Chapter 6

Joni introduced herself to Heather, Mr. Morris’ Executive Secretary. She seemed to Joni as being very much in charge of everything around her but still a comfortable conversationalist. She took the time to chat with Joni amicably about her daughter, school, neighborhoods and many other matters. Joni decided the talk was aimed to keeping her mind off her pending appointment with Heather’s boss and she appreciated the effort.

It made sense that a woman in her position would be adept at putting visitors at ease. Such skill would be essential in an unofficial PR position. Joni appreciated the conversation and even learned about a few neighborhoods they may want to consider exploring now that their income has improved.

Heather’s phone buzzed. She picked it up and said “Yes sir. She is right here. Right away, sir.” She rose and said “He will see you now.”

Heather ushered her into a large office suite that was well appointed and expensively decorated. The office itself sent a message that the owner was powerful and important. Mr. Morris rose from around a massive desk and approached Joni with an offered hand. “Joni, thank you for making yourself available. So good to be able meet and talk one on one. Heather, please hold all calls so Mrs. Kunkle and I can have some time uninterrupted.” Despite the warm words, she detected no hint of a smile or even pleasantness on his face. Heather nodded, retreated down the office’s inner hallway and shut the double doors.

It always disturbed Joni when a person’s nonverbals seemed to contradict their words. This was no exception but she smiled sweetly and took the proffered hand. “Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Morris. The pleasure is all mine.”

“Please have a seat” motioning to one of the two comfortable leather covered chairs in front of the desk and as she sat, he lowered himself into the second chair and turned it to face her. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“I am fine sir. Thank you.” She decided to try and make some casual conversation to ease her own nerves. “Your office is beautiful.”

“I have to give my son, Michael, the full credit for that. I have no personal talent when it comes to style. Michael, on the other hand, seemed to be born knowing where the ottoman should go.”

“I actually heard how talented he is in that area from Midge Burton. She sang his praises.”

“Good to know he is appreciated. Let me know if you and Bruce need a decorator and I will give him a call. I have an in to get you a free consultation.” He said with a wink.

Joni saw the man had some sense of humor but never showed a sign of it on his face. He remained stone faced even when making a joke. She surmised that stone face would probably work to his benefit in business negotiations or at a poker table. It was probably a talent he developed over the years. She took some consolation that it helped her understand him just a bit.

“How are you and Bruce adapting to your new lifestyle?”

“I know Bruce loves his new responsibilities. He has always loved working for J.A.M. and now being put in charge of all the Fabrication plants is his dream job. The increase in salary and signing bonus has already allowed us to eliminate our student loan debt which is SUCH a relief.”

“I am glad you have been able to benefit from the bump in compensation already. It is wise to get debt out of the way and I applaud you for having the right fiscal priorities. Of course, our generous compensation comes with certain unusual ... sacrifices. Doesn’t it?” bringing the conversation back to the real reason she was here. “How are you and Bruce handing EPOD?”

“Fairly well, I guess. When we first considered it, I guess it was more in the abstract but once we were in it, the reality caused some momentarily emotional bumps.” Joni decided honesty was the best way to handle the question.

“Anything serious enough to make you want to quit?” He seemed genuinely concerned.

“It was a momentary bump when the reality caught up to us. We had to have an attitude adjustment. Well, most of the attitude adjustment was on Bruce’s part. We ultimately found some tricks on how to handle the situation and put it in perspective.”

“Really? May I ask what kind of ‘tricks’ you discovered? I only ask because it may be valuable for other couples that have struggled with EPOD.”

Joni blushed. “I am embarrassed to tell you about something so intimate, but considering the nature of EPOD, I guess you are entitled to some of those details. We decided I would be totally open about the things I do with the other VPs and afterwards I would even re-enact them with Bruce to the best of my ability. It helps him to know there is nothing I do with other men I would not do with my husband and he seems to enjoy being empowered to do things he may not have ever asked me to do. Let’s say EPOD as opened up some opportunities for sexual adventure in our own relationship.”

“Interesting idea. I can definitely see how that would work. I can see that you are a very smart woman and believe you will ultimately be a great asset for the company.” Joni found the ‘asset’ comment odd but he read the question on her face and answered it. “My father started this company and he realized as global markets grew and multi-national competition increased, he would either need to find some edge to beat the competition or sell and see all our jobs move overseas.”

“As competition increased my father also lost some of his best and brightest to other companies which severely diminished our intellectual capital and some of our corporate best practices ended up being stolen by our competition in the process. It almost shut us down.”

“In addition to getting lawyers to develop stronger NDAs for our management and executives, he came up with EPOD as a way to tip business deals in our favor and retain our best and brightest no matter how aggressively they were recruited. J.A.M. Aluminum has seen steady growth ever since. We are a leader in the industry and the only privately held company in our marketplace. We are successful enough to pay the best salaries and hourly rates and still remain competitive due to the quality of our product and service. Our proprietary manufacturing techniques we innovated with our skilled and talented staff that stay with us for their entire careers keep us on top. Every now and then, a customer is tempted to opt for a cheaper, lessor quality product and delivery guarantee. We offer some ‘special’ incentives to change their minds.”