It was a great weather day and the run was quick and intense, giving more time to get ready for school. It was the usual coffee and ride to school. I laughed as everyone was pretending that things mattered educationally. We were told to have our lockers cleaned out before end of the day Thursday. Thankfully coach called Me, JJ and Sam to the AD office to discuss the meeting. As soon as we sat down I asked about Jim. Coach said well there is some good news as he tested clean for everything but alcohol. I asked, so why isn't he here, hell three of us sitting in this room could have had that happen to us. He said, well we didn't get caught. Mike, he violated team rules and will not be a captain and he misses the first scrimmage. I smiled and said, well I want the same penalty, JJ said, I'm Spartacus and that broke the tension. Coach said guys, don't push this he will be reinstated as captain in due time. I said coach, like this afternoon? Coach changed the subject and briefed us on his meeting. I said coach, we will need a players only meeting and that means no spies or listening. Then I said, I'll drop the Captain drama but will ask the team to support Jim. We will do that and you can be tough and reinstate him on you time frame. As for the team we will be united. Coach said Mike, I knew you would turn this around.
Once that was over we started to the stadium and Nancy came up to me gave me a hug and said thanks for the flowers that has never happened to me here before. Once we were at the stadium we agreed that JJ would deal with the Offense and I would deal with the defense and that Sam had the sophomores. We started to the team room and I saw Jim go in alone. Once everyone was there coach introduced the staff and I laughed as there were no changes. He spent 30 minutes laying out team rules and expectations. Then he introduced the 3 of us as team captains. I had noticed that a sophomore kid was late and I made a note. Then I asked coach if we could have the room with no coaches. All the coaches filed out and closed the door. I started by saying we have already had a lot of drama. Jim got up and I said James, please sit down and at least hear me out. He sat and was staring holes in me. I said well before there is another issue I have a question. I don't want an answer, just think about it. How many of you have had a drink? How any of you have had a drink and got behind the wheel. There was dead silence. Jim did all that and the difference is that he got caught. While it was stupid, the biggest mistake was not understanding that it was prom night and a holiday weekend and there would be numerous DUI checks. In talking with an officer there were 3 within 6 miles of this building. Many of you remember Jeff and how that turned out. Pay attention at the fucking parties and if you choose to drink, choose not to drive. Jim is our QB, he is a leader and we are much better with him than without him. JJ and Sam and I have already asked coach to reinstate him as captain. We are asking that each of you send that message to the coaches.
Guys we have a unique opportunity this year. We sent a message that we were for real last year and when we win again this year we will be making a statement that will be remembered for our entire lives. I have the defense, JJ has the offense and Sam has the rising sophomores. As far as the three of us are concerned Jim has all of us as captain and QB1 he is the damn boss. Work hard, workout, play safe and use your fucking heads. I stopped and looked at Wayne the dude who was late and said, we are never late, we are never unprepared and we outwork every other team. Wayne see JJ before you leave. Show you support for Jim. ONE FOR ALL AND ONE FOR ALL, anything else is unacceptable. I said have a safe summer and we better see your asses in the weight room. JJ went up to Wayne, put his arm around him and there was an intense conversation.
As I was leaving Jim came up and said thanks. I said Jim, you would do that to me. Look I have a big work meeting and I will be late but when I get home I'll call. Then tomorrow we are have a very long talk. He smiled and said absolutely. I drove to work with the roof up as the weather was turning ugly. I parked in my spot and always got a thrill out of that. As soon as Ruth saw me she stood and hugged me and said thanks for the flowers, even your old man noticed. I went into the office closed the door and transformed my self to a businessman. I found dad in his office and he said Mike, I really hate that no tie look. I said well it's my image, please don't be upset. He smiled and said how could I bee, looking at these you and I are doing a lot right. He handed me the financials. I flipped to the last page and saw the bottom line and I said well that's more you than me. He laughed and said well it's me trying to keep up with you. He looked at the clock and said we have 10 minutes yet and I said nope we have 20, I want them to have time to look over the agenda. I said well if you don't want to be late go ahead. Then I said well with these being so good, indicating the financials, I think I'll save them for last. Dad said Mike, so you want to fight with them? I said not al all I want them involved and for the most part they are not. Oh dinner is in the cafeteria and dad burst out laughing. We chatted for a few minutes and left for the board room. When we got there Tim just shook his head.
I went to my chair, took my jacket off, put it on the back of the chair and while rolling up my sleeves said Good Evening. Jordan started to stand and I motioned him to remain seated. I said first item is Brian's resignation and the new legal team will be under the growing umbrella of Enterprises. The executive team has hired Three Rivers Legal Services. Tim is the principal and he will be hiring two partners with undergraduate degrees from Brown and Pitt Law School. Are there any questions and naturally Mr. Gallagher said well I have a few. I said well as long as they are on topic. Mike why were we not given an agenda before we walked in here today? I said because it was a work in progress and was not finalized before noon today. He said well it must be a work in progress because it already changed. I said well Brian resigned to peruse other clients and remains with his firm. As for the agenda, I reserve the right to change the order of topics, rest assured that every item will be discussed. The contract with TRLS is the same fee structure as with the previous firm. Then I was asked if they would also be representative Enterprises? I said yes. Will they also represent your Trust? I said no, Tim has resigned from the Trust. Mike who will deal with the legal issue of the Trust? Dad answered saying that is not an appropriate topic for this meeting.
I looked at Jorden and he spent the next 10 minutes giving the cliff notes on the financials. There was no comment. I then launched into a detailed update of the building progress and that things were moving along ahead or schedule. I then said J & J would not be working on the move management as we were doing that in house. I was immediately asked about the furniture. I said that it was a new product from Herman Miller and manufactured in Michigan. I was asked about the cost and I said well it is listed in the financials and it was a great price as it is a new product. Mike, how can that be? I said well it is a few percent below GSA. Again Mike how is that possible? I said there is no GSA price yet approved for the product. Their current GSA price for other products is set and we are 6% below that. Understand that no one will ever but that product as cheaply as he are buying it. Then I was asked why a new product. I said the outside of the building you are renting reflects the past of the region. Once inside Technologies has elected to reflect where the region can go. I then discussed Jack's hiring and the GE new program and the need to keep space in the Strip District. I was then asked why the new building wasn't designed to accommodate growth. I said because it has been impossible to keep up with the growth. The next question really set the table, nicely as I was asked why are we here today? I said to ask questions and to make sure we have the answers. There has not been one Board member here since the last meeting and no one even remarked that we skipped a meeting. Please tell me how you can expect more if you are never around? There was silence and I moved to the Jet. I said we have leased a 4 year old small jet that seats 8 and has a crew of 2. It is a twin engine and maintenance is included in the agreement. We have 2 people qualified to fly the jet and can get other certified pilots. We can also, rent it to other companies. Personal use will be reimbursed by Enterprises or my Trust. After the dressing down there were no questions. I thanked everyone and asked that they be more involved going forward. Then I said dinner is available in the cafeteria. I made sure they took the longer way to the cafeteria so they could see the building.
Once we were all in the cafeteria, I said I'm sorry I was terse today. The message you should have received was that it takes more than attending one meeting a month to be on this board. Please be around and make suggestion Mr. Simmons door and my door will be open and we will meet to discuss anything you want. The location for dinner as well as the round about way of getting her was to point out that we are exceedingly profitable while the people who produce all that work in this environment. They deserve better and that's what all this is about. Thanks for understanding. Oh, the bar is fully stocked but if you are driving, moderation please. The food was actually very good and I went to the bar and asked for a ginger ale. I made the rounds and some interactions were strained but most understood. There was an undercurrent that I liked, which was they want more and we are not being paid. Kyle came up to me and said, fuck kid I don't ever want you pissed off at me. That was a total dressing down. I smiled and said we will have more than a few resignations tomorrow and you and I will start to rebuild that group and this company in a new trimmer and more profitable image. He looked at me and I said Kyle let's get out of here and talk.
We went around the corner and found a sports bar. Inside I ordered an iced tea and Kyle ordered 2 beers. I smiled and said you better be thirsty as I'm not drinking. I said Kyle, I'm tired fucking around with the board, it is meaningless. It a private company and I have 51% of the shares and dad has the rest. Kyle said Mike, I know there are a lot of changed coming when you turn 18, will you take the company public? I said, absolutely not and the changes will be dramatic but internal. What I want to do is bring Technology under the growing Enterprise umbrella. Kyle, it's complicated and a work in progress. Technologies becomes Enterprises, standard property gets spun off totally independent with me owning them. The architectural firm goes away and any new buildings will designed by independent firms. I want to grow the law firm and make their only clients us and our growth. Kyle, I'm waiting for the economy to slow down and then we will start buying land on the down low. Dad does what dad does and grows the company and the day I graduate from VT he retires and that is his plan not mine. I want the restaurant and the marina. A classy marina actually a club. We are in a good place but Standard Property is in for a tough time. Kyle, at Enterprise I have a large salary 75K. That's nuts but damn the thing is making money and a lot of it. I know you can keep up but are you willing? He said definitely. I then asked about Dillon and if he could keep up? He said yes. Then I asked can we keep him? Kyle replied, yes but he needs another raise. I said do it and inform HR. Then I asked about Mason and he said well, I bet it will be like Brian one day you will have enough and he will be gone. He smiled and said Mike, I know you pushed Brian out, can I ask why? I said well I hired him for my Trust and he couldn't turn that over fast enough. He never respected me and there was the fact that he underestimated me. It simple became what it was always going to be. Kyle you and I will have a lot more meetings like this and you salary is now 100K, There is also the need to establish, fund from the foundation and house startups. My Foundation has too much money in it and we need to do something in the startup area. Building 2 will have a groundbreaking next week and a lot of my time will be getting zoning and permits for the restaurant and marina. That will take a lot of kissing the Mayors ass. Then again, I have a contact who lobbies the legislature, the Mayor might not be an issue. Kyle said well that's a lot for the Summer. I asked about the wife and he said pregnancy hormones, but really good. Then he asked, can we order? It was burgers and fries for both of us.
We were walking back to the office and Tim and dad were leaving. He asked if we want to meet for drinks at South Hills, I was surprised when Kyle said sure. I asked dad if he would meet me at home and drive me to the club. He said sure and rubbed my head and said nice job and mission accomplished. I got in the car and didn't bother with the roof. Dad was right behind me and we went right to the Club. As we went in dad said to the manager, asshole doesn't have a tie, are we still good. Mike, the manager laughed and said, he is always an issue, but it's good. Jack wasn't working and wondered what I would get. Dad took care of it went to the bar and came back with two scotches. I asked Tim, so how did it go? Mike two directors said they didn't have the time to what you needed and three said you were an asshole and would never be treated like that again. We have 5 resignations and I'm betting you get three or four tomorrow. There was another round of drinks and we all headed home. On the brief trip home dad asked if Kyle was onboard and I said, totally. Dad said, great job.
At home I said hi to Megan and went to my room and called Jim. He picked up right away. We were talking and he said how sorry he was that he was an ass and he appreciated everything I did today and that the attorney Paul was a god sent. We talked about things for an hour and I said, Jim I have a physical tomorrow but we need to finish this up close and in person. Jim agreed and said good night.
I went downstairs found dad and Megan in the game room with a drink and dad said have a seat for a minute. There was small talk and dad said Mike, you pulled that off perfectly today. So was that you or an act? I said yes and Megan laughed. Dad the short answer is that at times it was both. Mostly me in the cafeteria. Then I said I'll see you guys tomorrow. Oh just so you know I have that FAA physical after school tomorrow and then I'll workout at the gym, so I'll be later getting home. Good night guys.
Laying in bed I thought about the BOD meeting and was pleased. The Board needed a major makeover. Last month when we didn't have a meeting and no one complained, or even asked about that. Remaking the Board would be the issue and I wanted forward thinking people with opinions. Next week when school is out, I will talk with each remaining Board member and encourage a couple to stay or not. The others I hope quit but I will replace them as needed. The thought of taking the company public entered my mind and that remained a firm no. I fell into a restless sleep and woke up for the run and school tired and cranky. The run with Cole and JJ helped but school did not. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw a van from one of the papers and thought shit. I went straight to the class and there was reading material a poem, that I actually found interesting. That lasted half the period and I was called to the Athletic Office. I opened the door and Nancy said sorry and pointed to the conference room. I went in closed the door sat down and said good morning. Coach said Mike, I confirmed to Chris here that we had a meeting yesterday. That is was my usual start of Summer meeting with potential players. He has some questions that I am unable to answer, I figured you might be able to help with that. Chris immediately asked was there a player's only meeting yesterday? I said I hope it was players only but you never know, who might be listening. Did you run that meeting? I said yes along with the other captains. Mike, who are the other captains? I replied, please ask coach. Mike, what was the topic of the meeting? I replied, it was players only, no comment. Mike, if I asked around would others comment? Chris, they are free to say and do what they want but it is unlikely. Chris, one thing I will share about that meeting is our motto for the year. ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE, I believe you might have heard that before it was borrowed. Mike one last question, how is you relationship with your QB, I said good, well make that very good. Coach said, Mike hang back for a few as I walk Chris out.
Coach came back and said Mike, thanks and good job. You know he will ask around? Coach he will get a ton of no comments, it's covered. Mike, my emails are full with requests and the voice box here at the office is full, all about reinstating Jim. I said coach, you also need a caption for the rising Junior class. We shook hands and I went back to class, or what passed for classes. At lunch I met with JJ, Sam and Jim and ask that they spread the word that NO COMMENT, was a good answer for the media as it relates to yesterday's meeting. I sleepwalked through the remaking classes, thinking about the business and the Board and the thousands of changes we would make as we moved into the new building. I signed out for the doctors and drove the 40 minutes to the North Hills to the doctor's office. I can't remember when I was here last and thought football last year, the semi finals. I checked in at the doctor's office and was barely seated when I was taken in the back. There was an eye chart exam a hearing test and I had my blood pressure taken and was told to strip to my underwear. About 5 minutes later a woman and a guy came in wearing lab coats and as it turned out the doctor was the woman. She looked in my eyes, ears and throat. Then she said please stand up and drop the underwear. I did as requested and I was checked for a hernia and all of a sudden she was feeling my balls, she looked at me and said, just checking for lumps. Testicular cancer is often over looked. She never looked at my junk and said you can get dressed. There was a few typical questions and she asked for the FAA medical forms and signed them. She got up and said fly safe and smart. I said thanks and started home and the 40 minute ride turned into a hour with traffic.
I drove directly to the gym and did the usual workout drove home and was glad to see no one was there and took a very long shower. Downstairs I was considering dinner choices. I opened the refrigerator and saw that new pork chop thing with red sauce and potatoes. Damn there were 8 pork chops. I was so excited, I poured an iced tea and went outside and sat in my spot. A few minutes later Cole came out, pulled up a chair and lit a cigarette. I said really dude, a cigarette? He said well if it was iced tea you would bust my balls for being like you and I laughed. So what's up? MJ I am totally relaxed and don't know why and I should be a little nervous about the weekend. We talked for a while and it was time to get dinner ready as I heard dad and Megan. It was dinner in the kitchen and again very pleasant and dad and Megan cleaned up.
Upstairs in my room I checked my emails and there was one from Jack. I opened and it read:
Michale James Simmons, Jr is hereby required to report to room 513 at the Sheridan station Square at 1000 hours this Saturday. It was signed John Richard McBaine, USMC Retired. There was a note: DETAILS TO FOLLOW. I just laughed and knew it was the task I owed and was glad he acted first. It would be a long couple of days.
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