Chapter 11: And Now Back to Work

I don't think it was possible to have a better summer than we had that year. The weather was great, the Lakeside Inn was full to capacity, there were no catastrophes to deal with, and Georgette was beside me all the way. And I mean that literally.

It didn't take her long to get bored and before I knew it she was following me and Dad around as we made our repairs and upgrades throughout the peak period. She got a good feeling for how Dad operated and more than once remarked just how effective he was as a manager without being ... a "manager." We showed her how we did our repairs, and by the end of summer, she had a pretty good working knowledge of plumbing, simple wiring, locksets, and assorted other maintenance issues. She had no aversion to getting her hands dirty.

Of course, she did find time to get a lovely tan while wearing a fairly revealing bikini on our deck. Her dark blonde hair was quite a bit lighter as well. I caught Jared and my father sneaking a look at her more than once. I couldn't blame them, mind you. She was spectacular and there were times when I couldn't take my eyes off her either. On the other hand, I was the only one who got to see her without her bikini. I can tell you that she had managed to reduce the tan lines to the barest minimum ... and I do mean barest.

Something important that I wanted to do was accomplished early in our stay. I visited our family doctor, Henry Reinfeld, and had myself tested. I had two objectives. One was to insure that I could father children. A repeat of what we assumed was Brad's problem could be devastating to Georgette. I was assured that my "swimmers" were full strength and plentiful.

The other was to screen both Georgette and me for any hereditary diseases that we might not be aware of. A friend of ours married without that testing and their first child was born with Spina Bifida. The consequences were tragic, both for the child and the marriage. The bride's family had some history of this condition that wasn't revealed until after the child was born. I couldn't have that happen to us. Once again, the tests proved negative and we would enter into the marriage with confidence.

As the end of summer approached, I began to prepare myself for my meeting with Dow Chemical's technical people in Midland. The date had been set for Thursday, August 19^th and I had made plane reservations to and from Detroit. Rex Lyman would pick me up and drive me to Midland. Accommodations were provided by Dow as I would be their guest. I was excited at the prospect and anxious to get their commitment to the project.

Georgette drove me to the Spokane airport on Wednesday morning and saw me off with a loving, warm kiss. I would be returning Saturday morning and she would pick me up. My flight was a total of five-and-a-half hours in the air with a stopover in Denver, arriving just before seven pm in Detroit. I was mildly concerned about the time difference, but I assumed the adrenalin would keep me going at least until the meeting. I was as prepared as I was ever going to be.

Rex was waiting for me when my flight arrived and drove me to Midland, a trip of over two hours. It was a chance for him to brief me on what to expect the next day. Some of the people were going to be technical, some financial, and some marketing. He warned me that it would be stressful for someone as young as me, with no experience in the corporate world. He advised me to stick to what I knew and not guess or offer opinions that I couldn't back up.

I was booked into the Plaza Suites and found the room bigger than I would ever need. The inn had a restaurant, an indoor pool, and a fully equipped exercise room. I would be fine here. I had purchased what passed for a meal on the plane and when Rex left after making sure I was safely in my room, I was ready for a shower and sleep. I called Georgette to let her know I had arrived and then went to bed. It was almost eleven on the bedside clock and I set the alarm for six the next morning. Luckily, I fell asleep almost right away.

I was up before the alarm went off and showered again, shaved, dressed and headed for the restaurant. It was almost empty when I arrived and I had an opportunity to go over my notes one more time. I was confident that I was as prepared as possible. Rex arrived at seven-thirty and brought a coffee with him to the room. We talked for a few minutes about who would be there and he gave me a "cheat sheet" with their names and job titles. Just before eight, we left for the Dow complex and the meeting.

We were a couple of minutes early for the eight-thirty meeting and I helped myself to a water bottle as we waited. When I was introduced to Rex's boss, Bob Mears, he took us into the conference room and helped me set up the projector for my presentation. Five minutes later, people began to file into the room. Another five minutes later, and everyone who was expected had arrived and Rex introduced me to them. I got a fairly friendly welcome from them and that settled me a bit.

It took two hours to get through the presentation, twice as long as normal. The questions began almost immediately and came from every direction. I was a bit nervous at first, but as we worked through the slides I began to feel their interest, and the kinds of questions changed. I certainly didn't feel over-confident, but I wasn't shaking in my boots, either. I would glance at Rex and Bob once in a while, and would see the occasional smile and nod. Apparently, they felt I was doing okay.

We took a short break at the end of the presentation. Some of the participants had phone calls to make and others, like me, just needed to catch our breath. Rex and Bob Mears were complimentary about how I handled myself. There were questions I couldn't answer and I said so. Bob thought that was the smart thing to do. Don't guess if you don't know.

It was well after noon when we wrapped up the meeting and I shook a lot of hands and thanked them all for coming and listening to me. I'm not sure what they expected, but I got the impression they thought it was a worthwhile exercise. Rex and Bob took me to lunch when the last of the participants had left.

"I didn't expect it would take that long," I admitted. "I hope I didn't overstay my welcome."

"John, the questions during and after the meeting mean you got their attention," Bob assured me. "I think I can safely say that you'll be getting some more feedback from them in the near future. Your progress will be tracked and any assistance we can supply will be forthcoming."

"That's great, Bob ... Rex, I can't thank you enough," I said with relief. "It's one more problem I can push to the side."

"What will you work on next?" Bob asked.

"The physical design," I said. "I need to start putting the schematics into actual hardware now. I've got to make sure that I can shoehorn everything into the box I want it to fit. I know that's backwards engineering, but the concept is the size and portability, not the capability. If it was just another water decontamination system, it wouldn't be unique."

"How do you feel about the challenge?" Rex asked.

"I need a 'plumber.' A guy who knows how to put this system into a confined space."

"Something like an aeronautical engineer?" Bob suggested.

"I've thought about that," I nodded. "It's probably the best approach to begin with. I'm not thinking airliner size, I'm thinking rocket or small jet aircraft size. Something where space is at a premium. Someone who can think in that context."

"We've arranged a tour of the facilities this afternoon, John. When is your flight home?"

"I didn't know what to expect, so I booked a flight for Saturday morning. I might rent a car a look around the area."

"One of our corporate aircraft is moving to Minneapolis tomorrow morning," Bob said. "You should be able to change your ticket there and get home by Friday evening if that suits you."

"Oh ... that would be great. Let me check on flights and I'll let you know."

"You can check on them now. I can log you onto our site," Rex volunteered.

A half hour later, I was booked out of Minneapolis on the same airline I was ticketed for and would be home by six-thirty the same night. I called Georgette on my cell and let her know of the change in plans. She wanted to hear all about the meeting and I promised to call her back that evening.

"That was my fiancée, Georgette Fulton. She'll pick me up at the airport."

"Is that Thomas Fulton's daughter?" Bob asked.

"Yes ... do you know him?"

"I've known Thomas for some years. Before I came to Dow, I was in the processed food business in California. He found some capital for us to expand and we got to know each other then. He was the one who told me about your project."

"I know he talked to someone at Dow, but I didn't know it was you."

"Yes, it was me. I owe Thomas a debt for helping a struggling business survive and then thrive. It's nice to be able to pay just a little of that debt back," he smiled.

"I owe him a great deal also. He gave me permission to marry his daughter. That's as big as it gets for me."

"You're marrying into a very fine family, John. Don't be surprised if your concept becomes viable, that Thomas isn't first in line to find capital for you."

"Well, that thought has crossed my mind, but first things first. I've got to prove myself with a prototype that meets the specifications."

"Good luck," Bob smiled.

I spent the balance of the afternoon with Rex on a tour of the facilities before he drove me back to the hotel. I would catch the shuttle to the airport in Saginaw on Friday morning for the flight to Minneapolis. Rex gave me instructions to find their hangar. I thanked him and Bob for their hospitality and generosity with a flight on their aircraft. I felt they had been extremely courteous and genuine in their interest in the Smith Water Treatment System, as I had begun to call it. I was sure I could come up with a better name when the time came.

The Dow aircraft was a twin turboprop with seating for eight. It was very nice and well appointed. I was not the only one on the flight. As it turned out, the vice president of the plastics division was on board along with three other men from their household products division. Our two-and-a-half hour flight passed quickly as we talked about my project and what was going on in the plastics division. I got the impression the vice president thought the Filmtec division should be under plastics at some point.

I thanked the vice president for allowing me to ride with them and took a shuttle to the Minneapolis-St. Paul international terminal. I had a three hour wait for my flight, so I headed for the first snack bar I could find. I ordered a local ale and a sandwich to keep me going until I got home.

The plane was on time, and we left Minneapolis bound for Denver and a one hour layover before moving on to Spokane. I thought about Rex and his travel and wondered how he managed it. He said he was on the road three weeks out of five at this time of the year. In the fall and spring, it was three out of four. I could see how it would wear on him and I began to understand the term "road warrior" much better.

Georgette was there to greet me as I walked into the baggage claim area. I got my usual enthusiastic greeting and a loving kiss before we headed for the parking lot. Less than an hour later we were home and I was telling my family all about the meeting and what I believed I had achieved. Mom suggested I write Bob and Rex a letter of thank you for the hospitality and the special consideration on their aircraft. I would do that in the morning.

I called Thomas and let him know how the meeting went and passed on sincere greetings from Bob Mears. I thanked him again for the opportunity I didn't think I would have been able to get on my own. It looked like his effort on my behalf was going to pay off. It re-energized my project and I knew it was time I went looking for that "plumber."

"Are you too tired to let me welcome you home?" Georgette asked as we snuggled in bed.

"When I get too tired for you, just take me out and shoot me. I won't be any good to anyone anyway."

She didn't laugh, but she did smile. The smile was a knowing one, like the cat about to catch the canary.