Chapter 19: The Big Step

The morning after we returned from Sacramento, I was on the phone to Dow.

"Bob, I wanted to let you know that the tests we conducted with the state water resources board were a complete success. Your filter material performed perfectly and we're having some of it sent to you today for your inspection."

"That's great, John. Congratulations. I'm sure Rex will be delighted to hear that too. He convinced us to listen to you, so he gets a lot of credit as well."

"I'll call him right after we're done. If you see anything you don't like or we should know about, please call us. We want to make sure we've got everything just the way it should be."

"Count on it. I'll let our people know as well. By the way, we followed up on Milos Czerny. He represents a company in Romania who were developing something along the same lines as you. However, there aren't any examples of it yet and I'm hearing it might be some time before they have anything to show. I wouldn't worry about them for now. Your results in California are going to carry a lot of weight. We all know how stringent your state is on environmental regulation."

"Okay. I think Thomas was going to give you a call later on to give you a blow-by-blow of our tests."

"That's great. I haven't talked to him in a long time. I'll look forward to his call."

I called Rex immediately after hanging up with Bob Mears and he was equally pleased with the results. I thanked him for all his efforts and I hoped he would get the recognition he deserved for sticking his neck out on our behalf.

Georgette and Kevin had their heads together as they discussed the redesign of the shrouds. There would be only two sizes; one for the sides and one for the ends. Both would be hinged on top and designed like plantation or jalousie shutters to give ventilation when needed. It was now a matter of what material to use.

"We can get these custom-made locally," Georgette said. "If we use PVC we can test to see how they perform before we decide to add Kevlar to the composition."

"I agree," Kevin said quickly. "That would give us an inexpensive way to see if they will do the job and stand up to our testing. If they are strong enough, so much the better. If not, we can go to the stronger Kevlar option. Good thinking," he smiled.

I was watching the two of them working together like they'd been doing it for years. Kevin was a pragmatic, deliberate man with a well thought-out plan for each step he took in our development. But I was repeatedly surprised by Georgette's immersion into the work as well. The shutters were a detail, not a core component, but they treated the work like it was just as important as any other piece.

"When do you plan to apply for your license, John?" Georgette asked later that evening. We were sitting on the sofa reviewing the trials we had completed and the plans for our next testing sessions.

"As soon as my degree is granted. I'm assuming I've passed, but I'll know for sure next week. I've got all my practical experience, so I should be able to get my certification in California shortly."

"I'm sorry you missed your graduation ceremony. You worked so hard for your degree and you didn't get to celebrate it."

"I had something more important going on at the time. The woman I love was in trouble and I had to be there for her. But what about your Ph.D.?"

"I've finished my interviews and we've finalized the questionnaire. The two interns will be conducting the tests with three groups. One will be college graduates, one college sophomore undergraduates, and the final group will be non-college men who have either dropped out or completed only high school.

"I may even have to conduct testing on older college graduates to see what changes might appear in their behavior. From there, I can determine what patterns emerge in behavior. Then, I present my conclusions. Assuming they are accepted, I would be awarded my Ph.D."

"You don't sound very excited about that. You put a lot of work and effort into it."

"I don't plan to practice, John. I've made up my mind. I'm not going to go into private practice."

"Why?" I asked, surprised and concerned at this turn of events.

"It isn't important. I mean, compared to what you are doing, it doesn't compare in significance. I've decided I want to work with you at Smithton, contributing whatever I can. It's much more fulfilling."

"I don't understand. You've done all that work and now you want to ... discard it? That doesn't make sense, Georgette."

"I won't discard it. I will complete it, John. I just won't use it or open a practice."

"But why?"

"It's simple, really. I have come to understand why you started this project and why it is so important to you. These machines will have a huge impact on thousands, if not millions of people. It's going to change people's lives for the better. It's going to improve people's health. It's going to reclaim lost land. That is so much more important than what I was doing, it's not even fair to compare them.

"Besides, market research is at least partly experimental psychology. Focus groups and customer surveys ... when properly run, use the same research disciplines that my thesis requires. So it's formal training for my position with the company. On top of that, if I'm going to be an officer and spokesperson for Smithton, the PhD will help my credibility."

I took her hand in mine. "If that's what you've decided, then I'll support you all the way. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have on our team than you."

"Thank you, love, but I intend to earn my way. I'm taking some industrial design courses at school and I'll be digging into design and material alternatives. You and Kevin sweat the big stuff and I'll work on the details. And, if I can keep from getting into trouble, I enjoy the market research too," she smiled.

"I don't know what to say. What will your parents think when you tell them of your decision?"

"I'm not sure. I hope they'll support me. I'm pretty sure my father will. He's as into this project as anyone. Mother might be another story, though. I'll have to wait and see."

The rough handling testing began the following week. We found a well-used patch of land east of Walnut Grove that ATVs and motorcycles regularly tore up for fun. Kevin's truck was going to get a workout that day before we returned to the shop and tested the equipment.

"The shrouds took a beating, John," Kevin reported the next day. "Several cracks in the frames and shutter mechanism. We'll have to beef them up. The PVC slats survived, however. I want to weld the top hinges to the frame. I can see the screws working themselves loose over time. Also, the braces that hold the shutters open when we service the units bent in a couple of instances. We need stronger material there too."

"Okay, but what about the guts of the machine?" I asked, anxious about how it had survived the continuous rough handling.

He grinned. "No problem. Everything is in good condition. The attention we paid to making it durable has paid off. I think we have a solid design. If we fix the shrouds, I think we've got a commercial product."

"Damn that's good to hear. We did it! You did it! I couldn't have done it without you, Kevin. You made this whole idea come to life. Thank you so much."

"Give yourself some credit, John. It's your design and your concept. It works because you understand the process and what it takes to get a proper result. I was just a structural consultant. You used your expertise and I used mine. Together we make a pretty good team," he smiled.

He was right, of course. We did make a great team. All of us had contributed in some way or another. Thomas got the ball rolling for me with his contact at Dow Chemical. Rex Lyman put me on to Kevin Riordan, our "plumber." Georgette helped us realize that one size would not fit all and we needed two machines with separate functions. Devon created the company that would become Smithton PWTS. And behind all that, Sarah, Mary and Nan had cheered us on. It was immensely satisfying to have it come together with so few technical problems. Now, what was next?

"Meeting come to order," Devon pronounced. "This is an historic occasion. The prototypes have passed their evaluations and we are ready to discuss financing, manufacturing, and distribution of the Smithton PWTS. John, would you like to begin?"

I looked around the room at our directors, the TV screen with my father and mother present, along with Mary, Sarah and Nan as guests who were encouraged to participate when appropriate.

"I know this is a little thing, but I'm not happy with not having a name for our machines. I don't see us trying to market them with a forgettable handle like PWTS. I think we need something that will catch the public's attention and still imply what the machines do."

"It isn't a small thing," Thomas said. "Your reasoning is quite correct. It's one thing to have a great machine, but if the public don't understand what it does and the name doesn't resonate with them, you're adding a handicap to yourself."

"Do you have something in mind, John?" my father asked.

"No. I wish I did, but I haven't been able to come up with anything. I'd like to throw it out to our entire group to see if we could come up with a number of suggestions."