Chapter Seventy-Six
Let's Get Back to Business
A/N A lot of people might think that JT is pretty aware for a three-year-old. Well, first I am really having fun with his overly mature character and to be honest kids are so much more aware today than I was. I have more mature conversations with my young grandkids sometime than most adults I know! It's time to catch up on all of the exciting improvements to the business. I have inferred already that even for this time of year business is on the uptick, so I need to spend some time on that. I won't neglect the family though, especially Amy and Ty and will always sneak things in. I plan to provide you a lot of great material coming your way over the next few chapters. Mature Content – Enjoy!
I have had a few people say they are having trouble with the additional characters, especially the kids. So here is the cheat sheet I use.
Georgie and Steven Weber - Hanna Louise and Noah Alexander
Caleb and Cassandra O'Dell - Ben
Ben and Jennifer Stillman - Breydon and Jaxon - Fairfield
Justin and Maryanne Trudeau - Haley, Elana, Brad, Emmie & Ezzie, Bart
Will and Bethany Masters - Billy
The week following the big party found the Borden famliy back in their school and work routine. Max and Lilly had planned to fly back to Colorado but Jack and Lisa convinced them to stay for the Board meeting at the end of the week. Staying would also give Lilly one more treatment session and a treat she asked for. She asked Amy if she could take her to see Lyndy's new school and maybe observe some of the training she was going through. She was so proud of her oldest granddaughter and wanted to show her support as she knew Lyndy had some initial apprehension. Their day was so much fun for both of them. Ty and Max came as well and they were able to have lunch with Lyndy and watched her afternoon classes. Lilly marveled at the level of skill and leaned over to Amy, "She is so wonderful. Look at her she seems like she has been here for a long time. Amy, you and Ty must be so proud of her." Amy smiled and whispered, "She is special and we love her dearly. But we love all our kids so much as well and.." She smiled, "I kind of like this guy too." She pulled Ty in for a hug, Lilly smiled at the love they had for each other and their children. She was overwhelmed with happiness for her son who had a life with no love for so long. Ty looked over at her concerned. "Mom are you Ok, we can leave if you need to." She smiled and went to hold both of their hands. "I have never been better in my life. I have an amazing husband, a new and loving relationship with my son, a caring daughter in law and 5 of the most perfect grandkids a grandma could ever have." She hesitated to gather herself, "Ty when I came back I didn't know what to expect. I had hurt you so much and I was worried I had done too much damage to earn your love again. But now I can't imagine my life being better. Thank you for giving me yet another chance." Ty was unable to answer and hugged her tightly. Lyndy looked over and smiled, happy to be a Borden.
As the week progressed everyone was preparing the Board meeting. They had decided to have it on Saturday as work had been extremely busy. The plan was to spend the morning reviewing and discussing the changes and new ideas. Then all the kids would come to have lunch with them. Finally in the afternoon they would set some plans and deadlines in place. Tim and Casey had again offered to host a BBQ at Big River so they would all head there afterwards. They decided they would celebrate the day and say farewell to Max and Lilly who were leaving the next day. Jenn and Ben offered to watch all the little ones since the meeting was at Fairfield, including those mischievous Weber Twins. The Borden girls would be busy at the ranch all day so Katie and Clay would bring them over for lunch. Amy and Ty had been preparing for the meeting for several days. Working together reminded them that they had moved well beyond their original dream. They were looking forward to meeting with the Board and were excited about the future. What excited them the most was that they were building something for their children. As they worked in the office, Ty seemed to be daydreaming. Amy tried to get his attention, "Ty where are you right now?'' He smirked, well I would like to be at the Dude Ranch, do you still have the key?" Amy blushed, "Ty we have to focus here, there will be time for that later." He smiled, "Actually I was thinking about us, the kids and the future. We are so blessed and have so much to look forward to. When I look at what you and I have accomplished and see how are kids are growing up, it's just a little overwhelming." Ty leaned back in his chair becoming emotional. "I guess when my mom said how blessed she was it kind of hit me too." Amy walked over to him and sat on his lap. "Ty I think about that all of the time. As parents we are responsible to help our kids find their own path and prosper. As a couple, we both have to fully commit ourselves to each other. Ty our kids are happy and enjoying their lives and you and I…" She stopped and leaned into him kissing him with a passion only meant for them. "Ty Borden, you are an amazing father and husband. You are my one and only true love." He leaned into her for another deep kiss. "You really don't have the key?" They laughed and got back to work.
The morning of the meeting the kids were on their own as Amy and Ty left early. Wyatt and Lyndy were in charge of the three other girls. JT went with his parents to hang out with Breydon, Jaxon and Ben at Fairfield. Lyndy called the others down to breakfast as Wyatt set the food out. "Come on you three, breakfast is ready and we have a lot to do today." Maddie whined, "Who made you the boss Lyndy?" Lyndy smile and calmly said, "Mom and Dad asked Wyatt and I make sure you guys got breakfast and started on your morning chores. Remember Katie and Clay will pick us up for lunch at Fairfield and then mom and dad will get us so we can all go to Big River." Addie laughed, "Well don't you sound official." Lyndy took a breath, "If you three need anything get with one of us, mom and dad will be very busy so they asked us to…" She stopped, "Guys I love you and I am not the boss, we just need to get everything done today and not bother them. So if you need anything get with me or Wyatt." The girls shook their heads in agreement. Maddie quietly told Lyndy she was sorry and they hugged. After breakfast they helped clean up and went on their way. The Board arrived early for the start of the meeting. Max was there as well as Lilly decided to help Jenn take care of the little guys, which she appreciated. Everyone got a coffee and something to snack on. Caleb spoke up, "Man Lou I could really use a Ranchman's Special from Maggie's today, I am starving. Someone didn't sleep to well last night." As he looked at his pregnant wife. Georgie glared at him with possessed eyes, "Well Caleb, maybe you should carry a baby for a while and see how you feel." The room went silent until Cass and Georgie broke out in laughter. Cass smiled as Caleb tried to steady himself, "See Caleb, even pregnant people can be funny." The entire room erupted as Lisa brought them to order. "Ok not that we have that taken care of let's get started. We have a lot to do today."
Lou started the meeting giving a very high financial review of last year. She committed to have a more detailed report when they me next time. "Overall as you know we had another great year. Revenue was up over 10% and we saved another 18% in efficient supply ordering. I think we all agree that our supply streamlining has been very effective and we have Caleb and Clay to thank for that." Everyone applauded and Caleb beamed. "We continue to effectively utilized the kids from the youth program and the university. As I remember we don't believe we are ready to expand on either of them just continue to move people where we need them. Scott and I have talked and we have an idea to discuss with the university kids we will being up when we talk about that program." Lisa thanked her and went over the agenda for the morning and afternoon. It was going to be a packed day. She shared the agenda:
Morning
Updates:
· YTD Financials
· Status:
o The Albertan Native American - Chief Standing Horse Youth Camp (Scott's Grandpa)
o The Marion Fleming Youth Enrichment Program Status
o University of Calgary Clinical Program
· On Site Day Care
· Order Streamlining
· Additional Staff
· Realignment of Vet Services – Additional Vet
Afternoon
Updates:
· College Lecture Video Series
· Physical Facilities Review
· Employee Engagement and Rewards
o Go Public vs Employee Owned
o Profit Sharing
o Bonuses
Planning Strategies and Timelines
OK, we have covered the financials already and remember next time we meet each of you will need to work with Lou to break down the numbers for your piece of the pie. Scott, how are things progressing with the Youth Camp. Scott stood up and smiled. "Well in your packet you will see that we are 100% funded and staffed. Thanks to Clint and a few others in the Native American community we have actually exceeded our goal and have plenty of volunteers to work the Camp this summer as counselors. Our full-time staff is in place and eventually will be housed and have an office on the site of my grandfather's farm. The vetting process has begun and we plan to have 2 sessions of 24 kids each. Amy and Georgie as we discussed part of the camp will be horse skills so we will be bringing smaller groups to Heartland and The Miracle Ranch to work with some of the staff to see what we do.." Amy interjected, "We are always looking for new talent and who knows this group may provide us some future employees." Scott agreed and continued, "Construction is underway for the bunk houses and the renovation of the ranch house to living quarters and the office. Everything will be done by the end of March. Our plan is to announce the selections after that and open our first 8-week session mid-May and the second mid-July. We have had over 100 kids show interest so the vetting process will be difficult. The Camp Director, several of Clint's staff and three members of the Tribe Counsel will be on it. The buzz is very exciting." Everyone sat for a moment and Ty spoke up. "It's a shame we can't take more kids." Scott agreed but added, "Physically it would be impossible this year but there have already been discussing about growing the program next year.
Lisa thanked Scott and moved to the Youth Program. Clay got on the phone and with Ty they went over some of the results. Ty mentioned, "Almost all of the kids that completed the program have moved onto college or trade school. Clint's team is extremely pleased and has been sharing our ideas around the country. Actually Amy and I are going to Montreal for a meeting about our program and its results." Lou spoke up, "Wait a meeting out of town just the two of you, sounds fishy." Amy laughed, "Actually Lou Ty will be at the meeting most of the time and I am hanging out with Maryanne Trudeau." Georgie laughed, "Wow aren't you important." Everyone laughed and Ty finished up. "For now I think we all agree to stay the course and revisit this next year. We believe we are at a good number and adding more may dilute it." Everyone shook their heads in agreement. Next up was Cass and Ellie on the phone. Just like last time Ellie was holding a cat that kept meowing. Cass started. "Like the Youth program we believe we are at a good spot right now. The university wants us to considered increasing the number of openings but we all talked and don't think we are ready yet." Ellie added, "My younger brother is in the program and it is the most sought-after clinical program at the University. We are benefitting because we are getting the cream of the crop. We met yesterday and Ty and Steven believe we need another vet and I firmly believe it can come from this group. It is like the ultimate interview." Ty interjected, "Another thing the five of us have to get better at, is the allocation of the kids. We are going to modify the paths to add more flexibility so, if a certain part of what we do needs extra support we can move kid around. The University fully supports the idea." Everyone smiled in understanding and agreement.
After a short break to check in the group gathered to continue. Amy, Georgie and Jenn who snuck down from kid watch began talking about the On-Site Day Care. Amy began, "Well things are really coming around. One for the ranch hand's mother is a retired nurse administrator and has accepted the role of managing the facility. We are sure it is a part time position but she committed 30 hours a week. At first she said she would do it for free but we negotiated her salary which included reduced fees for her two grandchildren. We have countless volunteers from staff and friends that will be there with the kids. Several are going to bring their kids as well, so for their service we will give them a reduced rate. We were able to work with the U of C's nursing program and created a proposal for a clinical type program similar to what we do with the Equine center. We believe that once approved it will cover our need for an onsite nurse. Georgie took over, "I have worked with my mom and we are confident that after the initial cost for revamping the outbuilding at Amy and Ty's Ranch and buying the materials we need we will be profitable. Our intent is to pay off the debt and then use the profit after that to improve the facility and donate to the Calgary Child Crisis Center. Our goal is to be completely non-profit." Jenn finished, "Since Amy and Georgie are tied up with horses and babies, I will assume the role of overseeing the operation. We will allow the manager to run everything day to day. We believe we will be up and running by the end of the first quarter and will have the capacity for between 25 and 30 kids." The group was overwhelmed with the progress they had made. Lou spoke up, "I think this will be huge for our staff that have young kids. Daycare is rough and this will really help them. And with family and close friends I expect we will fill half the spots." Everyone laughed and clapped in appreciation of all the effort.
Before lunch, the group went over the Order Streamlining efforts and had little to add. Lou said that preliminary numbers showed between 20 and 25 percent savings. She smiled, "More than enough to handle the Day Care expenses." Then each team discussed current headcount and possible needs. For the most part, outside of the Day Care Center staff, most individual companies seemed Ok. A few needed a person or two, but not enough to make a drastic impact on the bottom line. Ty spoke up, "Outside of the potential need for an additional vet, revising the youth and clinical programs will handle the needs to hiring full time staff. With Ty's comment the conversation moved to the addition of a new vet. Steven got Ellie back on the Zoom meeting as Ty and Scott went over the numbers from last year. They covered the number of patients that came through the Hudson Vet Clinic, by breed and type of service. Everyone was astounded at the pure volume of what the clinic handled. Lisa spoke up, "Scott I can't believe that you have this much activity. Ellie, Cass and Steven you all should be commended for your effort." Steven smiled, "Well these two handle the bulk of the work but I think we all agree that the university kids are of such a high quality, their involvement is essential. I think when we retool the program it will really help." Then Ty and Steven went over the numbers for The Equine Center at both Heartland and the Miracle Ranch. Lisa again spoke up, "My lord you guys these numbers are amazing, again not to be repetitive how do you do it. Ty laughed, "Well I wish I could say Steven and I rock but to be honest Amy, Georgie and the training group are a big help. Some of their herbal approaches reduce the amount of work we need to do. And these kids from the university are amazing. Steven has one kid working with him that has done some minor surgeries." Scott spoke up, "With that said we each had over 20% in business and we expect it to continue to grow. We have sat down and believe another vet is needed. We believe the new vet can start in June as the business picks up." The group discussed it for a brief time and all agreed it was necessary. Cass spoke up, "And as we have said I want to hire on of the kids from the clinical program that is graduating this year. We have several in mind and want to approach them and begin discussions." The group adjourned as the kids showed up and a fun lunch was enjoyed by all.
After the kids kept complaining about having to leave they finally got them to go, so the group could start their afternoon. Lisa clarified that they would go over the final topics, take a break and then walk-through planning, timelines and other items. Amy and Ty took a few minutes to go over the college lecture series. Ty started, "Moving all of them to on-line availability and DVD's has been a great thing. Sales are strong and we are receiving some residual payments from the University. Amy and I talked to Scott, Cass, Ellie and Steven and we decided to do something a little different. We are going to do a "Day in the Life" Series. The University is really excited and are providing a film crew. Basically they will follow Amy, and the 5 of us during a typical day. It will not be haphazard and there will be some structure but the University staff see the potential of using this as a part of their curriculum. I have to say we are really excited." Everyone again was impressed as Lou added, "It will definitely be a lot less stress not having to prepare material and haul stuff to them." Everyone agreed. Amy, Ty, Scott and Lou went over a view of all the physical facilities. Outside of a few minor enhancements to some buildings and land the main focus was on the Day Care and adjoining playground. Georgie gleamed, "How cool is it to have a playground with the Canadian Rockies as a background." And Amy added, "We have included a heated enclosure that we can set up when the weather gets colder. It is going to be amazing for the kids. It will be made out of a heavy clear plastic that will still have the views of the outside." Cass giggled, "Heck I want to play there." The group laughed but were overwhelmed with the facility.
Lisa mentioned that they were a bit ahead but felt the final topic would fill up the extra time. Lisa, Max and Lou led the conversation. First it seemed it was decided that employee owned was the way to go. Max went over some initial drafts of what that would look like. "We propose two levels of ownership. The first level consist of family, Board members and a few selected others. Jack, Lisa, Amy, Ty, Scott and Lou would split 36% or 6% each of the ownership. Georgie, Steven, Katie, Clay (after they were married) and the Borden kids would split 18% or little over 2% each. And as a surprise, Tim, Casey, Caleb, Cass, Ellie, Nick, Jenn and Ben would also split 10% or 1.25% each. The second level would involve the remaining 36% of ownership shares. These would be offered to staff to purchase with a max of 1%. Once completely filled no other ownership options would be available unless someone left." Max showed the numbers and felt that everyone could have a piece of the company. Everyone was very impressed but Amy asked, Max what about you and Lilly?" He smiled and laughed , "Well Lisa, Jack and I thought someone would ask that. As the administrator I am not allowed to have a share of the business, so I will just charge you more." Everyone tentatively chuckled until he laughed again, "Just joking." Lou continued to talk about Profit Sharing. "Lisa, Jack, Scott, Ty Amy and I with Max's help have decided to, in lieu of our bonuses that the Board, Jenn, Ben, Katie and soon Clay at similar levels as the ownership scale will be given a profit-sharing bonus starting with this year. The numbers show that if we continue to grow as expected, this will be much more lucrative for all of us. Again Max will administer it to ensure we are all legal and stuff. And we will continue to allocate a small percentage of our profits in an interest-bearing education fund for all of the kids. In fact, Katie is benefitting from it already. And we are also going to extend the fund to other kids." The group looked confused as Ellie and Jenn were still on via Zoom. "Caleb, Cass, Ellie, Jenn, we want to extend this to your kids as well and the next generation of family." Cass, Ellie and Jenn were bought to tears and Caleb sat back in his chair, finally getting the ability to respond, "Guys that is amazing, since I am the only one able to talk I want to thank you for all of us. This is the kindest gesture I have ever seen." Eyes misted up and everyone hugged everyone else. Ty leaned into Amy and whispered, "I knew about this and still am choked up."
The final conversation before we break was bonuses for the staff. Max started, "The plan is to include everyone who works for us who is not on profit sharing. Bonuses will be based on a formula of level of role, salary and the overall company's performance. Basically as the company performs well both the profit sharing and bonus structure will be fully supported. The benefit it that the overall value of the organization will grow as well so we will never be cash strapped." He passed out a confidential prospectus of all three programs. "This prospectus is only for the Board, no offence to the others. Please ensure that you keep it in a safe place. I will file all of these programs with the appropriate government offices once we approve. I will have several documents for you to sign individually and as a group." Lisa sighed, "Well I think we need a break, let's take a half hour. The group adjourned. Amy and Ty went out to sit in the garden to get some fresh air. He held her in his arms as they sat on a bench talking about the day. After a quick call to Lyndy to check on the kids Amy nuzzled up to his neck. "We could make out a little, I think we are alone. Cass, Caleb, Georgie and Steven went to see their kids and the others are meeting with Max about some legal stuff. She leaned into him and kissed him passionately. The got wrapped up in each other until Ty felt a tug on his pants. They looked up startled to see JT smiling. Behind him was Georgie and Steven each holding one of the twins as well as Cass and Caleb with Ben standing in front of them. They were all giggling as JT spoke up as he jumped into their laps, "Busted mom and dad." The group broke out in laughter, even the twins were laughing. Amy blushed, "How long have you all been standing here?" Georgie laughed in disgust, "Long enough, you little boy wanted to see you. You guys are really gross." Everyone laughed except JT who looked back at her. "They are not gross, they love each other and I love them." Amy and Ty hugged him tightly smiling at his comment.
Lisa welcomed everyone and thanked Amy and Ty for coming back after the incident. Everyone broke out and laughed and Amy grabbed Ty and kissed him deeply, "That is what we think of you all." Lisa laughed and spoke up, "Well we need to finish in a little over an hour so we can get to Big River. Let's go around the room and have each of you go over your plans, timelines and strategies." I am sure many will overlap so I want this to be an open discussion. Let's make sure we all take good notes and I will compile them into a report we can share with our teams. Starting with Scott and Lou each person went over their piece of the pie. There was a lot of active conversation and comments. Jack and Max sat back amazed at how well the group worked together and had open and honest conversation. Even when there was a difference of opinion they worked it out as everyone contributed. Max leaned over to his friend, "Jack this is an amazing group. I have been a part of many board meetings and I have never seen anything like this. You and Lisa should be proud." Jack smiled, "My friend thank you and they are amazing. It feels good to know the famliy legacy will continue on." The two men sat back and watched the interaction. After Lisa felt that everyone was done she said a few final words and closed the meeting but not before next steps were discussed and agreed on. Everyone grabbed their kids and headed over to Big River. Katie and Clay were going to bring the Borden girls over but they would go home with Amy and Ty.
The BBQ at Big River was a great end to the day. Everyone was relaxed and having fun. Lou leaned over to Amy and again whispered, "I am so happy that Dad is getting more involved, the grandkids really love him and Casey. As the group was settling in Max, Lisa and Jack met briefly with Tim and Casey. Max spoke, "Tim and Casey this is confidential for now but the Board is going to move the entire company to family and employee owned. A large amount of it will be offered to be purchased by the staff. But we also decided to give pieces of the company to family and a few others. So, we are giving you and Casey each 1.25% of the company. Moving forward it will be yours. You won't be able to sell it but you can pass it on as you choose or sell it back to the ownership team." Tim was flabbergasted and sat back in his chair. Casey was able to speak and thanked them all for their generosity and inclusion. She asked, is it Ok if we thank the rest of the board." Max smiled, "Yes but please be quiet as this information needs to be held in strict confidence." Tim and Casey smiled in agreement. Tim shook Jack and Max's hands and hugged Lisa as Casey hugged them all. They all went back to the party. The kids were playing with the horses in the barn and they adults were sitting around talking and laughing. The Amy and Ty make out session was a big laugh for everyone, especially JT's defense of them. Food was served and everyone enjoyed the BBQ, sides and desert. Compliments were given to the chefs as the group enjoyed being together.
It had been a long day so as things wound down, everyone helped clean up and headed home. The girls had a lot of questions about the meeting and laughed when JT told the story of catching them kissing. Ty and Amy answered the questions in a roundabout way but they seemed satisfied. They told them all to get ready for bed and that they would stop by to see them. They sat at the table talking through a few things and Amy went to sit on his lap. "We need to continue our make out session from today. Maybe later you can take advantage of me." He smiled and kissed her deeply. The visited the kids to say good night. As they left Lyndy and Wyatt, she spoke up, "No 10-minute warning dad? Ty laughed, "I guess I trust you guys." Amy and Ty headed to their room and barely had the door closed before they lunged at each other. It had been a long day and their lust had been building up. Clothes were quickly discarded as Ty made sure the door was locked. He chased her to the bed as they fell into each other. Their kisses and touches had purpose as they fondled each other with love. Ty kneaded Amy's breast and kissed them all over. Amy kissed his lips and moved down his chest and below. They pleasured each other multiple times as the each reached orgasmic heights only they could achieve with each other. As they finished their foreplay, they joined as Ty hovered over his love. She moved her hips into position as Ty entered her slowly building momentum as they moved in sync as one. They loved each other completely and after almost 30 minutes the reached a mutual high that overwhelmed them. Their moans were tempered but fulfilling. After a few more minutes, they laid back sweating, panting and exhausted. Amy rolled onto her love, "Wow, that was worth the wait. You were amazing," He smiled and kissed he deeply, "Well there horsey girl you went to bad, that one move took my breath away." She giggled, "Hmm, you liked that, well how about this." She reached down to see if she could reignite the spark. As expected he reacted and returned the favor as they both started breathing heavily. Their night just like their love was not done. As they moved on to more love making they both thought about how lucky they were and how much they meant to each other.