have a problem with any of the clauses?”
“No, they’re fairly standard and more generous than most firms provide. They should sign the contract as-is by this evening.”
“What’s the timeline you communicated to them?”
“I want to be semi-retired by year-end and fully-retired within six months after that. That’s how the buy-out schedule was drafted.”
“Call me when your meeting is over?”
“You bet. I love you, honey.”
“I love you, too, babe,” Tracy responded.
At three o’clock sharp, Adams and Rutledge were standing at James’ office door. As expected, they had no issues with the contract at all. There were some questions to clarify a couple of the more intricate points regarding how the loans would work, but in the end both men signed the contract. James added his signature below theirs, and he had his administrative assistant come in and notarize the paperwork. Once that was done, James contacted the bank handling the loans and authorized the transfer of funds. The partnership was in place.
James shook hands with his new partners and immediately called for a staff meeting in the office library. Once all of the associates and staff had taken their places, James informed them of the changes that would be happening.
“First of all, I want to tell you that you’re all doing an outstanding job. Client satisfaction is at an all-time high, and you should all be very proud of your work and your contributions to the firm. Second, I need to let you know that there are going to be some changes happening over the next 18 months.
“The biggest change is to the name of the firm. Effective immediately, we’re known as ‘Anderson, Rutledge, Adams and Associates.’ I have made Philip Adams and Henry Rutledge partners in the firm. All stationery needs to be changed, as do all templates, invoices, and work papers. The name on the door will be changed by the end of the week. I’ll be staying with the firm, but my day-to-day involvement will be phased out over the next 18 months until I eventually retire. This transition will be gradual to ensure that our clients aren’t affected and to ensure that each of you isn’t negatively affected either.”
The associates and staff applauded and congratulated Adams and Rutledge for their promotions. Both men were well-liked and very good at their jobs. James held up his hand and continued when the applause died down.
“A formal announcement will be going out to the clients in the morning. Please don’t say anything to any client until you’ve been notified that the announcements are out and that it’s OK to do so.”
At that moment, James’ Administrative Assistant came into the library wheeling a cart filled with champagne bottles and glasses. “I think a celebration is in order,” he said as he opened the first bottle. “But remember, use moderation if you’re driving home this evening.”
Everyone laughed and came forward to fill and raise a glass to the two new partners.
“It’s done,” James said a little while later when he had a chance to call his wife.
“That’s great, babe,” Tracy said. “I made reservations for dinner. Why don’t you get out of there, and let’s have a quiet little celebration.”
“That sounds like a very good idea. I’ll be leaving here in the next ten minutes.”
“See you when you get here,” Tracy said as she hung up the phone.
James got up and put on his coat. He grabbed his briefcase and turned off the lights, letting his Administrative Assistant know that he was leaving for the night. He heard the party still going on in the library and smiled as he headed for the elevator. I should have done this years ago.
As the elevator door opened and he stepped inside, another thought came to him. One down, one to go.
4
February 1, 8:30 AM
Tom Anderson’s Office.
“Good morning, Tom.”
Tom looked up and saw the President of his company standing in his office doorway. Surprised, he quickly stood up to shake the man’s hand. No one from the home office was expected to be in town for several months, and Tom was both curious and concerned about the unexpected visit.
“Good morning, sir,” he answered as his boss closed the office door and sat down. “What brings you here?”
“Sorry for the unannounced visit, but the company is making some changes and I wanted to brief the affected staff personally before the formal announcements go out later today.”
Tom’s pulse quickened at the words “affected staff.” Are there going to be cutbacks? Will some of my staff be let go or reassigned? Tom knew that he had been spending a lot of time with the Order, but he had been careful not to neglect his work for the company. Tom’s mind ran through the latest customer satisfaction survey results, and his region had scored very high as usual.
Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, “‘Affected staff’, sir?”
“Yes, Tom. We’ve made a move to purchase two smaller companies that will expand our presence in Europe and give us access to some additional services that we don’t currently offer. We need to move some of our people into the control positions of these new companies, and that’s creating some opportunities here in the States for some of our key employees.”
Tom suddenly wondered if he were being transferred to Europe. It would be a great opportunity, but it would impact Emily’s career and their work with the Order.
Tom’s boss continued. “We’re dividing our operations into four regions: Asia-Pacific, Western Americas, Eastern Americas, and Europe-Middle East-Africa. Each operating region will be led by a Vice President, reporting directly to me, and will be divided into a number of territories, each led by a Director. The four Regional VPs, the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, and Chief Administrative Officer, will form the company’s Executive Council. Effective immediately, assuming you accept, you’re being promoted to Vice President of Operations for the Eastern Americas Region. Your territory will run from Texas to North Dakota and everywhere east of that to the Atlantic, including the Caribbean. The Western Americas Region will cover the rest of the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, as well as Central and South America.”
Tom was stunned. “Thank you, sir,” he finally said, still at a loss for words.
“You more than deserve it, Tom,” his boss replied. “You’ve done an outstanding job with your current territory, and your customers think the world of you and your staff. There’s no one else I want in this position. Since your region will include Washington, D.C., the Pentagon will be your responsibility, which means you’ll be more involved in sales than before. I don’t believe for one minute that it’ll be a problem for you. People trust you, and you don’t betray their trust.”
“I appreciate your confidence, sir. I won’t let you down. One question, though. Where will this position be located?”
“Good question. I don’t want the leadership team based out of the home office. We need to be out in the field where we can stay
