Georgie Girl Ch. 19-21

We skied and made love and generally relaxed during the week between Christmas and New Years. We had shut the plant for that week, knowing that things would be quite frantic as we began to achieve full production of our two machines. We were unable to predict which of the two would be the most in demand, so we advised our customers that the deliveries would be in equal numbers to begin with until they could tell us which the two was the more in demand.

It took countless takes before the producer was satisfied with my television commercial. The magazine ads did not feature me, but focused on the machines and their capabilities. The target magazines were dedicated to equipment and farm/ranch management and didn't require personalization. They required credibility that the equipment would do what we claimed.

The first time I saw the television commercial, I didn't recognize myself.

"You were wonderful, John!" Georgette enthused.

We had been watching a home and garden show, looking for ideas on a new home we might build. Yes, we were thinking of moving out of the city and over to the east side of the bay. There was no rush and we hadn't said anything to our parents about this idea that was still in its formative stages.

"I was raised in wide open spaces, Georgette. I wonder if that wouldn't be better for our child than the city. We could have more space and it would be safer, I think."

"I think you're right, but I'm afraid of how my parents, Nan, and Mary and Devon will feel. They might be very upset if we took our baby away from here."

"It wouldn't be that far. You and Brad lived some distance away, remember."

"I'd rather not," she scowled. I should have known better than to bring that subject up.

"Well, we aren't ready yet, but if we think that's what we want to do, then we shouldn't leave it until the last minute to tell them about it."

"I don't want to do anything until the baby is born. Oh, by the way, we're having a boy," she said glibly.

"A boy! How do you know? Did you get tested?"

"No. I just know. Just like I knew I was pregnant. Trust me, we're having a boy."

I grinned. She was so sure. I knew better than to argue the point.

"I think Matthew William Harold Smith would be a good name for him."

"Oh," I said, thinking about the suggestion. "William is my grandfather's name, Harold was Nan's husband's name, but what about Matthew? Where did that come from?"

"My imagination," she smiled, "or maybe I was thinking about Matt Damon," she snickered.

"I guess I should be glad you didn't decide on Brad, then."

"Are you saying you don't like the names?"

"Nope, in fact I do like the names. Does this mean I get to choose the names if it's a girl?"

"Don't waste your time. Ain't going to happen."

"Not ever?"

"Okay, hold them in reserve for future reference," she conceded.

Chapter 21

Matthew William Harold Smith was born on June 13, 2012, weighing in at a strapping eight pounds, two ounces. He was perfect in every way, possessing all the necessary fingers and toes, plus a very healthy appetite and voice. I could feel the relief in the Fulton and desBiens households when the event occurred. There was some on my part as well. Although he wouldn't be a Fulton, he would be family to them and that's all that mattered.

Georgette and I have decided to delay our consideration of building a home for ourselves. We'd planted the seed with the family, but so far we hadn't agreed on a location or a timetable. If we could stay on the peninsula, I think all would be well. It could be done. All it would take is a lot of money.

But money is no longer an issue, if it ever was for us. Diamond∞Stream is now an established name. Feature articles in Time, Newsweek, Business Week and a number of other publications have spread the word about our product far and wide. We are getting international inquiries for both distribution and satellite plant locations. The potential has exploded and we are doing everything possible to keep control of our growth.

Georgette is already talking about our next child. I'm leaving it entirely up to her as to the timing. She is happier than you can imagine with our baby, and brings Matthew with her to the office as she works on various projects with me. She's busy setting up a day care area when we take over the second floor. It will make hiring and retaining employees so much easier, she claims.

I picked up a TV magazine the other day at the supermarket and found a picture of Georgette on the cover. She had been deemed one of America's most glamorous women. Our fame was something we had not prepared ourselves for. I was uncomfortable with it, but had no choice in the matter. Once I allowed myself to be the spokesperson for our company, I was in the public domain and at the mercy of those who would attempt to exploit our success.

***

"So, what's your next project, John?" Annie Lieberman asked. "You must have something in mind."

"Well, as I've said all along, continuous improvement of our equipment is part of our culture. We've hired two young engineers to spearhead that part of our development. It probably isn't very sexy, but it is essential that we don't allow someone to catch us with something better or cheaper. So, driving down costs without sacrificing quality is our main objective.

"We are looking to add a heat-exchange component to a portable diesel generator. We're trying to be more efficient and environmentally friendly. Now if that isn't sexy," I chuckled, "I don't know what is."

"I don't want to put you down, John, but these days it isn't very sexy," she said. "What are you working on, Georgette?"

"Getting used to being a mother, right now. I'm working to set up the day care area on this floor. I've been interviewing a couple of women who are qualified to run it for us."

"Okay, I've let the local newspapers know about your plan," Annie said with some resignation. "I don't know if any of them will cover it. Corporate day care isn't news around here the way it once was. We've cut back on the magazine advertising as planned. It just isn't as necessary as it was. Diamond∞Stream is a household name now."

"Don't be sad, Annie," Georgette sympathized. "You've done a marvelous job for us. Better than we could have hoped for. We're swamped with business, so our first priority is to get a grip on our production and meet the demand. That's where all our effort is going. Early next year, I'm thinking we'll need to let the public know about our new developments that make the product even better."

"That's a half year away, Georgette. I was hoping for something sooner."

"Don't worry, Annie," I said. "The new international ads will roll out then. You'll be number one in your agency by that time."

"Yeah ... what am I complaining about? I was just a glorified gofer a year ago when Georgette got hold of me. Now I have a career and a mega-client with a mega-hit on their hands. I never imagined it would turn out this way. I'm really grateful to you both."

We wrapped up the meeting and escorted Annie to the lobby. She had done a wonderful job of marketing our products to the right target clients. Our distribution system was plugged with orders for the product and all our focus had turned to increasing production.

"You're hesitant to tell Annie about the new development, aren't you?" Georgette said and we walked back to our office.

"Yes," I admitted. "It's not that I don't trust her, but the fewer who know what direction we want to take the better. Unlike the water treatment system, the technology for our waste treatment system isn't fully developed. We've hired a couple of people who were involved in the Milwaukee project to work with us in development. This is going to be easily as big as Diamond∞Stream according to Kevin. The number of machines will be fewer, but the technology is more complex, so the value will be much higher."

"Kevin thinks almost every aircraft that has a holding tank will want a system like you're imagining," my wife said.

"Yeah, he does. We're going to bring Dow in on this again. They've been supplying chemicals for waste treatment on aircraft for many years. They have the resources and experience that can make for another valuable partnership. That's something that Kevin was involved in with them, so when he approached me with the idea, I was interested."

"But it's not just for aircraft," Georgette reminded me.

"No ... we see applications on boats and RVs. Just about anywhere that holding tanks are used. I've got a person researching how much the airline industry alone spends on toilet waste disposal. It's a monster sum. If we can show them how to cut that back to a fraction of what they pay, they'll line up to use our system."

"Imagine all the good P.R. we'd get too," my wife smiled.

"It would shine up Annie's résumé very brightly. Hell, she might even start her own agency."

"Where are we going on our vacation?" Georgette asked. "Have you decided?"

"No, you decided. You gave me three choices, then proceeded to make sure I knew which one you wanted," I laughed.

"Oh ... really? So which one did you think I was trying to steer you toward?"

"The one with the most brochures and backup information. St. Tropez, of course."

She broke into her best smile. "You are so smart. Are you happy with my choice?"

"Of course I am. The villa you've already rented is lovely, and I'm sure Matthew will be just as happy with Nan there as he always is with her."

"How did you know I'd already booked the place?"

"A little bird told me. A little bird that's going to enjoy every minute of her vacation too."

"That's the trouble with Nan," she said in mock disgust. "She likes you best."

"Well, I don't know about that. After all, she's pretty fond of our son and you both. I think it's pretty well a tie."

"Are you going to take me to Monaco like you promised?"

"Of course, don't I always keep my promises?"

"Hmmmm ... usually, I guess. Just don't spend all your time on the phone or computer doing business."

"I promise. Besides, I want to ogle the babes on that clothing-optional beach."

"One of them might be me," she said, poking my shoulder with her finger.

"Go for it. You'll be a sensation on the Internet celebrity sites," I said facetiously.

"Oh ... I hadn't thought of that. So ... maybe we get a private place with no one else around?"

"Maybe," I smiled.

"Are we really going to be able to keep this all under control? I mean, we're going to have a life as a family and take vacations together and not working eighty-hour weeks?"

"We can't let that happen to us, Georgie. I've got good people to carry the freight and we're out looking to hire more good people. That's the one thing about this recession, there's lots of talent available. We couldn't have picked a better time to build a business. Resources and people are plentiful. We can build a solid foundation quickly and bring in talent that will stay and prosper with us."

"Now you're just quoting my father," she laughed.

"Thomas is a very smart and experienced man. I'm very lucky to have him as a part of our team. He's a pretty good father-in-law, too."

"Your parents are going to enjoy St. Tropez. Your mother can't wait to team up with Nan and spoil our son."

"Yeah, and Dad can't wait to hit the beach and the restaurants. It's a good thing that villa is big enough for all of us."

"I'm just happy that all our family gets along so well. Everyone is compatible. Mother and Father, Devon and Mary are going to move in after our stay. It's too bad we couldn't have everyone there at the same time like we do at Christmas and New Years."

"We probably could, but it would leave the senior executive cadre of the company pretty thin. I think it's better that we split the vacations in two. We can mix and match each time. I know they all want equal time with Matthew."

"Uncle Devon is talking about buying a place on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. That would be a great place for a winter vacation."

"Yes, it would, wouldn't it," I agreed. "Well, time enough to think about vacations when we've got all our other problems solved. Right now, it's back to work. Kevin is expected back later this afternoon with the plans for the Bismarck plant. Then we'll go over the Ardmore floor plan and see if we can wrap that up. If I know Kevin, he's already got tentative orders placed for equipment with Lincoln Electric. He's a demon at getting things going."

"I was worried he was going to burn himself out, John, but he seems to thrive on it."

"That only lasts for so long, love. I'm going to be enforcing the vacation policy on him before long. The last thing we need is a key person getting sick or burning out. Charlie Prendergast is trying to set him up with a lady friend of his wife's, but so far nothing is happening. He needs something besides work to keep him going. He's finished the Studebaker, and there it sits in Nan's garage, hardly driven at all."

"Maybe I'll get Nan to have a talk with him. He seems to listen to her. She's like a surrogate mother to him."

"Go for it. Anything to get him to dial it back a notch or two."

"You're no better, you know. I get the feeling that you spend all your waking hours thinking about the business. Just don't shut me out, John. I won't stand for that."

"You don't have to worry, Georgette. You are my safety valve. When things get too weird, you have a way of getting me back on track. I probably wouldn't have agreed to this vacation if it wasn't for you."

"Yeah ... and the fact that there's a nude beach nearby," she laughed.

"Well ... whatever works," I smiled.

***

Kevin, Thomas, myself, and our new CFO, Regan Abercrombie, met in our boardroom at three that afternoon. Thomas was now concentrating on future finances, namely the timing of taking the company public.

"Both the North Dakota plant and the Oklahoma building are suitable for us," Kevin said. "They are big enough, clean enough, have all the facilities and services we require. Aside from the installation of equipment, there's little needed to make them operational."

"That's good news," I said. "Regan, where are we on the leases?"

"Devon is wrapping that up as we speak. He just needs our say-so and he'll sign the paperwork and Kevin will be free to get things moving."

"Okay, does anyone have any concerns about either of these two properties? Now's the time to say so."

There was silence for the few seconds that I allowed. I was sure there would be no opposition to our plan.

"Very well, then. It's a go. Regan, please inform Devon we will sign the leases. Kevin, tell me you haven't already ordered the robots," I grinned.

"Well, let's just say Lincoln is ready to hear from me," he said shyly.

"What about manpower?"

"The good news is we have plenty of qualified responses to our search for admin and production staff. We'll be able to pick the best of the best, I think."

"Good. Glad to hear it, Kevin. That's the biggest problem we have to deal with. Anything else we should know?"

"Are we going to discuss the new project?" he asked.

"Absolutely. Our two hires from Milwaukee are arriving next week. I'd like to get us all together for a brainstorming session. I think by then we should have some data on how much the airlines are spending on waste disposal. It will just be North American data to begin with, but it will give us some idea of the quantum we are dealing with."

"Trust me, John, it's huge," Kevin assured me. "And it's expensive. And it's stinky. And it's becoming a problem for the cities where the airports are offloading the waste. Some of them are running out of sewage treatment capacity. The capital cost of new facilities is massive. I think this might be a bigger project than we've understood."

"Well, we're going to have a dedicated team working on it," I said. "The payoff is too big to ignore."

"What I like about it," Thomas injected, "is that the technology already exists to do what we want to do. Sure it's on a much bigger scale, but if we can do what John did with the water system and compress it, then we've got a winner. A monster winner," he smiled.

I leaned back in my chair, smiling as I thought of the future of our company. From a high school science project to what will likely become a multi-billion dollar corporation in a matter of seven years. We weren't there yet, but we were on our way and I couldn't see how we could fail with the talent we had on hand.

I thought back to that sorority mixer where I first met Georgette. What a fateful meeting that was. I'm still wondering just what made me so interesting to her that she would choose me as a life partner. If I'm honest with myself, I didn't have anything to offer back then. But she saw something that I would never have recognized. Thank goodness for that. Whatever it was, I'm immensely grateful that she did. What becomes of my ideas and my company won't be nearly as satisfying as having my Georgie Girl by my side.

END

This story was edited by ErikThread and DaveT with my thanks and appreciation. Any errors are mine alone. The story was previously posted on another site.