This is a story about changing lives and building new ones. I hope you enjoy it.
Tom Jacobs is a tax attorney who works for the state revenue department. He would tell anyone who asked that he works for a collection agency going after deadbeats. Tom will send somebody a letter or even knock on your door if you don't pay your taxes. This wasn't what he pictured doing after law school. But it paid the bills. And he even had a little leftover at the end of the month, all for himself.
When he got home to his small apartment, his usual routine was to check the mail. Then go upstairs to see which leftover looked the most appetizing as he looked at the day's collection of junk mail. Shit! The state agency that had underwritten his loan for law school was in the days' pile of ads for everything he didn't need. WTF did they want, he asked himself. Written in the smoothest legalese, he was informed that he had fulfilled the terms of his loan, working for the state for the last ten years. And now his law school loan was paid in full. Sweet Mother of God. Was the only thing that passed over his lips as he carefully ran his eyes over the letter again. Next, he fired up his laptop and went to the agency's website, where he logged into his account. Then it hit him that the letter was genuine. His loan account showed a zero balance and was noted as being paid in full.
Tom knew this day was coming, but he wasn't sure exactly when. Taking a deep breath as he leaned back and smiled. Now, he would be able to flesh out his dreams.
There was no question in his mind that he wanted to move from the city. His first requirement was that his new hometown has a population of fewer than two million rather than almost nine million. Second ideally, no snow or ice, no winter. Someplace that had a lively local arts scene and was home to a solid university. Now he had his freedom; Tom could stop dreaming and begin living.
Tom wrote and rewrote his CV countless times in the next two weeks. At the same time, he refined his list of locations. With the potential new home identified, the next step was to whom he would send his CV.
A month later, on a gloomy Sunday afternoon, Tom went to the main post office and deposited fifty letters addressed to the managing partner of various law firms. With that done, there was nothing left to do but wait.
Over the next two weeks, a steady stream of proper thank-you letters arrived. With each rejection, Tom's mood only soured a little more. It looked like his dream was a pipe dream. Then he got a text message asking him to call John Smythe-Daniels, the General Counsel with Allison Engineering and Manufacturing, to arrange a phone interview. A couple of quick searches showed that the person was the general counsel for Allison Engineering and Manufacturing. And this person looked to have some serious chops, but the company was a mystery.
Tom made the call and was surprised. The company was very genuine. They were a privately owned company that did engineering and other work for the Department of Defense and others with an alphabet soup for a name. Tom was asked if he could envision a problem with him getting security clearances. That question raised the hair on the back of his neck.
The next step in the dance was to have Tom fly in and meet the folks he would be working with. The initial meeting was held in the airport coffee shop. The interview was with the general counsel, John Smythe-Daniels. John was considerably older than Tom would have guessed. The questions centered on his experience and objectives for the future. After about an hour, John excused himself and walked away. When he came back to where Tom was sitting, he asked Tom if he would be available to sit down with some others with the company to continue this conversation today.
Tom's attitude was that talk was cheap. I'll talk with almost anyone about anything so long as it is legal. With that, they hopped onto John's plane and flew back to where the company was located. When they got there, the General Counsel explained. "We are very low-key. The building and grounds here are secure. The old saying is ... what happens here, stays here. We very rarely have outside visitors. When I have to meet with someone, it is almost always offsite. Just as you and I did earlier today. Anyway, folks are waiting to talk with you."
As they walked up to a sizeable office building, Tom asked himself. Have I just met the Mad Hatter, and where is the White Rabbit? All the while, his eyes looked for the rabbit hole where they would dive into.
They walked up the sidewalk from a large, crowded parking lot into a small lobby area. John took a heavy plastic card from his jacket pocket, which he swiped over a card reader. That opened a door, and they walked down a grey-carpeted hallway lined with doors. But the doors didn't have a number on them or offer any hint as to what might be behind them. But next to each door was a card reader.
When they had gone a short way down the hall again, John ran his card over the card reader, and the door opened. The two of them stepped into a conference room. There were three men in the room. Two were about the same age as John, and the third was about the same age as Tom. John began, "Tom, let me introduce you to everyone here. By the way, we are very casual here, so we always use just first names or nicknames. The old fart over there is Alex. His dad, Josh, started this circus during World War II. We let him think he is the ringmaster. Next to him is Bennie, our unfriendly comptroller. But, as you know, Tom, bean counters are like that. And sitting in the corner is the Old Farts sonny boy, little Alex. Or, as his only friend calls him, the PIA. Sometimes he is called LA.
John got Tom and himself a cup of coffee, and they sat around the conference table. Alex began, "Tom? You present an interesting problem to us. Let me tell you a little bit about us. My dad was an engineer and a constant tinkerer. He was always looking for ways to fix and improve whatever. Out here in the back woods, we love to go deer hunting. My dad played around with the sights and scope on his deer rifle, and he found a unique way to get a better shot. The result was that he got the bag limit on opening day. Soon all of his hunting buddies wanted one of his new-fangled scopes. Anyway, one of his buddies was in the Army and got talking with someone there about his scope and how good it was. In short order, Dad had a requisition to produce sniper scopes. Then Dad asked the fatal question, what else do you need? The answer was a better way to target artillery. That resulted in Dad playing around. Eventually, he talked the Army into lending him a cannon to play with. The result was a different method of targeting artillery. Today, it's the same with a host of refinements. That's a big part of our business today. But we do some other things too."
"Anyway, Tom, as you know, we are privately held. That is good and bad at the same time, as my old partners in crime, the Shyster, and his trusted sidekick, the Bean Counter, would say. Like me, they are getting a little long in the tooth. So, we have been looking for someone who might fit our needs. Tom, you present an interesting profile. Yeah, you are a legal beagle. But at the same time, you're also a bit of a bean counter."
"Sonny boy, over there, had him an amazing shot a few years ago on the opening day of deer season. It was a perfect headshot that took down two bucks with one shot. The question is, can you fill both shoes? Or is asking one person to do both jobs too much?"
With the question on the table, Tom leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes briefly. After reflecting for a few moments, Tom began. "The question isn't, is it doable? The simple answer is yes, it is. The important question is, how do you structure this position to safeguard company interests?"
"Folks, your company is unique in many ways. Your business is unique. However, you structure the position the person coming into it will need to be mentored. This position will be unique as well. If you select me, I will need easy access to the four of you. Given that, I am very interested in joining you here. This will be an interesting challenge that I look forward to taking on."
