Chapter 1

By November, John and Marshal had the funding and were ready to go. We started to close on the land deals and land options we had bought and started building across the country. Since Craig thought that, because of its central location, Nashville was where he wanted to set up shop, I also decided to move there.

We designed the business plan around the concept of making a profit on different businesses located at different sites in different city and state locations. The total of all the businesses and all the locations would be quite large but we'd derive our profit from a lower price to the consumer. Since I or technically my trust would own all the businesses, I didn't have to make as much from any single business.

We designed the trucking business with each truck built for the requirement of a specific route. Across the flat prairie, we could use them between many of the defined routes but we didn't design them for mountains. We designed each truck for specific hauling weights. Not every truck carries a maximum weight load, so we figured out how to cut the costs of fuel with smaller motors for the lighter loads. We had computers to match everything up and overall, our fuel costs were 33% cheaper than our competitor's were while driving similar routes. We also didn't have drivers sleeping while their trucks were idle so we ended up saving 100% there.

Trailers never stopped for long on the way to their destination so we could deliver the products faster and on time. Our drivers were home at night so they and their families ended up happier and healthier.

As a trucking company, we had needs. Our employees and we would have millions of them, which amounted to billions of dollars. All this translated into the need for the use of various banking facilities. To support this effort, we opened a bank. They needed auto and health insurance. We were already self-insured for our trucks and employees medical insurance, so we opened an insurance company for our employees and the public to cover their auto, life, health and home. We'd have all of our employees set up for direct deposit into our bank and then open it to the public as well. The insurance company and bank would make a lot of money and since we placed the offices at the truck stops, they'd be very convenient. We'd grow because we didn't need the high profits and didn't have the high overhead of most of our competition.

We had the cleanest, nicest and friendliest gas stations along the interstate. The names of the truck stops were Stop and Go truck stops and gas stations. We bought huge fuel contracts and eventually bought an oil company and ownership in a refinery. We could always pump our own fuel. We sold this to our trucking company and to the public. We needed all of these companies to operate the trucking company but by expanding them to service our employees and the public, they all added revenue and profit as well.

During my last year of college, I had laid out a matrix or grid of the United States that had the main areas of population. I also identified the main shipping routes on the interstate system. I had a study done using the Department of Transportation and the weigh stations to look at volumes for each day and month of the year.

Each of our truck stops had a public side and a trucking side. The trucking side managed the trucks, trailers and drivers being moved one way or the other through the system. The public side sold gas, groceries, and convenience store merchandise. There was a restaurant or two at each location. There were also public restrooms, a bank, an insurance office, room for additional growth, a small apartment for visiting employees (or me), and offices for the trucking company. I had my place in Orlando with Doug and an apartment in our office building in Nashville.

I got in the habit of working twelve to fourteen hour days, six days a week. I started with the land buyers. This was a coordinated plan, so we placed the options on most of the property and then closed the deal on the land in a very short time. I hired John Overstreet's firm to represent us. I traveled a lot, checking on one project or another. We pushed hard and hired oversized crews to complete the work faster and get the jobs dried in, so that they could work on the interiors over the winter.

Early mornings were still the best time for my workouts, so I still got up early or earlier to get them in. It was hard to swim with either no pool or a hotel pool that was just too short. At least once a week I'd track down a YMCA or somewhere to swim some laps. I could run almost anywhere, although sometimes it was too cold for me to venture out. I did meet some people along the way and used my statistical reasoning to find some fun on most Saturday nights. I figured I was doing a service to the community by spending dollars in the local economy and bringing pleasure to some of the local women.

With all of my traveling, I quickly became a top-level person on Delta's travel program as well as Hilton and Marriott. It turned out that my cohorts chose me to go out to Idaho to close a land deal that needed some attention. I was flying first class from Charleston to Boise and had to connect through Cincinnati. I was sitting with a nice woman who was on her way to Cincinnati to catch a flight for work. She was a flight attendant for the airlines and she was going to start her week. It was late November, but a freak storm came through that dumped a couple of feet of snow. However, just before the snowstorm, when the temperature dropped very suddenly, the gentle rain froze into a sheet of ice and just as we landed, or slid in, we became one of the last planes they allowed into the airport.

The Cincinnati airport is one of the main hubs for Delta and they support a large volume of air traffic. The airport is in the middle of nowhere and because of that, there weren't many hotels around. As an airline employee, Corina knew that the airlines would compensate her the time she spent stuck in Cincinnati. However, not all the hotel rooms reserved for the airlines employees could handle all the employees now stuck in town and in addition, the schedule called for Corina to immediately fly out-of-town. I quickly called my travel agent and booked a room as soon as I got off the plane since I knew it would be very tough getting out of Cincinnati. If the weather cleared, I could just cancel the room.

When I finished my call at the payphone, I turned to see Corina standing at the gate. I walked over and asked if she had any information about outbound flights. She said that they had closed the airport and with the layer of ice and the amount of snow that was falling, it was faster than they could plow it off the runways. Based on the forecast they thought it might be the next afternoon or the following morning before they'd open the airport again. The crew that the schedule called for her to work with never made it in, so she now found herself stranded until they could make it to the airport.

I let her know that I had a suite at the Omni and I would be happy to take her to dinner if she was looking for some company until the weather cleared. She accepted my offer and since the airline had asked her to try to stay downtown or away from the airport because at this time, she didn't have a flight out of Cincinnati. I didn't want to ride in a shuttle to the hotel so I flagged down a cab to take us. We both had only carry-on bags. The roads were slick, but the salt trucks had been out before the storm hit. The driver earned his pay and a large tip. He was also happier to end up closer to his home, and said he felt bad for the guy he'd dropped off since he'd now find himself stranded at the airport.

When I invited Corina to stay with me she said, "I like you, and would normally play hard to get for a while since the airlines will pay for my room. However, there will be so many people looking for rooms tonight; I'll just leave mine available for them to use if that's alright with you?"

I said, "I think you deserve something special for the caring attitude you have."

We pulled up in front of the Omni Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. It's a grand hotel and I'd made the reservation for a top-of-the-line suite, because I knew that most people wouldn't pay the high-end price. The 23-year-old stewardess found herself overwhelmed by the opulence of the place. To me it was not out of the ordinary, as I had stayed here before. They built it back in the 30's and anyone who stayed here found the architecture amazing. I wanted to go out for dinner but the roads were getting worse. It was still early, but I said that we should head down to get some food before the place got packed. We had a great meal and took our time. We had a booth that was in the bar area of the restaurant. We were talking when we saw two Delta flight attendants come in with their luggage and stop to look for a place to park.

I waved them over and offered them a place to sit down. We all introduced ourselves. Corina didn't know them but found out that they were on a waiting list for a room. Everyplace was full and they had to wait for someone to cancel a reservation before they could get a room. They ordered some food while Corina and I ordered some more drinks. There were two bedrooms in my suite but I didn't want Corina to look bad if she didn't want them to know we were staying together.

The other girls, Paige and Judy, had finished their meals and had checked the desk for openings. Although they still found the desk packed, the clerk told them that they were still on the list, but that they still didn't have a room for them. The only consolation was that they did have guaranteed reservations good until midnight for late arrivals. While they were gone, I told Corina that they could use our other room but it was up to her.

When the other stewardesses came back, the younger one, Judy sat down and said, "I'm dying for a shower. I took off at six this morning and flew from Dallas to Las Vegas and then to Salt Lake before making it to Cincinnati. Some girls on the international crew got our rooms and everything is full."

Paige, the older stewardess, agreed with her flying partner's complaint. Corina had been in similar situations and felt bad for the girls. She said, "If you want to use the shower in my room you can."

Judy was so ready to get out of her hose and wash the grime off her body that she readily agreed to borrow the shower. Paige was nodding when she grabbed her bags. I stood and they all looked at me. I handed Corina the key and that made it official. The cat was out of the bag. I stayed in the bar while the girls went up to the room for a shower and a change of clothes.

While I was nursing a Jack and Coke, another woman came in and after looking at all the full seats, she continued to walk by. I had watched her look for a chair and I asked, "Are you looking for someone or are you just looking for a seat?"

"I just want to sit down and have a drink. Do you mind if I sit with you?" she asked.

"No, please have a seat. My name is Britt. Do you have a room or are you on the waiting list?" I asked.

"Thanks, I'm Samantha, but my friends call me Sam. I had made a reservation so I'm one of the lucky ones. Do you have a reservation?"

"I was on one of the last flights that they allowed to land and when we slid down the runway I thought they might have some trouble taking off. The first thing I did when I got off the plane was to make the call. I think they were out of regular rooms but I got a suite. At the moment, I'm renting out my shower to some stranded stewardesses."

"I'm surprised you aren't up collecting. I was also on one of the last planes in but all the gates were full. We had to sit on the plane for an hour and when they finally let us off, all the cabs were gone. There were no cabs returning to the airport so I had to wait on the downtown shuttle. The roads were messy and we did a little sliding around to get here."

When I saw the waitress, I stopped her and ordered another drink and one for Sam. When the drinks arrived, I raised my glass and said, "Here is to warm beds and safe travels."

"Hear, hear. I'm not sure if my meetings with P&G will still happen tomorrow, but if they're ready then I'll be there."

"Are you buying or selling?"

Sam said, "I'm selling. I'm with IBM and we're trying to get them on board with the new bar code scanning system."

I laughed. She asked, "Why is that funny?"

"It is funny that we live in such a small world. Do you know Rob Porter?"

"He's my boss' boss. How do you know Rob?"

I said, "I met him in Seattle when I hired him to re-do the freight tracking system at the Port of Seattle."

"That made him the top dog in our new department."

"I'm happy for him. It was my idea, but he understood what I wanted, and worked hard to develop the exact system configuration."

"Wow, how did you come up with the idea? We hadn't even thought about other uses outside of the grocery stores."

"When I was in Seattle, I bought a pack of gum at the grocery and asked about the bar code. When they told me how the scanner worked to recognize the pack of gum, I thought about the number of products that exist in a full-sized store, I thought that in time, they'd run out of codes. I did some math though and realized that there were hundreds of millions of possible codes. I thought that if we put a sticker on the containers, it would be easier to track them as they moved through the system."

"We had to design some new scanners for the freight tracking process but it appears that they are working great. There are a couple other ports that are now interested."

"I guess you owe me then."

Sam asked, "So you want me to pick up your bar tab?"

"No, I want you to sharpen your pencil when I put in my next order. I was going to call you in a couple of weeks."

"Are you still at the Port of Seattle? I thought they were all set up."

"No, that was just a summer gig. I work for a trucking company that wants to track their loads as they move across the country."

"How do you see that working? Where would you scan them in route?" she asked.

"We plan to have truck stops along the way and the loads would drive through the scanner as they entered and exited the truck stops. We could track the progress, the driver, and compare the progress against the projected delivery dates and times."

"How many truck stops would have the scanners? They'd all need to have them and then have a connection back to a central computer."

"I'd want the information sent to two different locations in case there was a breakdown in the system. I'd guess about four to five hundred locations to start."

"Are you serious? I can set that up for you, unless you want Rob to handle it."

"You're cuter than Rob, and he didn't offer to buy me drinks."

"You're cuter than Rob, too."

"I'm not looking forward to going back to the mad house at the airport tomorrow, so why don't we meet sometime tomorrow to talk about it," I said.

"Britt, who do you work for? I'll call Rob tonight and let him know that we will be meeting."

"I'm not sure. I guess Freedom Trucking, although it could be Stop and Go truck stops. I'll need to check."

"You don't know who you work for."

"Let's just say I'm a consultant to a number of companies. I'm in charge of overseeing the big picture and helping the smaller companies work together. Tell Rob I said 'hello.'"

"I will. My plan for tomorrow calls for me to meet with P&G at nine in the morning. Can I call your room when I'm free?"

"Sure, I'm in the Skyline suite room number 4922. Just give me a call. I may try to get out for a while, but that will depend on the weather. I've been on the go for a while, so it is nice to find myself forced to slow down now and then. Are you ready for another round?"

Just then, a very clean-looking group of ladies came into the lounge. I just sat in the back of the semicircle booth and welcomed them back, and introduced Sam to Corina, Paige, and Judy.

Judy said, "Hi, Sam, it's nice to meet you. Britt, we just checked the desk and we're still on the waiting list. We left our luggage in your room if that's alright?"

"That's fine. If we want some more room, we can go up there now and sit on couches instead of us all cramming into this booth. Sam, you're welcome to join us. We can order some drinks and food from room service."

Sam said, "Sounds great. I'm hungry and could use a couple more drinks."

There was nervousness in the air as we went up to the room. I ordered some bottles and mixers along with some snack food and meals for everyone. We sat on the living room furniture and relaxed. I had on a pair of jeans and a sweater for traveling, and I tried to break the ice by asking where everyone was heading.

Sam was at her destination. Corina was on her way to Boston and then on to other parts of the country. Judy and Paige were actually the stewardesses scheduled to take me to Boise. I thought that was crazy. I know pilots and flight attendants, but never run into any of them when I travel. In one day, I'd run into a person that I'd be calling on for the scanners for the trucking business, and my stewardesses from my next flight, and all in the same place.

I smiled as I thought about it. Corina said, "A penny for your thoughts. You look like you're thinking something naughty."

I replied, "With four beautiful women in my room, in the middle of a blizzard you'd be right 99% of the time. I was just amazed at how small the world can end up being. I met Sam in the bar. She could have sat anywhere but she sat with me. I needed to talk to her company about the services that she sells. She'll probably close the biggest sale of her life because of that meeting. I could have called her boss or boss's boss, but I now have a contact for the project I need.

"I guess the odds aren't as great as I thought, because the number of stranded flights in and out of Cincinnati was small when compared to all flights flown in a day or week or month. However, what is the probability of also sitting with two of the stewardesses for my next flight to Boise? So, Corina, how do you fit into my life is what I was thinking."

"I think that could be naughty." She said.

"Corina, should we kick the others out, or let them stay while we go in the other room? We can stay in this room if you want to get even naughtier." I replied.

Paige spoke up and said, "Don't leave on my account. Since my divorce last year, I take my excitement wherever I can get it."

Judy said, "I've never watched anything like that live, but it could be interesting."

Sam said, "From a business standpoint it wouldn't be a good idea for me to stay, but I'm hungry so maybe I got off work just before we came up here."

Corina was blushing from head to toe. "I can't believe you all would even think of such a thing. I thought I was being wild by hinting that we might sleep together after you left, but not with all you perverts watching us."

I said, "Who said anything about them watching. I thought they might want to join in. Paige, tell me the truth. Are you a member of the mile high club?"

Now it was her turn to blush. She said, "Right after my divorce, I was on a red-eye flight from San-Francisco to Boston and slipped into the forward head with the co-pilot. It was a tight fit but we both are now members."

Sam was about to ask a follow-up question when there was a knock at the door. Room service came in and set up the food on the table and the drinks on the counter. I signed for the bill and tipped the man. Everyone was up and getting what they needed. I was going to play host but with three stewardesses in the room, they rather took over the food service.