of this territory?”
“That’s one of the first decisions you’ll have to make.”
“My preference would be Ralph Gardner.”
“I expected you to choose him. That’s fine. From what you’ve told me in the past, he’s ready for the responsibilities.”
“When can I offer him the position?”
“Why don’t you call him in right now?”
Tom picked up the phone and dialed Ralph’s extension. When Ralph answered, Tom said, “Can you come in here for a moment?”
“Sure, boss. Be right there.”
Ralph knocked on the door a minute later and stopped short when he saw Tom’s boss. “Good morning, sir,” he said, shaking the man’s hand.
“Good morning, Ralph. Come in,” he said to Ralph, motioning to the empty seat next to him.
Ralph closed the door behind him and sat down with a curious expression on his face.
“Ralph,” Tom’s boss began, “we’re making some changes around here. I’ll let Tom tell you about them.”
Tom explained to Ralph about the acquisitions and the restructuring of the company into four large operating regions, each broken out into territories. “I’ve been offered leadership of the Eastern Americas Region, so I need to find someone to handle this territory for me. I want that person to be you.”
“You want me to take your job?” Ralph said with surprise.
“Absolutely,” Tom replied. “I’ve been giving you more and more responsibility around here, and you’ve handled it very well. I think you’re ready for the next step in your career. There’s no one I trust more to handle this job.”
Ralph saw Tom’s boss nodding in agreement. “Wow, thanks, boss! I accept!” he said. “When is this change taking place?”
“Immediately,” Tom’s boss answered. “We’re informing the staff at nine o’clock. Congratulations, Ralph,” he said, holding out his hand.
Ralph shook his hand and then shook Tom’s. The three men stood up. “Give me a minute to update the presentation slides in my computer, and then let’s get the troops together,” Tom’s boss said as he opened the office door.
A few minutes later, the staff was assembled in one of the larger classrooms. Video conferencing had been set up for the other sites in Ralph’s new territory so all employees would hear the announcement at the same time. Tom’s boss did the talking, explaining the details of the acquisitions and the restructuring of the company. He projected the new organization chart on the wall via a micro-projector connected to his laptop, and there was applause when Tom’s name appeared on the Leadership Council as one of the Regional VPs. There was more applause when the territory organization chart was shared, showing that Ralph was taking Tom’s old position. Tom and Ralph grinned at the response, grateful that they had a highly motivated and loyal staff.
After the meeting, Tom’s boss asked if he could speak to Tom again. They went back to Tom’s office and sat down.
“Tom, there’s something else I need you to do for me.”
“Sure. What is it?” Tom replied.
“This spring, there’s an annual military trade show, conference, and expo called ‘Tower.’ It’s the largest trade show in the defense industry. There are vendors from across the defense industry, brass from all the branches of service, most of the Appropriations Committee members from Congress, dignitaries, ambassadors from our allies, and foreign military visitors. We usually have at least one booth and a hospitality suite, and this year we’ve been asked to present our company’s service offering and success stories at one of the break-out sessions. I’d like for you to give that presentation.”
“I’d be honored to, sir.”
“Terrific! Marketing handles the booth and hospitality suite, so you won’t have to get too involved in that. You’ll need to attend the events that they schedule for you, but you’ll still have plenty of free time to attend the conferences and the expo. Marketing will help you pull together whatever presentation materials you need. I’ll have the marketing team get in touch with you next week to work out the details. The trade show goes on for five days altogether. I’d suggest getting there a couple of days early and staying a couple of days after it’s over. Take Emily and make a vacation out of it.”
“Where’s the conference this year?”
“Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center. We always book our rooms at the Rothschild Centre across the street, and I’ve taken the liberty of booking you a VIP suite there.”
“Thank you, sir!”
“Don’t mention it. You’ll be the senior company representative there, so make sure you have whatever you need to represent us in the best way possible.”
“I will, sir.”
After Tom’s boss left his office, Tom sat down and thought about it for a moment. He was very excited about the new job, and he wanted to call Emily and tell her about it as soon as possible. He was about to pick up the phone when another thought hit him. The boss suggested making a vacation out of the trip to Tower. Maybe that would be a good way to celebrate our anniversary. He decided that it was a great idea. He was familiar with the Rothschild Centre and knew that their suites were outstanding. Emily deserved a vacation after the work that she had been putting into her surveillance system. This could be just the thing for both of them.
He decided to tell her over dinner that night. They were having a dinner party on the night of their anniversary, which was only two weeks away, but he felt that tonight they should have a private celebration. He’d tell her about his promotion and the vacation then. He was smiling as he dialed the number of their favorite restaurant to make a reservation.
“Good morning,” he said when the hostess answered the phone. “This is Tom Anderson. I’d like to make a reservation for two for this evening.”
“Yes sir, just a moment while I see what’s available.”
After a moment, she said, “Did you say Tom Anderson?”
“Yes.”
“But sir, we already have a reservation for you this evening.”
“You do? What’s the phone number for the reservation?”
The hostess read him the phone number. It was his home number.
“Who made the reservation?”
“Your wife called it in about 20 minutes ago. Is there a problem?”
“No, no problem. I just didn’t know she had done it. Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Mr. Anderson. We’ll see you tonight.”
Tom stared at the phone after he hung up. Why did Emily made a reservation for dinner tonight?
5
