he asked an obviously logical question, “What about the crew?”
Reyes decided he was starting to really like this guy and decided to be upfront with him.
“I have nothing yet.”
Afterwards, he explained his approach and Nacho nodded in agreement. But when Reyes told him about how he was going about finding a captain, he smiled and shook his head.
“What’s wrong?” Reyes asked puzzled.
“Are you really going to find the man who’s going to lead a group of strangers on a new and dangerous enterprise by just looking at some papers? Maybe you haven’t noticed, but probably ninety percent of the success of this plan depends on your selection. And you aren’t even going to meet the guy before you hire him?
Even though Reyes didn’t like his work being criticized, deep down he knew Nacho was probably right.
“What do you suggest? So far I haven’t been able to find a candidate that’s even worth interviewing,” he said defending himself.
Nacho smiled and became pensive.
“Maybe when you find out who it is you will say it’s favoritism, but I think I know someone that might interest you.”
“Who are you talking about?” Reyes asked his curiosity piqued.
“My little brother is a Merchant Marine Officer. He doesn’t have specific experience but he’s always been very linked with the military field. In fact the reason he’s not in the Navy is because he’s always been an adventure seeker, and the Navy was never challenging enough for him. He’s in Cadiz right now, and unemployed. If you’re interested, I can call him and you can have a beer together. If you don’t want to feel obligated, I don’t have to tell him you’re looking to hire someone.
It had been difficult for Reyes to step back into his professional self, but once he got past it he thought about the proposal carefully.
What had impressed him initially was the way in which Nacho had proposed the idea. Anyone else would have overwhelmed him trying to get a job for their brother. But this guy seemed to be merely proposing a solution to his problem notwithstanding the benefit to his family member.
Reyes decided to accept. After all, he had nothing to lose.
#
“Good morning Mr. Reyes. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Good morning Mr. Guerra. It’s nice to meet you too.”
At 56 years old, Miguel Guerra Méndez was the manager of the shipbuilding company Navantia, formerly Izar and Bazán. Reyes hadn’t heard much about him. All he knew was that Guerra was a naval engineer who had developed his career within the company.
That, thought Reyes, could be very good or very bad. He could be a man who knew his business inside and out (from the engineer’s point of view) and who had learned from experience exactly what the company needed. Or it could be that the man’s lack of experience as a businessman would eventually catch up with him.
Reyes was hoping that whatever it was it would help him accomplish his goal.
“I hope you had a nice trip over from Madrid,” Guerra said.
Why did he get the impression that all the conversations that were going to have an impact on his future began the same way? Nobody really cared how his trip had been. It was just a simple way to break the ice.
“It was good, very good. The trains keep getting better.”
“That’s true,” the manager agreed, suggesting he also often traveled to Madrid.
He’s not comfortable, Reyes thought. He seems to be playing a role he doesn’t like. Something told him that Guerra was more at home with his plans and models than with negotiations and financial affairs. And probably politics didn’t appeal to him much either.
It looked like the typical case of an executive almost running a business into the ground and then abandoning it, thus forcing the company to find a replacement. The company, leery of entrepreneurs and strangers places one of their own in charge. Maybe Guerra was the most qualified for the job, but he still didn’t seem comfortable in the position.
This is going to be interesting, thought Reyes.
“Well, Mr. Guerra, I don’t want to take up too much of your time,” he said.
A practical man would appreciate that subtlety.
“The man I represent,” he continued, “Mr. Friedrich Gotthelf, is interested in acquiring a ship with similar characteristics to a BAM. His starting offer is sixty million Euros. For anything above that amount I will have to consult with him and get his approval.
After thinking about it the night before, this strategy seemed to be the best. He was offering a fairly low price, like any good haggler, but not so low as to discourage negotiation. In addition, when playing the card of needing Mr. Gotthelf’s authorization he gained valuable time to study their counteroffer and plan his response accordingly. It really was all bluff. He virtually had carte blanche to negotiate.
“I’m glad to see you don’t like beating around the bush. However, I must tell you that I can’t accept your offer. With what you’re offering I can scrap the ships, sell them for parts and get more out of them.”
This is going to be interesting, thought Reyes. Guerra was not a fool. He knew how to negotiate and probably thought, if he didn’t already know for sure, that it was practically the only chance Gotthelf had for carrying out his innovative project.
After a long morning of negotiations, offers and counter offers, make-believe calls to Switzerland and tedious renegotiation, the two men reached an agreement over ninety million Euros. Reyes knew that Gotthelf would not have minded paying double that amount, but that was no reason to throw money away.
In addition, throughout the morning a light bulb had gone off in his head and he had added a condition to his requirements. The final agreement included the use of the shipyards for whatever small remodeling work he thought necessary. Reyes knew that for the Spanish company that was the only way to keep many of its employees working and not have to resort to laying them off. While for him, it was the solution for another small problem. He had not only acquired a boat, but also the means and staff better qualified to finish it according to his specifications.
Excited, he called Mr. Gotthelf (this time for real) to give him the good news. He seemed delighted and congratulated him on his progress. He also informed him that contacts with the Somali government remained satisfactory and that Egger had recommended that the ship navigate under a Somali flag to avoid problems and facilitate some legal aspects. Reyes had no objections to the idea. In the world of merchant shipping it was not unusual to sail under flags that had nothing to do with the nationality of the company, the owner, the captain, or home port.
Lastly, Mr. Gotthelf gave him a responsibility he had not anticipated.
“Well, Mr. Reyes, you found the boat, you may have the honor of naming it.”
That was something Reyes had not anticipated. He could not help but smile at the thought of how something that seemed so trivial would probably take him just as long to do as some of the
