Hampton Manor (7 page)

“Have you been to Old Brooking before, Mister Masterson?” She already knew the answer, but decided to ask anyway, to cover the fact that she had spent two hours searching into his background.

“Well actually I was raised here, but I left to go to college and after I graduated I settled in Wooster Square. I come back occasionally to visit with my mother.”

“Will you be staying at her house?’

“No! Your personnel people set me up at the Belmonte. I’ll be staying there. By the way, please call me Kane.”

“You’ll find that it’s still a very charming town, Mister Masterson. I hope your stay will be pleasant.” She spoke with a smile on her face, but the “Mister Masterson” told him that his dealings with Marcia Bloom would be on her terms.

“I certainly hope so.”

“Now let’s get down to business. We’ve got a lot to cover. Have you had a chance to review the organization charts Mister Hampton gave you?”

“Of course, I have them right here.” He opened his leather attaché case and removed a folder. “Which of the two do you want to cover first?”

“We’ll start with our flagship company, Hampton Sportswear. The plan is to fully assimilate Preston’s Elegant Sportswear brand, which means that Preston’s plants, marketing, finance and design departments must be examined to determine which sections can be cut and which will be transferred to Hampton. I understand that Elegant’s vice-president has decided not to make the move to Hampton and has already left the company. That will make our staffing decisions a lot easier. Are you with me so far?”

“Absolutely. I would recommend that we start with plant and equipment. Elegant has been modernizing their equipment and processes for the past three years. Their research and development budget has produced some solid results. They have the fastest most productive machines in the industry. They are also testing some revolutionary concepts that will turn garment making on its ear. I checked and the rights to this technology are fully transferable to Hampton.”

Hampton Sportswear and Elegant Sportswear were listed under the Industrial Classification, Textile Goods and while both are in the garment business, they supply entirely different markets.
 

Elegant Sportswear manufactures garments for the high end of the market. They produce all of their clothing at a plant complex in New Haven, Connecticut. They export forty percent of their goods to European and Asian Markets.
 

Hampton Sportswear caters to the broad consumer market, distributing mostly through discount stores. They import sixty percent of their clothes from Asian countries and export goods mainly to Mexico, Canada and South America.

Preston Industries had been founded in 1892 by Jonathon Preston. His initial venture into the textile industry began with the testing of revolutionary looms invented by friend. He rented an abandoned pottery factory in New Haven, installing two of the vertical reciprocating looms. For the first two years he only manufactured and sold cloth by the bolt. He experimented with new patterns and variations of designs that were the rage in Europe. His designs gained popularity with garment manufacturers, especially producers of sports clothes. Not being one to let an opportunity slip by, Jonathon expanded his operation and soon Preston Industries became a major player in the garment making business. Jonathon incorporated the business in 1917 under the Preston Industries banner. The name Elegant Sportswear was born three years later, out of necessity, when a small toiletry company and a leather goods manufacturer were added to the mix and the three companies became operating divisions. As a corporation Preston Industries survived several wars and the great depression. Shareholders that rode the tumultuous years and cycles of taste and style were richly rewarded. Since its inception, Preston had only seven unprofitable years. Dividends, which were first paid in1925, have been paid every year since then, although during the seven unprofitable years they were significantly reduced. The company’s stock suffered when conglomerates went out of favor and it lost its ranking as a growth stock just prior to the millennium, but it immediately took over first place on most analyst’s list of conservative dividend payers with its unmatched record of continuous payment for over eighty three years.

Marcia replied, “I think we should schedule trips to New Haven to visit both the facilities. We need to review the production figures, age, capacity and utilization for each piece of equipment at both. I’ll need the maintenance and repair records for the machinery at Elegant. It looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us for the next several months. Let’s visit the Elegant plant first thing tomorrow and Hampton the next day. I’ll make the arrangements. Let’s plan on meeting at 8 a.m. at the Communications Center.

“You may want to schedule two or three days for the Elegant visit. That plant has eight facilities, all told, each dedicated to the main lines they produce. The original pottery factory has expanded into surrounding shipbuilding, electronics and furniture plants. It will take one day just to do a walk through.”

“I’ll make that decision after I see the place,” she said, curtly.”

Kane just shrugged and made a note in his appointment book. They worked for the next two hours reviewing Elegant’s production data, finally breaking for lunch, which consisted of roast beef sandwiches and soft drinks brought in from a nearby deli and eaten they while they continued work. As the day went on, Kane thought that Marcia was softening a bit,
Hopefully
she’s
getting
more
comfortable
with
me
.
It looks like this is going to be a little easier than I thought
.

She corrected that mis-conception when, at 4:55, she closed up her notebook and abruptly announced, that their time was up. She was back to her rigid demeanor. “That’s it for today, but before we go I need to review the protocols for the next six months.” Marcia explained the rules that Adam had set up for Kane whenever he was in the building. He agreed to each as she went down the list.

Kane was not surprised by the rigid rules. He had to do the same himself on several occasions. He could handle it. After all, he still held the trump card. The best was yet to come. He pretended to be upset with the leash that they put him on. “Is it alright if I ride down with you? It’ll save security a trip to escort me,” he said, sarcastically.

“Sure, come along,” she answered, ignoring his tone. They rode the elevator to the lobby in silence and separated at the front door.

“I’ll see you at nine tomorrow,” he said.

She did not respond.

After he left the building, Marcia walked to the Security desk to remind them about the special instructions regarding Kane. “There are to be no exceptions.”

Chapter 12

Adam came right home from the office for a meeting in his den with Milton Cavell, originally the butler to Adam II and now to Adam III. Milton joined the Hampton family in 1980 when Adam II retired the then seventy-five year old butler, Howard Simpson. Howard had been with the family for over forty years.

Milton was a true gentlemen’s gentleman, having served the social elite of the seaside community for twenty years prior to moving to Hampton Manor. Adam II had enjoyed being pampered, especially when he entered the playboy phase of his life, however, once he was stricken his son preferred to have a shift of male nurses protect and look after his father, 24/7.

When he took over the Manor, Adam Hampton III quickly took an instant dislike to having a personal attendant, preferring to organize his own wardrobe and take showers rather than baths. As a consolation, he allowed Milton to hang up his clothes, look after his laundry and turn down his bed at night. He also put Milton in charge of hiring and supervising the domestic help inside and outside the Manor. His authority was not to be questioned.

The medical staff attending to his father, however, reported directly to Adam. Milton receives reports on Adam II’s condition after each shift is over. Adam III sees copies only when there is a significant change in his father’s condition.

At breakfast, earlier in the week, Milton reported that Adam’s father seem to be responding to a new drug Arecept, his nurses reporting that he seemed to be more cognizant of his surroundings and was responding well to questions.

“You said the other day that my father was responding well to a new drug. Is it still showing promise?”

“Yes sir, he’s been on it for a week. The doctor seems pleased with the results.”

“What about side effects? These new drugs usually have a few.”

“The first two days he was constipated, had some nausea and dizzy spells, but these conditions have disappeared. They are pretty common side effects for that class of drugs. The doctor said we shouldn’t be concerned.”

“As they spoke, Bootsy and Flopsy, five year old beagles, came into the den and began rubbing up against Adam’s leg. He reached down and gave each a brief ear rubbing, settling them down. They seemed to sense when a visit to the West Wing was imminent. The dogs were allowed to accompany Adam whenever he visited his father. When Adam II was first confined, the dogs lived with him, but when he began to hallucinate and thought the dogs were trying to kill him, they were taken back to the main residence and allowed only occasional visits. Today was one of those days.

“I’ll notify the ‘wing’ that you’re on your way?”

“Thank you Milton.”

Adam was admitted to the ante-chamber with the dogs in close pursuit. While he discussed his father’s condition with John Nagel the Senior Supervisor, Bootsy and Flopsy, with tails wagging excitedly, stood impatiently at the opposite door, sniffing the smell of ozone from the ultra-violet lamps, that wafted under the door. Armed with a clipboard, John unlocked the door that opened into a buffer zone that was built between the reception area and the five other rooms on the main level of the wing. Immediately in front of them, down a long hall, were doors to the other rooms, a library, clinic, Adam II’s bedroom, gymnasium and the den.

The library was stocked with a myriad of fiction novels that are representative of his father’s broad interest in authors and genres. He has an amazing memory of what he reads; often repeating paragraphs verbatim. One wall stores volumes of technical manuals and personal notebooks on equipment and processes utilized in Hampton Industries businesses. These were moved from his den in the main residence. When his father died, Adam II had spent endless hours visiting the factories and observing the manufacturing processes. Growing up he had exhibited little interest in the business, but upon taking ownership he found himself filling notebooks with what he observed. He was suddenly fascinated by every step from the input of raw materials to the ultimate finished product ready to be distributed to the end user. He took the notebooks back to his office and spent days reviewing his copious notes about each operation until he was satisfied that each plant was functioning at optimal production. Often he revisited the plants and offered suggestions on how to improve the manufacturing flow; suggestions that were construed as orders regardless of the subtleties they were couched in. He offered the suggestions, not because he didn’t think his engineering staff was competent, he hired only engineers that were at the top of their graduating class, nor was it because he himself had superior technical skills or training. He had neither. The truth was simply that he was an autodidact with a deep love of manufacturing processes and as owner he could implement any changes that he thought would be productive and he did that many times.

The clinic was a fully equipped hospital emergency room. The nine men on the staff were all Rn’s with emergency room training and graduates of private classes on physical restraint. Turnover was rare since the salaries were well above scale and the work was not very demanding. John, the Senior Supervisor reported directly to Adam III.

Adam II’s bedroom was a carbon copy of the master suite in the main house. On each shift, one of the nurses plays the role of butler in an attempt to make his life close to what it was previously. His medications and breakfast were brought to his room. The nurses remain with him until his pills are taken. Any food that requires slicing was pre-cut since the day that he stabbed one of the nurses in the arm when he reached to remove a plate before Adam was finished. The wound was superficial, but the warning was clear. His behavior was unpredictable. Each morning clothes were laid out for him and his bath was drawn, emulating the service that Milton had provided to him for many years, the exception being that he had to use an electric shaver in place of the Gillette razors he preferred. He accepted these changes without complaint.

The gymnasium mirrored the gym at the country club that Adam frequented in the early days of the his tenure as CEO and President of Hampton Industries. In those days his powerful build was maintained by three visits weekly to the gym and weight training under the direction of the gym’s pro. Much of the muscle tone so arduously gained during those years was lost during his “playboy” period. It takes some cajoling, now, to get Adam to work out and whenever he does, he spends most of the “gym” time on the recumbent bicycle or treadmill, adamantly refusing to engage in any weight training. The last room was the den, a lavishly decorated sitting room or lounge. A circular table with four cushioned armchairs is set in a nook for Adam’s lunch and dinner. He often invited the shift “butler” to join him. He was allowed a single glass of wine with his dinner. On holidays the three man shift usually ate their holiday meal with AdamII, occasionally with the company of his son Adam III.