Marcia was relieved that he was only jesting. “You had me going there for a minute, Adam.”
“You must admit that it would be fun to “punk” him, albeit a bit unprofessional. Unless, of course, he’s gay. In that case the joke would be on me. Anyway, what could he do about it. Maybe I’ll save that one for his last day.”
“I think you’d be best to forget about it completely.”
“You’re probably right. The bastard would probably sue me for harassment.”
Marcia went back to her notes. “Well, I think I get the idea. Rest assured Kane Masterson will leave here at the end of every day wishing that he had never agreed to work for us during the transition. I intend to make every day as tough for him as possible.”
“That’s the spirit. Remember that even though he is contractually obligated to work for us, it was a voluntary gesture on his part. He feels an obligation to the company’s vendors, customers and employees to look out for their interests. He’ll show them more loyalty than he will Hampton Industries, so he’ll need constant monitoring.
“That’s to be expected. Don’t worry, I’ll keep my eyes open.”
“One more thing, make sure that I have a minimum of personal contact with the man, if possible, none at all. I despise the sight of him. I’m sure you can find ways to prevent our paths from crossing.”
“That won‘t be any problem. I‘ll keep him away from you.”
“I’m taking off for the rest of the day. If you need me I’ll be at home. I’ve got to see dad and convey the good news to him. The doctors have prescribed a new medicine that’s supposed to increase his clarity. After all he went through, I hope that our takeover of Preston won’t be completely lost to him.” As he spoke tears formed in Adam’s eyes. He looked away to hide them from Marcia. When he looked back his eyes had cleared. “I haven’t forgotten that we have a date tonight. I made reservations at Champs Elysees for eight, so I’ll be by to pick you up at seven.”
“I’ll be ready. Say hello to your father for me. I’m glad to hear he’s getting better.”
Kane Masterson approached the reception desk as Adam was leaving the building. Their eyes met briefly, but neither man gave any sign of recognition. He gave the receptionist his card and waited as she called someone. A minute later an armed guard appeared to escort him to Marcia Bloom’s office.
Marcia met him at the door. He’s much more handsome in person than on the Web. They shook hands, exchanged pleasantries and moved to a small meeting table.
“Have you been to Old Brooking before, Mister Masterson?” She already knew the answer, but decided to ask anyway, to cover the fact that she had spent two hours searching into his background.
“Well actually I was raised here, but I left to go to college and after I graduated I settled in Wooster Square. I come back occasionally to visit with my mother.”
“Will you be staying at her house?’
“No! Your personnel people set me up at the Belmonte. I’ll be staying there. By the way, please call me Kane.”
“You’ll find that it’s still a very charming town, Mister Masterson. I hope your stay will be pleasant.” She spoke with a smile on her face, but the “Mister Masterson” told him that his dealings with Marcia Bloom would be on her terms.
“I certainly hope so.”
“Now let’s get down to business. We’ve got a lot to cover. Have you had a chance to review the organization charts Mister Hampton gave you?”
“Of course, I have them right here.” He opened his leather attaché case and removed a folder. “Which of the two do you want to cover first?”
“We’ll start with our flagship company, Hampton Sportswear. The plan is to fully assimilate Preston’s Elegant Sportswear brand, which means that Preston’s plants, marketing, finance and design departments must be examined to determine which sections can be cut and which will be transferred to Hampton. I understand that Elegant’s vice-president has decided not to make the move to Hampton and has already left the company. That will make our staffing decisions a lot easier. Are you with me so far?”
“Absolutely. I would recommend that we start with plant and equipment. Elegant has been modernizing their equipment and processes for the past three years. Their research and development budget has produced some solid results. They have the fastest most productive machines in the industry. They are also testing some revolutionary concepts that will turn garment making on its ear. I checked and the rights to this technology are fully transferable to Hampton.”
Hampton Sportswear and Elegant Sportswear were listed under the Industrial Classification, Textile Goods and while both are in the garment business, they supply entirely different markets.
Elegant Sportswear manufactures garments for the high end of the market. They produce all of their clothing at a plant complex in New Haven, Connecticut. They export forty percent of their goods to European and Asian Markets.
Hampton Sportswear caters to the broad consumer market, distributing mostly through discount stores. They import sixty percent of their clothes from Asian countries and export goods mainly to Mexico, Canada and South America.
Preston Industries had been founded in 1892 by Jonathon Preston. His initial venture into the textile industry began with the testing of revolutionary looms invented by friend. He rented an abandoned pottery factory in New Haven, installing two of the vertical reciprocating looms. For the first two years he only manufactured and sold cloth by the bolt. He experimented with new patterns and variations of designs that were the rage in Europe. His designs gained popularity with garment manufacturers, especially producers of sports clothes. Not being one to let an opportunity slip by, Jonathon expanded his operation and soon Preston Industries became a major player in the garment making business. Jonathon incorporated the business in 1917 under the Preston Industries banner. The name Elegant Sportswear was born three years later, out of necessity, when a small toiletry company and a leather goods manufacturer were added to the mix and the three companies became operating divisions. As a corporation Preston Industries survived several wars and the great depression. Shareholders that rode the tumultuous years and cycles of taste and style were richly rewarded. Since its inception, Preston had only seven unprofitable years. Dividends, which were first paid in1925, have been paid every year since then, although during the seven unprofitable years they were significantly reduced. The company’s stock suffered when conglomerates went out of favor and it lost its ranking as a growth stock just prior to the millennium, but it immediately took over first place on most analyst’s list of conservative dividend payers with its unmatched record of continuous payment for over eighty three years.
Marcia replied, “I think we should schedule trips to New Haven to visit both the facilities. We need to review the production figures, age, capacity and utilization for each piece of equipment at both. I’ll need the maintenance and repair records for the machinery at Elegant. It looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us for the next several months. Let’s visit the Elegant plant first thing tomorrow and Hampton the next day. I’ll make the arrangements. Let’s plan on meeting at 8 a.m. at the Communications Center.
“You may want to schedule two or three days for the Elegant visit. That plant has eight facilities, all told, each dedicated to the main lines they produce. The original pottery factory has expanded into surrounding shipbuilding, electronics and furniture plants. It will take one day just to do a walk through.”
“I’ll make that decision after I see the place,” she said, curtly.”
Kane just shrugged and made a note in his appointment book. They worked for the next two hours reviewing Elegant’s production data, finally breaking for lunch, which consisted of roast beef sandwiches and soft drinks brought in from a nearby deli and eaten they while they continued work. As the day went on, Kane thought that Marcia was softening a bit, Hopefully she’s getting more comfortable with me. It looks like this is going to be a little easier than I thought.