The Story of Charlie Mullins

by Jim Wygand

  “Oh hell, Diane, tell him we took the bus to Philly. That will explain why we were so late. What’s he going to do, ground you? You’re an adult for Christ’s sake! Bill won’t dare give me any grief. I’ll just tell him to drop dead and maybe stop talking to him for a few days. You’ve got to be more assertive, Diane.”

  “Yeah, yeah, Sharon, but Bob will still give me a hard time.”

  “Whatever,” Sharon said, “now let’s get moving!”

  They followed Charlie and Joey at a reasonable distance as the two walked back to Joey’s apartment building. Charlie saw them out of the corner of his eye and laughed to himself, “Having fun, ladies? You ain’t see nothing yet!”

  Sharon and Diane continued walking past Joey’s building to their car while Charlie said goodbye to Joey. “OK, buddy, I’ll call you Monday at the end of the day. Thanks for helping me out on this.”

  “I’m the one who’s grateful, Charlie. I’ll be a hero at the bank. Thanks a lot!” Joey and Charlie shook hands and Joey asked, “Want a beer before you leave?”

  “No thanks, Joey, I have to get back to Shoreville. Talk to you Monday.”

  “Oh by the way, Charlie, I almost forgot. Are you still seeing Gina? The last time we talked you were a bit confused about her.”

  “Oh, yeah, Joey, I did like you said and just let things evolve. We have developed a good friendship and we go out once in a while. But it’s nothing serious. Just good friends.”

  “I’m glad to hear it Charlie. Gina is a great gal. It’s too bad I guess that you are just friends because she is a real looker besides being a great person. But who the hell knows, friendships can turn into romance.”

  “Well, I’m not pushing it, Joey. Your advice was good and I’m satisfied just to have Gina as a good friend,” Charlie lied. He felt bad that he could not share his good news about Gina with his friend but Charlie was not about to make a mistake now. He was already trusting Joey with a big secret, no need to have to open the entire book. Charlie took his leave and headed for his car. He waved goodbye to Joey who was entering his apartment building. He looked down the street and could see Diane and Sharon in the car. “Now for the fun,” he thought.

  Charlie got into his car and pulled away from the curb. He watched as Sharon pulled out behind him. He drove back to I-95 and headed toward Wilmington. “Sharon, he’s going back to Wilmington!” Diane exclaimed.

  “I can see that Diane, jeez. Maybe that’s where his girlfriend lives. We just stay on him.”

  Charlie continued past Wilmington and headed toward the bridge to Shoreville. “Shit!” Sharon said. “It looks like he is heading back to Shoreville. Damn! Do you think he knows we are following him, Diane?”

  “It sure looks like it, Sharon. If he does, we just wasted an entire Saturday chasing him.”

  Sharon was beside herself with frustration. “Dammit, I’m going to have to return this car before I go home and I’m sure Charlie is playing with us again. Damn, damn, damn!”

  Charlie laughed out loud in his car as he watched the two women talking to each other animatedly while they followed him back toward Shoreville. He could almost feel their frustration. “I hope you gals enjoyed watching me eat a sandwich with an old friend! I’ll bet you feel like a couple of fools.” He was enjoying the moment.

  He drove into Shoreville and headed toward his house. Sharon was furious. “That bastard just led us on a wild goose chase, Diane. Now I’m really mad. I’m going to catch him yet, that little bastard! I’m going to find out who that guy was and I’m going to find out who his girl friend is if it’s the last thing I do. Who does he think he is? He thinks he is soooo smart! We’ll see who is the smart one here.”

  Charlie was laughing out loud when he pulled into his garage and saw the car that had been following him speed past. He went into the house and called Gina to tell her what had happened. Gina was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. “Holy cow Charlie, you drove them crazy! They’ll be mad as hornets and they are sure you were on to them and they don’t know what you will do about it.” She was laughing hysterically.

  “I’ll be home in a little while, Gina. I just want to wait to see if they come by here again.”

  But Sharon had dropped off Diane at her home and was busy returning the rental car so no one was going to check on Charlie Mullins again this Saturday. After waiting for about half-an-hour, Charlie backed out of the garage and headed back to Philly. He had used his meeting with Joey Esposito to frustrate and confound Sharon and Diane and he felt terrific. Tomorrow he would meet with Carlo Rizzo to discuss the events of the week.

  * * * * *

  Charlie and Gina followed what had become their regular Sunday morning ritual of breakfast in bed and reading the newspaper. They followed with showers and got ready for lunch with Carlo Rizzo. When they arrived to Carlo’s home the “suits” were at their regular posts dutifully photographing Gina’s vehicle. As usual, they entered through the back door. Over the antipasto Charlie briefed Carlo on the events at Shaw and his meeting with Warren Carpenter and Bill Cummins. He mentioned that Phillip Shaw would be returning to the company Monday morning and would be holding a press conference to reveal the expansion plan. He also told Carlo about his conversation with Joey Esposito. Carlo listened attentively. When Charlie finished his brief, Carlo told him how he would carry out his plan. Charlie was amazed at Carlo’s business acumen and his range of contacts. When Carlo had finished telling Charlie how he intended to operate, Charlie felt sure that everything would work out just fine. They all enjoyed lunch in a light mood after which he and Gina took their leave.

  On the way back to Gina’s apartment, she said to Charlie, “My uncle really likes you, Charlie. I am so happy that you get along so well.”

  “He’s a very smart guy, Gina. He should be teaching at Wharton or Harvard. I’ve met a lot of experienced guys in business who could not hold a candle to him.”

  Gina laughed out loud, “I wouldn’t touch that comment with a ten-foot pole, Charlie! Imagine an accused Mafia boss teaching at a prestige business school!”

  Charlie laughed, “Something tells me he would fit right in from some of the things I have seen.”

  Gina pulled her car into the garage of her building and parked in her spot. “Let’s put on some music and relax, Charlie. That was some lunch and I need to just sit and relax.”

  “You’re on,” said Charlie.

  XXXV

  When Charlie arrived to the Shaw Corporation on Monday morning the entire building was abuzz with the news that Phillip Shaw was back in his office. Charlie made it a point to walk by Fred Perkins’ office, “Good news that Phillip is back, huh Fred?” Perkins grunted an affirmative in his usual manner but Charlie could see that relief was written all over Perkins’ face and his posture was relaxed for the first time in weeks. He smiled inwardly as he walked to his office. He greeted Laura Metzer as he passed her desk, “Hey Laura, good news that Phillip is back, no?”

  “Don’t know yet Charlie. It all depends on how he reacts,” and she jerked her head toward Fred Perkins’ door, “He might go back to his old ways now,” she said in a low voice.

  Charlie smiled sympathetically, “Yeah, let’s hope for the best, Laura. You never can tell.”

  “Maybe you can’t, Charlie, but I sure as hell can! But, at least it’s the devil I know so what the hell. I’m just glad that Phillip is OK. By the way, Charlie, the conference room is all decked out. Some of the gals told me that Phillip has a press conference planned for 11-o-clock.”

  “Really? Well, I guess he wants to tell the world that he is back in the saddle,” Charlie replied, “talk to you later Laura.”

  “See ya, Charlie.”

  After stopping at his office to drop off his papers, Charlie decided to check out the conference room on the 11th floor. The spacious room was already being set up. Soft drinks and small sandwiches were being set out for the reporters and camera crews. It was going to be a big deal from what Charlie could
see. He saw Phillip Shaw walking to his office and he thought Phillip looked like he had just come from a week or two in Bermuda. He looked fit and was sporting a suntan. Charlie wandered back to his office. Not much would get done at the Shaw Corporation today. Every employee would be talking about Phillip’s return and speculating on what would be said at the press conference.

  At 10:30 the press started showing up. The PR department had done its work well. The majors were there – Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, the New York Times, and several regional and local newspapers. The local TV stations and CNN had sent in camera crews as well as their reporters. Within minutes the conference room was strewn with cables and wires and reporters were jockeying for the best seats around the table.

  At precisely 11-o-clock Phillip Shaw walked into the room. He had lost some weight and looked tremendously fit and healthy. He radiated the image of an aggressive executive. The cameras had started whirring as Phillip approached the lectern especially set up for the conference. He began.

  “Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming. Before I begin my prepared statement, I want to thank all of those who wished me well during my convalescence. Your support was important to me and made me even more anxious to recover and get back to work. I’m back now and I’ve never felt better – thanks in no small measure to your support and good wishes.”

  “That said, I’d like to announce that not only am I back in command of the Shaw Corporation but I have returned with renewed energy. During my convalescence I had the opportunity to see the company and my tenure as its CEO in a much different light and from a distance. I concluded that while the company is in excellent financial shape, we have been far too complacent with regard to growth. We now face competitive pressures from abroad that require that we become more aggressive in the defense of our commercial interests.”

  The reporters all looked at each other. They had expected the normal corporate PR stuff about being glad to be back and comments about Phillip’s convalescence period. They sat up in their chairs. This was news!

  Phillip Shaw noticed the change in posture of the reporters and continued, “I had a chance to evaluate my tenure as CEO and confess that I concluded that I had been too timid in my approach to growth. At lot of my attention had been dedicated to the finances of the company and I think that was to the detriment of the operating divisions. The fact is, we need to grow and grow aggressively. Consequently, I will be meeting with my operating vice presidents over the next few days to devise an aggressive growth strategy that will keep the Shaw Corporation in the news for months to come. The company has plenty of cash as many of you know and I intend to use it to build a new base from which to expand our business. I intend to be less of a caretaker and more of a builder of value. It will be fun! You are all invited to watch our smoke!”

  The excitement of the reporters was palpable in the conference room. This was unexpected. The staid Shaw Corporation was coming out of its corner swinging. Phillip Shaw was going to be a kick-ass CEO.

  “I’ll take your questions now,” Phillip announced.

  Reporters’ hands popped up instantly like someone had pulled a lever. Phillip smiled inwardly as he recognized a young reporter from a local newspaper.

  “Mr. Shaw, are you saying that the company has lost market share or competitiveness during your tenure?”

  Phillip smiled, “No, on the contrary. I am saying that we do not intend to lose market share. All of you know that we are in excellent financial shape and we have accompanied market growth rates. What I am saying is that we are going to get tougher. It will be ever more difficult to take market share from us, if, of course, anyone out there would dare to try!”

  The reporter was writing furiously.

  Phillip fielded another question, “Mr. Shaw, how did you come to the conclusion that the company would have to be more aggressive?”

  It was time to play the philosophical card, Phillip thought. “Look, I had a heart attack. Even though it was a mild one, a heart attack forces you to face your mortality and evaluate your life. My life is this company and I asked myself if I would be content to continue being just a caretaker of shareholder value or if I wanted to cut a wider swath for myself. You all know my father built this company from scratch. I saw no reason for me to just oversee the considerable work he had done. I thought it was time to put my own handprint on the Shaw Corporation’s destiny. We have good people, we have excellent product lines, and we have marvelous customers. They all deserve the best leadership I can provide. I used my period of convalescence to step back and look at the company from a distance. We have the opportunity to excel and that’s what we are going to do.”

  Another hand flew up, “Mr. Shaw, there has been a lot of speculation for some time that the Shaw family would take the company public. Does this new posture have anything to do with a possible IPO?”

  Phillip laughed, “That question always comes up. I don’t know why you guys insist on that issue.” The reporters in the room laughed. “We have no plan to go public. Why should we mess with a winning team? Shaw is a company that has always been involved in the local community. I see no reason to turn it over to a faceless group of shareholders who don’t live here and might be less concerned for the welfare of the employees. We already have a professional management team in place. I am the only family member working for the company. I simply see no advantage to going public.”

  Another reporter asked, “Mr. Shaw, how do you plan to execute this new strategy?”

  Phillip gave the reporter his most charming smile, “Well, if I answered that question, I would be telling our competitors our plans, wouldn’t I?” The group laughed. “Let me just say that I will be meeting with my operating personnel and they will tell me what they need and we will deal with those needs accordingly. You know that I have always delegated responsibility and power in this company. That will not change. Let me say however, that this initiative is my project and I will be directly involved in the interface with my operating department executives.”

  Phillip allowed for one more question, “Mr. Shaw does your strategy call for mergers or acquisitions? Will you be in the market for other companies?”

  “Let me just say that we will do whatever is necessary to grow. We do not have a list of acquisition targets if that’s what you mean. I will rely on my operating department heads to determine the best way to achieve our objectives. If that means acquisitions or mergers, then that’s what we will do. If it means expanding from within, we will do that.”

  He answered some questions about his health status and his convalescence regime and then held up his hand to stop any further questions. “That’s enough questions for the time being. We have sandwiches and soft drinks set aside for you. I want to thank all of you for coming. I will stay for a few more minutes but my ‘on-the-record’ comments have finished. Thanks again.”

  Phillip stepped down from the lectern and worked the room, shaking hands with reporters and engaging in small talk about his recovery, his exercise program, and the state of the economy. While he had said that his comments would now be “off-the-record”, he knew that everything he said was subject to quotation. To aggressive reporters, “off-the-record” often meant, “this is really the hot stuff” and only the most experienced and well-known reporters would honor the request to refrain from publishing such comments. Phillip, however, was decidedly non-committal during this period of socializing. Once he had worked the room for a few minutes, he took his leave and again thanked the reporters for showing up.

  A few reporters stayed around to munch some sandwiches in the hope of catching an employee for some inside comments. However, the company’s security team made sure that no reporters could roam the halls and no employees were allowed to approach the conference room. The camera crews were putting their gear back into boxes while the reporters rushed back to their offices to edit the tapes for the evening news. No sooner had the reporters cleared out than the c
leaning crew came in to restore the conference room to its pristine state.

  Later that day Charlie called Joey Esposito. He told Joey about the press conference and asked if he had talked about the search assignment with his management. Joey was excited as he told Charlie that his boss had enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity to work with the Shaw Corporation and that he wanted to schedule a meeting to discuss the matter as soon as possible. Charlie said that either Bill Cummins or Warren Carpenter would contact Joey and that either would insist that Joey be the “point man” on the search.

  * * * * *

  No employee of the Shaw Corporation missed the evening news that night. Charlie watched from Gina’s apartment. Gina watched attentively and turned to Charlie, “He looks like he just came back from a skiing holiday! Look at that suntan! Are you sure he had a heart attack?”

  Charlie laughed, “That’s the same thing I thought when I saw him in the hall today! I guess we will never know if he had an attack or not. The whole thing was so tightly buttoned down. But I confess that I’ve never seen Phillip Shaw looking so fit!”

  “Wouldn’t it be amazing if the whole thing was just a set-up?” Gina said.

  “Well, Phillip is certainly clever enough to do something like that. I’ve learned a lot about him from Warren Carpenter and Bill Cummins over the past few weeks. He’s a slick one, that’s for sure.”

  “And what about that statement that he does not plan to take the company public?” Gina asked, “Won’t that come back to haunt him when it happens?”

  “I doubt it, Gina. Phillip needs to keep that card close to his vest so he had no choice but to deny any plans in that direction. Most probably his comment will either be forgotten or forgiven by the time it all happens. Everybody knows you don’t go around announcing that sort of thing until the timing is right.”