew that I wanted it unless the other two offices wouldn't work. You did great and asked the right questions. I almost crapped when she told me the rent. My budget was more than double that. We can probably furnish it for what I budgeted for rent. You will need to arrange the internet connection and phone service. We don't need a complicated one since it will just be the three of us for now. We might add two more people but that will be all we will ever have. I am so glad that this is out of the way and I owe you big time for showing me this area."

"That's what you are paying me for."

"I know but you are showing me that you aren't just working for a pay check. You are in this for the long haul. I like that a lot. Now, we get to face the first group. Put your coat and tie on when we get to my room while I freshen up. I hope that we can be out of there in two hours."

"I'll keep an eye on the clock and keep you informed of how we are doing."

We went to her room where I put on my sport coat and tie while she refreshed her makeup and put on a jacket that seemed to be designed to go with her sun dress. She went from casual to professional in five minutes. Then we went upstairs to the private dining room area and were shown to our room. It appeared that most of the people who were supposed to attend were already there. Vicki put on her smile and introduced herself and me to each person. She seemed to know everyone by name and on sight although it appeared that only a few even knew of her.

When she finished greeting everyone, she announced, "Everyone, let's take a seat and enjoy lunch. After that, I have a couple of things to say." I pulled out a chair for her at the head table and she motioned me to sit next to her. As lunch was being served, she whispered to me, "Based on first impressions, what did you see?"

I whispered back, "Two bull shitters, four solid ones, and four I couldn't read yet."

"That is about what I saw too. I don't have a lot to say. Keep your eyes on the four you aren't sure of and watch their body language. That is basically the only reason we are doing this today. Tonight, the five managers from Fort Worth will be at the dinner. We will need to read them as well as any other investment people we come across. I'll tell you more on the drive over there."

I nodded and we ate our lunch which was even better than the one yesterday. At one thirty, she decided that it was time to get things started again and began. "Welcome again. I am pleased to meet you all. Most of you don't recognize my name but I have been in the corporate office for over ten years. I have degrees in economics and investment strategies. My purpose in coming down here is to start a new chapter in our growth. By that I mean that we are going to organize this as a region to take better advantage of some of our strengths." She paused and looked around before continuing.

"On a day-to-day operating basis, there will be very little change in your operations. Rather we will be looking for ways where we can serve clients better with two or three offices rather than just one. These joint efforts will be reflected on your performance reports so no one will suffer at all. The other thing I will be doing is introducing a new program for mid-term investments. This is an area where some of you do some business but now you will have a solid company-wide program behind you. We will be introducing it slowly over the next several months. For now, no one including you and your employees are in danger of losing their job. We are only going to try to improve those who are weak and strengthen those who are strong."

She paused for moment and scanned the audience again which was what I was also doing. I added two more to the bull shitter list and one more to the solid list. That left one that I could still not read. Then she began again.

"Over the next month, I will be spending a day in each office getting to know your people and your operations better. However, I want to meet people sooner than that. Within the next week or so, we will be hosting a reception for all employees and spouses. We haven't picked a place yet but hopefully we can let you know no later than Tuesday where it will be. It will not be a dinner thing but will have a bar and hors de oeuvres. People are free to come and leave as they wish. Spouses are also encouraged to come. If a spouse isn't available, feel free to bring a client. I will be very busy over the next couple of months. Bob Calvert here is my personal assistant. If you have questions or need help, communicate through him. I will send you his phone number and e-mail next week when we get them set up and running. So, does anyone have any questions?"

Six hands were raised. She nodded at one. "Will you be setting up your office in one of our offices?"

"No, that would be counterproductive. We aren't going to be looking over anyone's shoulder. We found a place today that is in the Turtle Creek area. It is centrally located and near the freeways. To start there will be three of us and we might grow to five. That will be the max. What we will do is to ask you and groups of employees to come there for training and other meetings. Otherwise, we will come to you. As I look at it, we aren't going to run your offices; we will support them. Instead of dealing with corporate, you will be dealing with a local contact point. Any other questions?"

That must have addressed most of the other questions as only one hand went up. "Is this joint office program going to be in effect soon? I have several clients who will be interested in that."

"Yes, send Bob a note next week and let him know which clients and which offices that might be affected. We will get these offices together quickly and hammer out the details. That raises a good point though. We can't foresee everything that a client might want. If you have a client who has a special need, don't let that walk away unanswered. Let Bob know what the issue is and we will address it. We know that there are dozens of companies out there willing to take on anyone for a price. We want to be the one who can provide what they want and need and do it better than anyone else. This is especially true for young and small businesses. They grow to be bigger ones and we want to be there helping them at every stage. Anyone else?"

"This new mid-term program that you mentioned, is it another batch of mutual funds or something?"

She grinned broadly. "Not hardly; you have plenty of those available to you right now. I am not ready to announce it publically yet; all I will say is that this is a radical new approach that is tailored for the young or middle age investor with at least a half a million in liquid assets. It isn't for everyone for sure and probably not for someone nearing retirement. No one else has even thought about this yet. We will introduce it slowly to select clients and you will be involved. That is all I am going to say at this moment. Anything else?"

I made my final check as several people were talking to their neighbor. I focused on those who were rolling their eyes. They were all on my bull shitter list.

"If that is it, feel free to stay and talk with each other or leave as you wish. Bob and I have to leave to get ready for another event tonight. Thank you for coming." She looked at me and went back down to her room

Once there, she kicked off her shoes and took off her jacket. I took off my sport coat and tie and waited for what she had to say next. "Bob, I am going to ask you to do something personal. You can refuse if you want. Would you rub my feet? Those shoes are new and my feet are killing me."

"Lie down and get comfortable. I think you need a nap and I will be glad to rub your feet."

"I do need a nap but you need to call me at four thirty so I will be ready to leave at six." She lay down on the bed with her arm over her eyes. I sat on the end of the bed and began massaging first one and then the other foot. I figured that she stayed awake for five minutes before she fell asleep. I took my things, turned off the light, and left quietly.

When I got in the car, I called Marla. It took a few rings before she answered. "I remember. I am having my hair and nails done. I'll be ready for you at five thirty. Anything new?"

"We have an office and you are going to love it. We will be working on it starting on Monday."

"You sound like this job is a done deal. Is it?"

"Officially, she wants to talk to you first and offer it to you. Unofficially, everything we did today included you as part of the discussion. Just be your sweet self and make a good impression. It is yours to lose."

"I won't lose it that is for damn sure."