Chapter 5: A Whole New Ballgame
Almost everyone arrived early for the Friday morning board meeting. We all appeared to be anxious to get on with deciding what needed to be done with Orient Pacific Imports when Mr. Yee Fung was no longer able to carry on. No one appeared more ready or prepared than Charlie. She had brought a package the approximate dimensions of a medium sized framed painting.
Mr. Yee Fung was the last to arrive, moving carefully into the board room and choosing a seat to the right of the near end. He motioned for me to sit at the end to his left. Everyone else found seats around the table. I called the meeting to order.
"I'm no expert at Robert's Rules of Order, so I'm just going to wing it. I call this extraordinary meeting of the board to order. Mrs. Wong, would you be so kind as to take the minutes."
She nodded affirmatively, having planned to do so all along.
"For the record, the following members of the board of Orient Pacific Imports are in attendance:
Harry Zheng, Chairman. Charlotte Zheng, Jean Zheng Lowe, Yee Fung Hong, President, and Wong Soo. Also in attendance is Michael Lowe, invited guest."
Mrs. Wong passed out the minutes of the last board meeting and I asked for any errors or omissions. There were none. With a sigh, I leaned back in the comfortable leather chair and began.
"As you all know, Mr. Yee Fung has advised us that his health will not permit him to carry on as President for much longer. Our objective today, with the board's assistance, is to find a management structure that will assure the continuance and growth of our company."
I had rehearsed my opening comments carefully before the meeting. I had two objectives to begin with. First, was to thank Mr. Yee Fung for his contribution over many years, and second was to segue into suggestions on how we might restructure the management. I also had to be mindful that our President's health might not permit him to endure the entire meeting, so earlier Mrs. Wong and I had agreed to monitor him and watch for signs he was weakening.
I then spent a few minutes covering the growth of the company and the important and valuable role that Mr. Yee Fung had provided. I was particularly appreciative for the time immediately after my parents' death, when he stepped in and moved the company forward. The others around the table were equally grateful, and said so. I noted with pleasure the new direction the company had embarked upon. I believed it was a clever and well thought out strategy that we should continue. Again, I had the full support of the board.
"Now for the tricky part," I smiled. "Mr. Yee Fung, if you are uncomfortable with the next discussion, please don't hesitate to excuse yourself. Otherwise, you are welcome to participate. I want to suggest we create an interim management team before we settle on a permanent one. My reason for this is that with the exception of you and Mrs. Wong, none of the remaining board members has any experience in the company's operation. We are ill equipped to run this company without that experience."
I'd thought long and hard about what to do. I had the germ of an idea, but it would be weeks, if not months before I could satisfy myself that it would work. It would also depend on how the other board members felt about the direction the company was heading. It was a far cry from the low value imports it began with.
Mr. Yee Fung nodded in my direction, but didn't move to leave. I decided to continue.
"I would like to suggest we nominate Wong Soo to the position of Vice President, Operations. I think this is the most logical move. She will need support personnel, of course, and I would like to open the meeting to suggestions."
Charlie didn't waste a second. "I second the nomination. It's the only sensible move."
"All in favor?" I asked.
The vote was unanimous, including Mr. Yee Fung.
"That was easy," I chuckled. "Congratulations, Mrs. Wong."
She wore a bemused look, but she said nothing other than, "Thank you."
"I also have a suggestion that may surprise you. I was wondering how the board would feel if we invited my grandfather, Zheng Ming, to sit on the board. We could use both his experience and his wisdom."
Mr. Yee Fung was nodding with a smile. The idea obviously appealed to him, but he said nothing.
It was Charlie once again that spoke up. "I think that's a hell of an idea, Harry."
I decided to flesh out the concept a little further. "With today's communications, we could keep Grandfather Zheng current so that he wouldn't have to travel from Scottsdale unless he wanted to. I haven't seen him lately, but perhaps you can tell us how up-to-date he is with the direction of the business, Mr. Yee Fung."
"I have been talking to him at least once a month, and I can tell you he is well informed. I think your suggestion would be welcomed by him. Perhaps even more so by your grandmother." He had a sly smile when he said that.
There was laughter around the table. Again, it sounded like an avenue worth pursuing.
I turned to Mrs. Wong. "Madam Vice President, do you have the personnel to continue operating the way we must to assure continuing success?"
"I am confident that with the addition of one bilingual clerical person we have the people we need to maintain the current operations of Orient Pacific. If we are to continue to grow, we will want to revisit our staff needs."
I was satisfied, and so, apparently, was everyone else. I looked over at Mr. Yee Fung, and I could see that he was tiring. I opted to take a break at this point. The next part was going to be more difficult.
One of the staff girls brought in tea, coffee, and soft drinks, while a young man brought in a tray of bakery items. I picked up a black coffee and a sticky bun and wandered to the end of the room. Within seconds, Charlie was at my side.
"Jesus, Harry. You've really been giving this a lot of thought, haven't you?"
"Yeah. I guess it's almost the only thing I have been thinking about."
