Chapter 5

By Penny Reed Cardon

This is a Fanfic of Crystal Sprite’s story Texas Gal.
Chapters 1 – 50 of Crystal’s story can be found on Crystal’s Story Site.
http://www2.storysite.org/a_crystal01.html
Chapters 51 – 53 are found on Big Closet.
https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/author/csprite
This Fanfic is a result of my warped imagination and I take full responsibility thereof.

It has been said that this is not a true fanfic because it is a continuation of Crystal’s story.
It is true that this is a continuation of her story, but according to my imagination.
It is not intended to depict how Crystal would continue the story.

Tuesday, July 11, 1972

The day started with an early breakfast for all. We'd arranged for several tables to be pushed together, so we could all eat together and go over a few last minute details. Susan and I, being such early risers, arrived first, but not by much. Within fifteen minutes of our arriving, everyone else had been seated. While we ate, we went over the details and assignments. The only major change was, that I wanted Bill to join my team, in the King Air. I had Jerry take over as the VP in charge of team two. That would technical leave them one accountant short; so I had Jerry bring his regional accounting supervisor.

During breakfast, I slipped Mr. Roberts business card towards Bob. He looked at the card for a moment, then asked, "I remember Mr. Roberts from when I was with the wood products division, are we buying a lumber company now?"

"No," I replied. "But, I have arranged to buy chips at ten percent below Ameri-Moore's cost."

"How in the world did you arrange that?" he wanted to know.

"It was easy. I just offered them ten percent above what they are getting from Alliance," I answered with a smile.

"Wait a second - that means Alliance is getting their chips at twenty percent below Ameri-Moore's cost. How can they be getting chips at that price?"

"Let's just say that Bobby De Forest doesn't reserve his strong-arm tactics to just dealing with his competition. He is just as ruthless and unfair with his suppliers."

"If that's the case,"

"Exactly," I interrupted Bob's train of thought. "When the word starts to circulate among the independent loggers, that we're pay more than Alliance, Tom will be turning loggers away. Not to mention that Alliance will lose their supply of cheap wood chips. They'll have to go out on the open market to find new suppliers."

"Bobby is going to be very upset with us."

"Yes he is, but if he had stuck by his word and not gotten in our way, we wouldn't be going to war."

When the chartered bus arrived at the airport, everyone scrambled for their luggage and boarded their designated aircraft. Flower Power one was the first to lift off, with Bob and his team. Mike took to the skies a few minutes later, in the Rutland Transair G1, with the three remaining teams.

Even though the commercial planes were on the other side of the airport, and used the larger of the two runways, air traffic had picked up rapidly. I waited thirty minutes on the taxi way, before receiving clearance to proceed onto the active runway and take off. As we were lifting off in the King Air, heading for our first destination, Susan thanked me for not trying any of Mr. Davidson's aerobatics. I smiled to myself and told her it was still early in the week, there would be lots of opportunities to test out the airplane's capabilities.

When we arrived at our first plant, Bill and John jumped in to help with the inspection. I was surprised at the efficiency of team one. Between them and the help from Bill and John, they were finished in a record time of ninety minutes. After I had their reports, I spent fifteen minutes with the owner. With the letter of intent signed we were on our way, our giant game of leapfrog was off to a great start.

We managed to get to all eight plants on Tuesday. We flew on to our next destination, before stopping for the night.

Wednesday, July 12, 1972

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, to give team one as much time as possible, and them we set off to visit our first plant of the day. After arriving and introductions were out of the way, Bill and John went to help with the inspections and I had a chance to chat with Bob about the previous day, while Susan sat quietly in the background, listening and learning.

"So tell me boss, how is the balance, are we buying more than we're partnering with?"

"It’s hard to say right now, this is just the beginning of day two. If yesterday is any indication, five purchases and three partnerships, we are going to be doing a lot of growing in the Northwest. I hope Jerry is up to the challenge."

"I think he'll do okay. We may want to free him up from his plant manager duties, because he'll have so many plants to oversee."

"You may be right. As it stands, right’s now the region has twenty plants of our own, plus three partner plants and those numbers are going to grow before the week is over. I'm considering having you be responsible for the partner plants."

"Me? Don't you think Jerry can handle the job?"

"I was thinking more along the line of the unique challenges they will represent. Also, the fact that in about a year’s time, they will be going away. Besides, I think Jerry will have his hands full, just keeping track of our twenty to twenty-five plants."

"All good points, I guess we'll have to think about it. When do you plan to announce the organizational change?"

"I'll let Jerry know the next time I see him. I'll announce it to everyone else at our weekly meeting, a week from this Friday. Something else for you to think about, who are we going to put in charge of the Northeast region?"

"I've been thinking about that, I think it might be time to move Mike Turbill up a notch or two."

"The question is, does Mike want to learn to fly?"

"What does flying have to do with it?"

"At this point in time, with so many plants in each region, with everything spread out so far, and with headquarters in Jefferson City, having a pilot’s license is going to be a requirement of all our VP's."

"Darla even thinks I should learn to fly," Susan interjected.

"Considering the number of locations you inspect, that makes a lot of sense," Bob reply. "What about Matt and John?" Bob asked me.

"We'll have to think about Matt's situation. As for John, he's on board and I've given him some books to study. He should be ready to take the written test in a couple of weeks. I've also told John he would have his own plane. As VP of Production Engineering he will be traveling more than anyone else."

"You're probably right about him needing his own plane. Any idea what sort of plane he'll want?"

"No idea yet. I only told him about his needing to fly and about picking a plane on our way out here, last Sunday. I did limit his choices by specifying it must be propeller driven and have room for six to twelve passengers plus tools and parts. We'll see what he comes up with. I think I'm going to get me a Beechcraft King Air as my personal plane. They are almost as nice as the Ameri-Moore jet."

"I thought you were going to get one for me to run around in," Susan said.

"Sounds like I need to check out that little puddle jumper the next time were on the ground together," Bob commented.

"Puddle jumper? You make it sound like an open cockpit, biplane," I replied, with a smile.

"Now, one of those would be fun to fly, just not across the country," Bob exclaimed.

Before I had a chance to reply, John and Bill showed up with their reports. After hearing the reports, Bob went to collect his team, while Susan, John, Bill, and I went to talk with the owner. Negotiations went as expected, the plant was in very good condition and the equipment had been upgraded six years earlier. There was a loan balance of one point five million, so Alliance would only pay five hundred thousand for the plant. The owner was ready to retire and was just hanging on, hoping for something better for himself and his people. They figured that anything would be better than a sale to Alliance. Because the equipment was so new, I offered four million, minus the existing loan and he immediately accepted. Twenty Minutes after signing the paper work, we were lifting off, bound for our next inspection and negotiation.

Once we'd leveled off, Susan came up behind me to talk. "Darla, I'm trying to figure something out. The plants you bought yesterday, you didn’t offer anything over three million. The plant we just left, you're giving him four million. What's was the difference?"

"There were three things that made the difference, Suz. First, the overall condition of the plant was better. Even though he knew the end was near, he was proud of his plant and the products they produced. Consequently, he always kept the plant in top condition. Second, the equipment was newer than the plants we saw yesterday. Again, that goes back to being proud of his plant. Third, he was concerned for the welfare of his people, that's why he hadn't even considered Alliance's offer, they don't care about the people of a company they buy. Alliance moves their own people in and they layoff most of the existing work force."

"So you're saying you paid him the extra million, as a reward for being better than average?"

"I guess that's one way of looking at it."

"It's like the bonuses DD gives out at Piermont," John added. "She rewards hard work and loyalty."

"I guess that makes a little more sense, but why would you be rewarding him? He didn't work for you."

"That's true, but he has been working hard all his life, only to have everything stripped away by Alliance. Because of his level of commitment towards his plant and people, I can be a little more generous and give him back a little more of what he's lost. If it weren’t for the pressure from Alliance, and if that plant were being sold on the open market, it would be worth about seventeen million, so at four million, I got it for a song. Obviously, I don't do that every time, only when I think the situation warrants it."

Susan appeared to understand and returned to her seat.

We had just gotten to our cruising altitude, after our third plant for the day, when Bob called on the radio. We exchanged the formalities, call signs and FAA requirements, and then got down to business.

"What's your position seven two niner? Over."

"We just left Coquille Oregon, heading for Elkton Oregon, at an altitude of twenty-four thousand feet. Over."

"Understood seven two niner. Need to see you urgently at my location. Repeat. Need to see you urgently at my location. Please divert to Roseburg, Oregon. Upon arrival in Roseburg airspace, take a heading of forty five degrees magnetic, for about thirty minutes. You will find a grass airstrip running Southeast to Northwest. You will find November Two One Six Piermont Paper, at the Southeast end of the grass airstrip. Understood? Over."

"Understood, Two One Six. Divert to Roseburg, take a heading of zero, four, five, degrees magnetic for thirty minutes. Is one of our people injured? Over."

"Negative, seven two niner. No injuries, but urgent you arrive ASAP. Over."

"Ten-four, Two One Six. Now in-route to Roseburg. Will see you soon. Lima seven two ninner Alpha Romeo, over and out."

"What do you suppose that is all about?" John asked.

"I haven't a clue. But I'm glad we topped off the tanks before we lifted off," I replied, as I pushed the throttles past eighty percent.

Forty minutes later, we were in a search pattern, looking for an unmarked grass airstrip. Ten minutes more and we were circling a grass strip, and several very large structures, looking for Flower Power one.

"There she is!" Bill called out.

"Terrific, we're in the right place. Anyone see a windsock?" I replied.

A gentle wind was blowing from the West, so I circled again and set up to land, Southeast to Northwest. As we were taxing back to where the G1 was quietly waiting, I saw Bob and another gentleman crossing the expanse between the G1 and the structures, beyond.

After we'd stopped, Bill opened the door as I was completing my shutdown checklist. Bob was there and boarded, once Bill and Susan had gotten off.

"Well, this is nice," Bob said, as he made his way to the cockpit. "How does she handle?"

"She handles very nicely, smooth takeoffs, easy to land, without making anyone suffer through a bouncer, and plenty of power when it's needed. But, you didn't invite me here to talk about airplanes, why the urgent call?"

"The urgent call is because of the gentleman that owns this plant. He wasn't at our meeting, Monday. He says several of his friends called him, suggesting he should talk with you. Then after you set up partnerships with three owners yesterday, two of them called and sang him your praises, in a manner of speaking. The thing that has me concerned is, his mysterious actions."

"What do you mean, mysterious actions?"

"Well, he won't let our inspection team into the plant, they're just waiting in a conference room. He won't talk to me about his business, insisting that he'll only discuss it with you. In fact, he won't even give me his last name, or the name of the company. I was going to write it off as a hoax, but he insists that everything will become clear after he talks with you."

"Where does he want to meet with me?"

"His office. All it says on the door is President, no indication of who he is."

"Well, after everything you've told me, I have no intention of meeting with this gentleman alone. Bob, I want you and John to stick with me like Siamese triplets. We'll leave Bill and Susan in the conference room, with the rest of our people, and then we'll have a chat with Mr. Mysterious. By the way, who is it that escorted you out to meet us?"

"That's Ralph Watson, he's the plant manager here."

"Well, let’s go meet Mr. Mysterious."

We left the plane and I was introduced to Mr. Watson. ‘No, no jokes about Dr. Watson.’ Arriving at the plant, we stopped at the conference room and talked with our team for a few minutes.

We heard an enthusiastic "Come in." in response to Mr. Watson knocking on the President's office door.

We were greeted cheerfully, as a gentleman of about sixty something came around the desk. "Good afternoon and welcome. You must be Miss Drake, may I call you DD?" he asked as shook my hand.
"Of course. And you are?"

"Just call me Greg," he replied. "And who is this young man?" he asked, extending his hand to John.

"John Fahey, my VP of Production Engineering," I introduced.

"I can see that you don't believe in traveling lite, a VP and an Executive VP," Greg commented sarcastically.

Agreeing and carrying it a little further, I added "Not to mention our VP of Finance, Bill Marshal, and my sister, Susan. We left them in the conference room."

"My, my. It sounds like you've got most of your executives up here, in the Northwest. Who's minding the store?"

"Well, Greg, when you've got fifty-seven plants, there's always someone willing to play 'Boss for a Day'. So now that were all here, what can we do for you?"

"Well, DD, I'll tell you. I'm on the downhill slide of being just past seventy. I've been working in one paper plant or another since I was eighteen. I've been running the show since I was twenty-five. I'm getting tired of chasing the other rats around the track. I'm getting to be more and more forgetful, and I'd like it very much if you would buy my company."

"That's a long time to be wrapped up in paper," I sarcastically replied. "But why do you want me to buy your company?"

"I've been looking to retire for some time, but there just aren't too many around that can absorb an eighty million dollar company, especially here in the Northwest. I've been keeping track of your escapades since you started helping your Grandmother, and I've been pleased with what I've seen. I have to say that, I’ve been extremely impressed by your actions the last couple of days. You've repeatedly demonstrated a generous nature when dealing with people who've seen their world crumble down around them due to an unscrupulous competitor. But the deciding factor is, the way you've stepped in to help the independent owners keep their companies, while you and Alliance slug it out."

"May I ask where you got your information?" I asked suspiciously.

"From my son-in-law. He called me yesterday, after you two worked out a partnership arrangement. He told me you believe in a moral code that is much higher than the one adhered to by Alliance. He was very impressed with you and suggested that you might be the person to take over my company, so I can retire."

"Wouldn't your daughter and son-in-law be looking to inherit this company?" Bob asked.

"We've talked about it, they're determined to make it on their own. Of course, I did give them one plant as a wedding present, ten years ago," Greg said, with a chuckle. "They were doing really well and would have opened their second plant by now, if it weren't for Alliance trying to run everyone else out of business."

"Do you have any other children?" I asked.

"Yes, three boys. But with their attitudes, I wouldn't leave the business to them. They believe that instant gratification and underhanded tactics are the way to operate a business. The three of them . . ." He paused, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, then continued. "They're working for Alliance." Greg bemoaned the loss of his sons, as if they were dead.

"My father taught us girls that hard work and honesty would, in the long run, be the best characteristics to develop."

"He is absolutely right."

"Well, Greg, how much are you asking for your company," I asked, getting back to the business at hand.

"If it was anyone else asking that question, I'd answer flat out forty million. I've got a standing offer from Alliance for six million." ‘Right there I knew that there was more to this company than this one plant, even though this plant is larger than Franklin and larger than the plant in JC.’ "But for you DD I'm prepared to offer you the whole company, lock stock and assets, for the bargain basement price of fifteen million. I do have one stipulation though."

Sliding forward I asked, "And what would that be?"

"Only that we wrap everything up by the close of business on Friday."

"Friday?" Bob asked surprisingly. "That’s not possible. We have to check the books, verify the title for all the real property. It will take at least two weeks to get all of that completed."

I was just offered an eighty million dollar company for fifteen million, I wasn’t going to let something as trivial as paper work stand in my way. As I struggled to contain my enthusiasm and control my heartbeat, I asked, "Might I inquire what would be included with the sale of the company?"

Greg picked up his phone and asked his secretary to bring in a red box, from the vault. A few minutes later a woman entered carrying a red metallic box, that looked like it was designed to hold a dozen file folders vertically, and set it on Greg's desk. Greg thanked her and pulled some keys out of his pocket as she left.

Greg opened the box and removed a folder. "Let's see now, here is the deed for this plant and the chipping facility that's a mile up the canyon, not to mention the dormitory’s and the other buildings next to the plant, and the four thousand acres that all of that is sitting on." After reading off the generic description he placed the deed face down on his desk. "Here's the deed for the hundred-twenty thousand acres of timber that feed this plant." Again, face down on his desk. "Here's the deed for the plant near Glide, Oregon, it's sitting on six-hundred forty acres. And, here's the deeds for the timber lands that fed the Glide plant, they total about hundred thousand acres. Next we have the deed for our plant outside Walden, Oregon. She's sitting on five hundred acres of ground. Oh, and here's the deeds for timber lands that fed the Walden plant, also about a hundred thousand acres." Pausing, he looked into the box and removed a smaller folder.

"Let’s see, what else do we have for the lucky winner - oh yes, here is the deed to the warehouse in Eugene."

"Warehouse?" John asked.

"Yes. This plant is so remote it’s hard to get trucks in and out through the narrow canyon roads. It just so happens that there’s a rail line running through the canyon, so we move all of our finished products by rail to a warehouse in Eugene for distribution. That worked out so well that we bought a bigger warehouse so we could handle shipping and receiving for all three plants out of one location."

"How large is the warehouse?" Bob inquired.

"It's a million square feet with the capacity to load or unload fifty trucks at a time plus ten rail cars. Let's see, what else do we have to put on the trading table. Oh yes, I believe you'll really appreciate this, here is the deed to an estate in Spokane Washington. Oh, currently the estate is occupied."

"Occupied, by whom?" I asked.

"By my younger brother. I figure he's been free loading long enough. Maybe you can get some rent money out of him, he's never paid me anything and he's been living there for about twelve years. Besides, you might find the situation interesting, with you being his landlord. I think that covers all the real property," he said, a little absent-mindedly. Pulling yet a third folder from the box he continued. "There's a small fleet of trucks that are considered company assets, I don't keep track of each truck - the guys at the warehouse take care of them along with the ten company cars. Here's the title for the Cessna 206, and the Piper Navajo, also for my Beechcraft King Air."

"I don't want to take your plane," I offered.

"Now, now, it's a company asset. It was purchased with company funds and is maintained by the company. Besides, I just barely squeaked by on my last physical, I doubt I'll pass the next one."

"A company this size and you have three planes?" John inquired.

"Three?" Greg echoed. "I did read off three, didn't I? Where's the title for the other one?" he asked rhetorically, as he looked in to the bottom of the box.

Looking up he had another piece of paper, "I forgot about this one, here's the deed for the hangar at the Eugene airport. But the title for the other plane is missing."

Reaching for his phone, he called someone. "Lou, this is Greg. Do you know where the title is for the plane that Pete Sorensen used to fly?" "Uh ha," "Yes, I've looked there." "I know that's where it should be, but it's not there." "Lou, I know it's been four years since anyone has looked for the plane or the title. Please look through your files, to see if the title is hiding down there some place and send someone to the airport to make sure the plane is in the hangar." "Right, Lou." "Well, we might have a buyer for the plane, if we can find the title and the plane." "That sounds great. Give me a call when you know more." "Okay, thanks Lou."

"I don't know where it is, but we'll find that plane and the title. It is an asset and will need to be transferred along with the rest of assets and equipment," Greg apologized.

"What sort of aircraft did Pete Sorensen fly?" I inquired.

"It' another King Air. We upgraded both of our planes at the same time. Pete was my exec VP, he left us four years ago and I’ve just never replaced him. The other planes were used by the other plant managers. I used to have executive meeting here once a month and the plant managers flew in. They got the Cessna and the Piper when Pete and I upgraded. There isn't enough room in the hangar here for all four of them, so Pete's was stored in the hangar in Eugene."

As Greg was talking I looked over at Bob. He smiled and nodded ever so slightly. I'd been calculating things in my head, the whole time. I felt that I needed just a little more information before jumping blind into a pool of alligators.

"Greg, before making a decision I'd like to know a little more about the plants. Can you tell us what is currently being produced at each of the three plants?"

"Sure, I inherited the other two plants, plus the one I gave my daughter and son-in-law, from my father, when he passed away. We built this plant fifteen years ago and installed two new complete lines, one running Kraft paper and one running white paper. Being so remote from any local cities or towns, we knew that commuting would be a problem, so from the beginning we planned for the employees to stay on site. We built the first dormitory when we built the plant. In the beginning we ran one twelve hour shift, seven days a week. We implemented the usual scheduling for twelve hour shifts - first shift running Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and the second shift running Thursday, Friday, Saturday, with each shift alternating Wednesdays. Some of the employees didn't like the fact that on their days off they'd only be home for a day or two before they had to come back. They proposed a different schedule, which sounded reasonable, so we put it to a vote. The proposed change was almost unanimously accepted, and six months after we went online we changed to running Wednesday through Tuesday, twelve hour shifts."

"Wednesday through Tuesday, you mean they work seven days in a row?" Bob asked.

"Yes," Greg answered simply. "Then they have seven days off, while the other shift works their seven days."

"Hmm, that's an interesting schedule," Bob commented.

"The group that made the proposal called it having twenty-six weeks of vacation a year. As I said, that was shortly after we opened the plant, fifteen years ago. Five years later we added a third production line, another white paper line. Then, five years ago we made plans to add a fourth line that was to run computer paper. Before that line was ready to run we decided to shut down the other two plants. It was then that we decided to run this plant round the clock, seven days a week. That enabled us to retain almost seventy-five percent of the people from the other two plants. So, right now we're running four lines twenty-four seven and over the course of the last four years we've installed twenty-four bag making machines."

"You said you've shut down the other two plants?" I asked. I was thinking that this deal may not be as good as it first appeared.

"Yes, they are both newsprint plants, the plant in Glide has two lines and the plant in Oakridge has three. We got tired of playing Alliance's games and decided to get out of the newsprint business. There's a slightly higher profit margin in chemically treated paper, so we've been doing pretty well in that market."

"I see. John, it took us eight months to overhaul the three machines in Franklin, with a crew of six engineers. If we brought in a crew of say ten engineers, how soon do you think we could bring those plants online?"

Greg answered before John had a chance, "Seventy-two hours."

We looked back at Greg. "What?" I asked.

"If you've got the people to run them, those two plants could be online and producing paper in seventy-two hours. They may be shut down but they aren't abandoned. Every six months we send in a team of engineers and operators. They clean, lubricate, and run each machine for twenty-four hours. The equipment may not be brand new, but it's all in mint condition."

"Really, that's excellent." I paused for a moment, debating how to proceed. "Greg, normally we would sign a letter of intent and have a closing after the accountants and lawyers do their thing. However, you want to close by the end of business on Friday, which makes things a little different. On the other hand, I'm getting the same feeling about you as I had about Matt Piermont, when I bought Piermont Paper four years ago. So, I 'm going accept your purchase price of fifteen million if you'll accept a slight variation on my part. That is we'll pay you ten million on Friday and sign all the paper work. The remaining five million would be paid in thirty days, after the lawyers and accountants do what they do."

Greg thought for a few seconds before answering, "I know that the books are accurate and there are no liens or judgments, but the accountants do need a reason for beings here, don't they. As for the lawyers, sometimes I think we be better off without them, but I guess they are useful from time to time. I suppose waiting thirty days wouldn’t cause any problem, after all it’s just a formality, therefore I accept your proposal, DD," with that said, Greg stood and offered me his hand.

I stood also, taking Greg's hand I replied, "Thank you, Greg."

To which he replied, "De Forest."

I stopped shaking hands, but didn't release Greg's hand, "I beg your pardon."

"Gregory De Forest, of De Forest Paper."

"Any relation to -" I asked Greg.

"He's my young brother."

I let go of Greg's hand and sat down smiling. Then I started to chuckle as I understood everything. As the final details crossed my mind I started laughing heartily.

When I'd regained control of my laughter, John asked, "What's so funny."

"We just agreed to purchase De Forest Paper out from under the nose of Robert De Forest, because he's using the same underhanded technique as South-Core. Push them over the edge and then graciously offer them peanuts to buy them out. Not only did we buy De Forrest Paper, but we also bought the very house that Bobby lives in. Tell me Greg, how did the estate become part of De Forest Paper? I'm assuming that was where you grew up."

"Yes, that's the family estate, it was built by my grandfather. I'm third generation lumber and paper. When our father died, being the oldest, I inherited the estate and three plants in Oregon, Bobby got the plants in Washington. Bobby did okay with his plants, but he wanted more and was always looking for the quick buck. Twenty years ago he sold his plants to Alliance for a tidy profit and an upper management position, and the rest of his story is, as they say, history. As for the estate being part of De Forest Paper, that was done for tax reasons. After we built this plant and got to know the people here, my wife wanted to help with the children, so we moved into one of the larger apartments. Our sons already had places of their own, so with the estate empty Bobby asked if he and his family could live there, I figured why not. I didn't figured he would turn evil and try to cheat me out of everything."

"There are children here?" John wondered aloud.

"But of course there are children here," Greg replied. "You put men and women into the same working environment, add to that sleeping in the same apartment buildings, and naturally romance and children will find their way into the mix. I've lost count of how many families we have living here, not to mention how many families were started here. Naturally we had to set up daycare facilities. We even have a school set up for kindergarten through the eighth grade."

"Greg, am I correct in assuming that you don't want Robert to know about this until after everything is signed, on Friday?"

"That's correct. If Bobby heard you were here he'd be in that big red Lockheed Constellation of his, before his snitch could put the phone down. And he doesn't believe in leaving his plane at the end of the airstrip, he taxis right up next to the building with all four engines, of that monstrous plane, at eighty percent throttle. The few times he's visited he woke everyone that was off shift, not to mention all the children that were napping."

"I thought as much. That being the case I was wondering if you have eight guest rooms available, in your dormitory. So that way my people could stay here while they complete their assessments."

"I'm pretty sure we can accommodate your people, let me make a call and verify that. Eight rooms was it?"

"That's correct."

While Greg was on the phone, Bob asked, "Why eight rooms, there are only seven on my team counting me?"

"Because the accountants will need to do a more in-depth assessment and I'm sure Bill will want to be a part of that. You know how he loves to dig into moldy old records."

"That he does, it's almost an obsession with him," Bob agreed, with a chuckle.

"What about me," John asked. "Should I stay to help with the engineering assessments?"

"No, I still want you with me looking over the other plants. We'll want your input when it comes time for the realignment of products to plants."

Greg finished his call, as we finished our little discussion. "As I thought, there's no problem with the accommodations. They won't all be on the same floor, but they'll be comfortable."

"That's great," I replied. I then asked Greg if he would familiarize Bob with the operations of the King Air, to which he readily agreed. Leaving the King Air with Bob, I would take Flower Power 1 to continue my hoping around the Northwest. I'm sure that Bobby's informants have told him what I've been doing and that Piermont's airplane has been seen hoping around. By my taking the G1, it will prevent people from thinking I'd stopped in one place too long. The last item of business was to arrange someplace for Bob to work, some place that had a dedicated phone line. As it turned out, Pete Sorensen's office was still empty and had a dedicated phone line. Bob would be able to make all the arrangements for closing on Friday, without alerting anyone within the plant, or anyone outside the plant.

With the major details in place, we went to the conference room and informed everyone that it was time to get to work. From their response, I'd say they were excited, sitting around doing nothing is extremely boring.

"Can I have your attention?" I called out, to be heard over the noise of their excitement. "I need to explain a couple of things to everyone. First, we’ve already agreed to purchase this company so you won't be doing your normal 2 hour evaluations. Instead you'll be doing a 2 day in-depth evaluation of both the equipment and the accounts. For you engineers, there are 3 plants that we'll need complete equipment assessments on."

Bill raised his hand.

I knew what he was going to ask, I smiled as I continued, "Yes Bill, you'll be staying to oversee the evaluation of the records." Bill dropped his hand and his smile was big enough for 2 faces. "Okay, second point, this plants is quite remote so there aren't any motels close by. Because they're so remote they have several dormitories for their people to stay in, while they're on shift. We've arranged for rooms in the dormitories for all of you. So, after we're finished here we need everyone to get their luggage out of the planes. We need to get you settled in before you start your evaluations. Third, and this is the most important! What I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room. The name of this company is De Forest Paper. The owner is Robert De Forest's older brother Gregory. Now, Greg doesn't want Robert to find out about this sale until after the paperwork is signed, Friday afternoon. Therefore, nobody is to say anything about a buyout, or purchase, and especially never say the word Piermont. If anyone asks, you work for an outside firm and you are conducting an evaluation for an insurance company. Now, I know that that's more than just a little white lie and under normal conditions I would never ask that of any of you. However, these aren't normal conditions and the request came from Gregory. Any questions?"

There were no questions, just some smiles, head shaking, and some chuckling.

"All right, let's get the luggage and get you settled."

Mr. Watson had the room assignments by the time everyone returned with their luggage. Once everyone was settled Bill and the accountants descended upon the accounting department, like a hawk on a field mouse, the rest of our group headed to the plant floor. Once there, John and the engineers started their in-depth inspection routine, while Greg, Bob, Susan, and I toured the rest of the plant.

To say we were impressed, would be putting it mildly. Even though Greg was third generation, this was not another Appalachian take over. Everyone in the plant was busy and hardworking, they obviously took a lot of pride in their work and the products they produced.

We didn't go out to see the chipping operation, but we did see where the chips were delivered to the plant, via a long conveyor belt. Greg explained that with everyone living at the plant, at least during their seven days on, the chipping operation had to be some distance from the plant. After several years of trucking the chips in, they determined it would be more cost effective to install conveyors. The bark and other waste matter that was used to feed the pulp furnaces, were also brought to the plant on conveyors.

Once we finished looking at the plant, we went over to the living quarters for a better look see. The buildings were attached to the plant by a wide covered walkway for easy access, year round. The walkway opened into a large, circular, open space. The ceiling, which was two stories up, was about forty percent skylight. Greg escorted us to the center of the space where he proceeded to point out the amenities. Proceeding counter clockwise, there was the new cafeteria, the entrance to apartment block three, the band stage, the entrance to the infirmary, the entrance to apartment block two, the daycare and school, the entrance to apartment block one, and the old cafeteria which they had remodeled into an upscale restaurant, for those special evenings.

Three hours later Susan, John, and I arrived in Elkton with a cover story of problems with The King Air. Along with a sad story of stranding Bob and his team in a little town, near a remote airstrip, waiting for the rental company to make the repairs. After touring the plant and negotiating another partnership, I called Nancy to learn the location of my next appointment and to pass on that Bob's team would be out of the rotation for the rest of the week.

We only managed to get to five plants on Wednesday. At least five that we're willing to talk about.

We did better on Thursday, we toured and concluded negotiations at seven plants.

Friday, July 14, 1972

Friday morning I called the dedicated phone that Bob was using to get an update on the progress.

"Well DD, this is the fastest we tried to push something like this through, but I think it's all coming together. Our bank sent their papers via courier yesterday evening. The lawyers should be finishing the legalese this morning. The courier from our bank should have dropped off their paperwork yesterday evening. By noon everything should be in the hands of your secretary, at the Ameri-Moore headquarters in Portland, waiting for you to pick them up and bring everything back here for the signing."

"That's great, Bob. I'm constantly amazed by the way you can pull a few strings and all the details fall into place."

"Thanks boss. I've had more fun in the last four years, than I had in the previous ten. I've never for a moment regretted asking to stay on at Piermont. And the next few hours should be exciting."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, I've never signed a check for ten million dollars before."

"A check?"

"That's what Greg wanted, a cashier’s check. The bank wouldn't allow that size check with only one signature, so we both have to sign it."

"That's going to be a first for me too, Bob. I’ll see you about 2:00pm. I've got two plants to visit this morning and then I'll head for Portland."

The two plants we saw Friday morning, were nothing special. Both owners went with the partnership option, I'd offered. That made nine new acquisitions, plus De Forest Paper, which made it twelve new plants, thirteen plants in partnership agreements, and five that I had not visited.

Upon arriving at Ameri-Moore headquarters, to collect the paper work for De Forest Paper, my shared secretary told me that Mrs. Moore wanted to see me. Slipping next door, I spoke briefly with Grandma's secretary before she informed Grandma that I was there and was told to go right in.

"Hello sweetheart," Grandma said, as I entered.

"Hi Grandma,” I replied, as I crossed the office. I gave Grandma a hug, and said, “I didn't expect to be back here so soon."

"You're always welcome to come spend some time with me. So tell me about this deal that had to close in two days."

"We were trying to keep it very hush, hush. How did you hear about it?"

"From the legal department. They were a bit upset when Bob called and told them how fast you needed the paper work completed. I told them, that if you needed something rushed, they should rush it and have it ready for you. After all, how often have you made such a request? So tell me, what's the deal and why the rush?"

"Well, you know Robert De Forest?"

"I suppose that goes without saying, of course I know him. Not personally you understand, but I know of him."

"Do you know his older brother, Gregory De Forest?"

"Like Robert, I know of him, not much more than that."

"Well, Greg owns De Forest Paper and apparently there is quite the rivalry between the two of them."

"You mean Greg is selling De Forest Paper to you and not his brother?"

"Exactly. Not only De Forest paper, which has three plants, there are also three-hundred seventy-five thousand acres of timber lands, and a million square foot warehouse in Eugene. The company also owns four airplanes and an estate in Spokane, Washington."

"Spokane? Isn't that where Alliance's North American headquarters is?"

"Yes it is."

"So this estate is -"

"Where Bobby lives. It has been the De Forest family home for three generations."

"Oh my. What on earth are you going to do with the estate?"

"Piermont has no use for it. We don't have anything in the Spokane area. Would Ameri-Moore have any use for an estate in Spokane?"

"No, we don't have anything in the immediate vicinity."

"I guess we'll just sell it off. If Bobby want's it, he can have it, for whatever the appraised value is."

"So, the urgency of closing in two days?"

"Is to have everything signed before Bobby hears about it. Greg says that Bobby would fly in yelling and screaming, if he caught wind that we're buying De Forest Paper. But how could I refuse that kind of deal, an eighty million dollar company, for fifteen million. Even though I know that Bobby is going to be hopping mad, I couldn't walk away from a deal like that."

"I understand, and it’s understandable that Bobby is going to be upset. If you're going to get all the paper work signed today, you'd better get going."

"Yes, I'd better take off, literally. Grandma, are you busy this afternoon?"

"Busy? I'm always busy, it's just a question of what I'm busy with. Why?"

"I thought you might like to come along, just for the ride."

"That's a tempting offer, dear. I've been cooped up in this office most of the week. However, if I were present at the closing, some people may think that I'm running Piermont, and we wouldn't want to give anyone that idea."

"You're right grandma, as usual. We'll go flying some other time. By the way, I'm getting a new plane."

"Another one?"

"Actually, I'm going to keep one of the planes we're getting with De Forest Paper, as my personal plane. It's a five year old Beechcraft King Air."

"I've heard of those, but I've never seen one."

"They're a very nice looking little aircraft. Twin turboprop engines, with a very plush interior, for such a small aircraft, and it’s just about as fast as Piermont's Gulfstream 1."

"I look forward to seeing it. I assume you'll be keeping it at the ranch?"

"Yes, it will be at the ranch, during those rare occasions when I'm there. I'll have to do a little sweet talking to get Auntie to build another hangar. I'd better get going. Susan, John, and Jerry are waiting for me. Oh that reminds me, what would you think of Ameri-Moore getting a plane for Susan to use for her inspection tours? She likes the King Air as well."

Grandma had a look of surprise on her face. So I quickly added, "Just something to think about. I'll see you later Grandma." And with that I left her office and headed back to the airport.

We touched down gently on the grass airstrip and I brought the G1 to a stop at the side of the hangar, instead of in front. I didn't see Robert De Forest's plane anywhere, at least as Greg had described it. I was hoping our little secret was still a secret and would remain so for at least a few more days.

We made our way to Bob's office for a conference, before meeting with Greg. Both Bob and Bill had done a superb job in collecting information about De Forest Paper. There were no outstanding loans or leans, AP's were up to date, and AR's were within the expected normal range for our industry. The engineers had plenty of time to go over all the equipment thoroughly. They were pleased to report that everything was in top condition, exactly as reported. Bob had enough forethought to have two checks prepared, one for the ten million, as we had agreed on, on Wednesday, and one for the full fifteen million, just in case everything checked out. I was very happy with the work that everyone had done and with their results. Only one matter of business remained, the meeting with Gregory De Forest and close the deal.

Greg and Mr. Watson met with Bob, Bill, Jerry, Susan, and I in Greg's office. "Good afternoon, Greg," I said, after being admitted.

"Welcome back, DD. I hope you're here with good news and I see another guest," Greg replied.

"Yes indeed Greg, very good news. Also, I'd like to introduce Jerry DeLuca, our Northwest region VP. This is who Mr. Watson will be reporting to, in the future. How about you, Greg, do you have good news to share?"

"Most certainly. We found the other King Air. She was in the hangar, right where she was supposed to be. The title was being held by the mechanic that we’d used from time to time. It seems there was some work done on the plane, just before Pete Sorensen left the company. Somehow the bill must have been misplaced, because it was never paid. The mechanic was holding the title, instead of putting a mechanics lean on the plane. I'm not sure how he got the title, but that's all been squared away, he's been paid, and we have the title. We've requested and paid him, in advance, to bring all the FAA inspections current. The plane should be ready to fly next Wednesday, or Thursday."

"That is good news, and how about the appraisal on the estate in Spokane?" I asked.

"The appraiser finished about an hour ago. He called to give me a verbal report." Greg passed me a sheet of paper with lots of notes. "The official report will arrive next Tuesday, with the rest of the weekly mail."

"Are you sure you don't want to keep the family estate?" I asked.

"Not at all. After living here for the last fifteen years, with the peace and quiet that Mother Nature provides, my wife and I can't stand the noise of the city. When Grandad built the place, it was way out of town. Over the years Spokane has grown and grown, now the estate is on the edge of what is considered downtown. The wife and I have an island in the Puget Sound. We're far enough out to not be bothered by the noise pollution, but close enough for a weekly run for supplies, by boat. The grass airstrip is long enough for the King Air and I think possibly your Gulfstream, but certainly not Bobby's Constellation."

"It sounds like you have everything in place for a relaxing retirement."

"Just one thing missing, would you be so kind as to fly us to our island, Sunday morning?" Greg asked.

"We'd be happy to," Bob replied, with a smile.

"Great. Now, what have your people found out?"

I nodded towards Bob and he started the report of our inspection team's findings, "Our engineers reported that all of the equipment, both here and at the other two plants, are in top condition. The only exceptions are the conveyor belts, that transport the chips to the plant. Your engineers indicated that new belts have been ordered."

"Actually, they are at the warehouse in Eugene. We just haven't had them sent down," Mr. Watson reported.

"Wonderful," I commented, and continued. "So, obviously nothing is a-miss with plants. Bill and his team have been through your books, with a fine tooth comb and have found nothing there that would cause us to be concerned, Bob was even able to get most if the titles checked, everything there is also clean with no leans. Therefore, we are ready to sign the contracts and transfer ownership to Piermont, with one slight change to the arrangement we agreed to last Wednesday."

"And what might that be?" Greg asked suspiciously.

"Well, Bill and his team managed to do in two days what would normally take two to three weeks. So, with all that they've accomplished, we're ready to close and convey to you the entire purchase amount of fifteen million, instead of ten million now and the remaining five million in thirty days. Assuming of course, that you're prepared to accept the full fifteen million."

Greg was chuckling softly as I spoke, stopping moments after I'd finished. "Yes, I think I can handle taking the full fifteen million. It will be a great hardship, but somehow I'll manage."

"I guess, all that's left to do is sign some documents."

I removed the prepared documents from my briefcase and passed them to Greg. He and Mr. Watson took their time going through them, before Greg started signing anything. When Greg was finished he passed the documents back to me. I then signed the various places where my signature was required. By the time Bill had finished signing and applying his notary seal, Bob and I had signed the cashier’s check and exchanged paper work with Greg.

"DD, it's been a pleasure doing business with you," Greg said, as we shook hands.

"The pleasure is mine," I replied. "I must admit that I feel just a little guilty about only paying fifteen million, for a company that is worth so much more, but you set the price."

"Yes I did, but like I said before, that price was only to you because I know that you'll take care of my people. You will take care of my people, won't you?"

"I don't know about your people, but I can assure you that I have always tried to take good care of my people."

"Being that the company is now in your hands, I suppose they are your people, so I'll trust you to take care of everyone. I guess as a finally act, as President of De Forest Paper, I should have my secretary send out a memo announcing the sale to Piermont."

"I'd suggest you wait until Sunday to send out that memo. I don't know how news travels around this part of the country, but around Brandon the purchase of another company was one of the hardest secrets to keep. I'm almost surprised that your dear brother Bobby hasn't mysteriously appeared," I cautioned.

"I suppose you're right about that, corporate secrets are hard to keep secret. I'll leave the memo with Mr. Watson, he can distribute it on Monday. I suppose there won't be a need for a president’s private secretary, after today."

"No, I'm afraid not. We will try a find a place for everyone that is displaced, due to the change in ownership," I assured Greg.

"Just how many are you talking about?" Mr. Watson asked.

"I'm not exactly certain, most of the accounting functions will be merged into our accounting department at the regional headquarters, in Portland. There will be a need for a few accountants here, but the tasks will change somewhat. Sales will be merged into our regional office as well. Although, we also have an outside sales force that work from their homes. Some of the sales staff might be suited to join that group. We try to find a spot for anyone whose job is eliminated. Not to mention the fact, when we bring the other plants online some of the work force here may desire to return to their home towns, creating some openings" I further clarified.

"So there won't be any layoffs?" Mr. Watson asked.

"I can't promise that, but like I said, we try to be as accommodating as we can, in finding jobs for anyone who is displaced and wants to work."

"What about . . . management?" Mr. Watson inquired further.

"We will bring in a temporary management team. Their job is to learn how this plant operates and to evaluate the existing management team. If the current management team is competent and hardworking, they'll be left in their current positions," Bob explained.

"Sounds like a reasonable approach. All of my management team worked their way up through the ranks, so I'm sure that you'll be happy with their performance," Greg stated.

"It's a system that has worked well for us over the years. I know of other companies that simply move their own people in when they take over. However, we've had great success with our approach and we have retained some very valuable and talented personal along the way," Bob added.

"Mr. Watson, One last item before we head out. If the younger Mr. De Forest should stop by, be sure to give Mr. DeLuca a call. He'll know how to get in touch with me," I explained.

"Absolutely Miss Drake."

With our immediate business concluded, we loaded everyone into the G1, or the King Air rental, and headed for Portland. Thursday morning I had called Rick Landis and moved our meeting from Friday to Saturday, I wanted to spend Friday evening with our inspection teams. I had Nancy find a nice restaurant, with a private dining room, for a congratulatory dinner. After everyone had enjoyed their fill of Prime Rib, with all the trimmings, I stood and gently tapped my, unused, wine glass.

"I just want to take a few moments to thank each and every one of you for the incredible job you've done over the last four days. Some of you may not be fully aware of what we have just accomplished. However, when the word gets out about what we've done, the entire paper industry will sit up and take notice, Piermont Paper is moving onward and upward." I paused until the applause died down. "For those of you who haven't kept track, let me bring you up to date. We've signed 'Letters of Intent' to purchase ten single plant companies." Another pause. "We've signed contracts and entered into a partnership agreements with thirteen companies." More applause. "And last but not least, the coup-de-gras! Many of you are aware that inspection team one suddenly dropped off the face of the Earth for two days, now that the papers are signed, I can tell you why. Wednesday morning, Nancy received a phone call, and rerouted team one to a remote plant in central Oregon. The next time I was in the air, I received a radio call from Bob, requesting that I join him. Everything about the company was very secretive, we didn’t even know the name of the company and the name of the owner, it turned out there was a good reason. In spite of the secrecy, the negotiations proceeded quickly and we agreed to purchase the company, with one stipulation on their part, that all the paper work be signed, and the transfer of funds be completed by the close of business today. We now own two additional newsprint plants, one with two, and the other with three, forming machines, plus another large plant producing chemically processed paper, with four forming machines, and a bagging operation, that makes Concord's look small. In addition to the three plants we acquired a one million square foot warehouse, almost four-hundred thousand acres of timber, an assortment of vehicles, and some other assets. An impressive acquisition you must agree, and now the reason for the secrecy.

"The owner of the company didn't want his younger brother to find out about the sale, until everything was finalized. He didn't want to get into another argument about how a business should be run. I'm pleased to announce, that as of this afternoon Piermont Paper has purchased the De Forest Paper Company, lock, stock, and trademark. The younger brother is none other than, the North American, Division President, for Alliance Paper International, Robert De Forest." There was a moment of silence, before the applause started, along with some laughter and cheering.

After the cheering died down, I continued, "We don't know as yet what ramifications may follow, but I'm sure someone is not going to be happy. In the meantime, most of you will be returning home in the morning, and I wanted to thank you all for your hard work. I hope you enjoyed your meal and I'm sure you'll enjoy having a paid day off when you get home, so you can spend the time with your families and loved ones. You've all earned it." Once more, I had to pause for a round of cheering. "However, there are still five sites to look over, so I'm asking two teams to remain here, so we can finish what we've started. I've asked Bob Warren to remain, along with his team, as well as Jerry DeLuca and his team. Both those teams will get paid time off when they return to their families. If you're on one of those teams, but have a pressing need to return home, get with your team leader and we'll make arrangements to trade people around. Thank you again, and have a safe trip home,"

Being that I had most of my VP's in Oregon, we held a short meeting after everyone else had left the dining room. "Gentlemen, it has been an exciting week," I started. "The next few months should be just as exciting, if not more so. Bill, we'll need you and your accounting teams, working round the clock, to get us the numbers we need. Knowing the cost per plant and average costs, are now your number one priority."

"We have most of that already and should be able to put together the final numbers by the end of next week," Bill confidentiality replied.

"That will be great, Bill. Ron, Gerard, you'll need to contact the management personal from your regions that will be temporarily assigned to the new plants, as soon as you get back. I'd like three management teams from each region in JC, ready to lift off at 8:00 am, a week from Sunday. Bob, you can contact the folks in the Northeast by phone, from here, or it can wait until Wednesday from your office."

"You don't want to have our people in place sooner?" Bob asked.

"That would be nice, but logistically, I think a week from Sunday is the earliest we can get you home, spend some time with your family, and be ready to leave again," I replied.

"I suppose my wife and kids would like to know what I look like," Bob added sarcastically.

"Ron, I'd like you to come back up at that time, to help me ferry our new airplanes back to Owosso and JC. I'm not sure which plane to leave here in Portland and which one to take to Owosso. Jerry, Gerard, you two get together and decide who gets the Cessna 206 and who gets the Piper Navajo. While we're on the subject of airplanes, I'll let all of you know of a decision I've been wrestling with making. Due to our company being so spread out, I've decided that all of the company’s Vice Presidents will be required to have their pilot’s license."

"All VP's?" Bill asked.

"Yes Bill, even you. As VP of Finance, I think you should be doing an on-site inspection of each regional office every six months."

Over the next hour, we discussed several topics, before I adjourned the meeting. Everyone had a full day scheduled and would need their sleep.

"Well Susan, do you still think that what I do is more luck than logic?" I asked, as we settled into bed.

"I don't know, sis. You do collect as much information as you can, before making your decisions, but I still think there's a lot of luck and magic involved."

"After spending a week with me, you still think its more guess work, than logical decision making?"

"I wouldn't put it that way, exactly. It's more like watching a magician performing. To the magician, everything makes perfect sense, but those watching are still mystified."

"Well thanks, Suz. It does sound better that way. I guess it helps to have Grandma adding to my reputation, pretty soon everyone will think I’m a magician. So, are you going to stick around for the weekend and go with us on Monday, or do you want to get back to the inspections?"

"Oh my, hang around with my sister and watch her perform magic, or go off on my own and make sure everyone else is working. That's a tough choice to make," Susan said sarcastically. "But, I've always enjoyed watching a good magic act."

I smiled, as I came up with a suitable reply. "Ladies and gentlemen, for my next trick I will blot out the sun, leaving our small corner of the world in complete darkness," as I reached over and turned off the bedside lamp.

"Nice build up sis, but the sun went down a couple of hours ago."

"We are in darkness, aren't we?"

"Good night, Darla."

"Good night, Suz."

* * * To Be Continued * * *

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