by Joe Jarvis
"New England Security Agency expanded over the next 25 years to fulfill all contracts of Cape Cod Criminology. But when the time came to sign another exclusive contract, my grandfather, with the guidance of my father, negotiated a contract that kept all of NESA’s prior duties under Cape Cod Criminology, but did not exclude the possibility of us fulfilling other contracts. This gave us room to expand, and with that, NESA opened our first insurance office, and began selling crime insurance, in addition to our policing activities.
"As my father took the reins of the company, business boomed, and New England Security Agency customers could be found from Bar Harbor to Hartford; from Burlington to Newport." Drake’s back was now to his employees seated around the table, and he was staring at a large map of New England, mounted on the wall as he talked.
"By the time NESA reached 50 years as a company, it was New England’s most successful and popular security agency. We boasted the lowest percentage of canceled contracts of any security agency in New England. Everyone knew we would go to bat ferociously for our truly innocent clients. But we were also respected for graciously abiding when one of our customers committed a crime. As our contracts still state, our protection will be withheld in the event that a customer commits a crime that has a clear victim. NESA’s evidence has always been valued by arbiters because of its meticulous detail, and valued by customers because of the dedication we show in bringing criminals to justice, and protecting clients from wrongful prosecution.
"Fifty-three years after the company was founded, my father handed down control to me, and I became President and CEO." Drake turned back around rather quickly, remembering he was not alone in the meeting room. "And that is how this company came to be, and how it will remain. Working in public relations, it is up to you to keep the reputation of New England Security Agency as crystal clear as it was when my grandfather poured his blood, sweat, and tears into building it."
After a few moments of silence, with a continuous stare from Drake, Hunter realized it was his turn to respond. "I cherish the opportunity sir!" he quickly recovered.
Drake gave a final nod, and walked towards the conference room door. Before he left the room, Drake turned to add as an afterthought a brief closed mouth "smile" and eyebrow raise that quickly returned to a natural droopy face as he headed to his office.
The executives streamed out of the office in relief, loosening their collars and drawing deep breaths like they had just resurfaced from under water. Jay was filling in the blanks for Hunter.
"Drake has pretty much kept everything in the company the same for the past 15 years up to this point. Unfortunately, he’s not always super accepting of new ideas... which makes us a little old school. Even though we still have some of the best numbers in New England, competition is rising to rival NESA. Really it’s only been the last five years our region wide front runner status in the business has faded. Believe me, public relations is what this company needs now, more than ever."
Hunter was still nodding, but less nervous now. His head was spinning from having so much thrown at him all at once. As the two entered Jay’s office and sat down, Jay continued.
"As profit margins shrank, Drake was forced to trim aspects of the company. Some of our investigations are now contracted out, and customer relations are handled by contractors more than ever before, which we, in part, oversee. There’ve been whispers that the company is in danger of shrinking back to its original state of little more than a patrol company. Essentially it’s my job, and now yours, to make sure that doesn’t happen. Sometimes it feels like we are swimming upstream, but it is really a rewarding job. Like today, Drake agreed to team up with ICE; that’s a big step. I hope you’re up for the challenge." Jay smiled at Hunter while taking a seat on the side of his desk with the drink he just poured.
"I’m excited to get started!" Hunter was relaxing a bit, but still seemed anxious. "Isn’t it a little early to be drinking?" he questioned, adding a smirk when he realized the risk of offending Jay.
Jay laughed, and stood up to walk around his desk. "Its just after administration meetings that I pour myself a drink this early!" he joked. Jay swished around the remaining liquid in his glass, and downed the rest with a grimace. "What do you say I show you to your desk?"
Drake returned to his office to try to figure out how to keep the company profitable. Drake’s office was furnished mostly in dark-stained wood with leather chairs, and bookshelves with books that looked like they were a hundred years old – some were. His desk sat in front of a large arched window reaching from just above the floor almost to the ceiling.
People were getting more bang for their buck these days from security agencies, and NESA customers had more than one reason to jump ship.
There was plenty of competition in the New England security market. Things were not very volatile, and crime was low, so there was not much risk to choosing cheaper options for security. People didn’t often victimize others, at first because they knew they would get caught, but then out of habit. Everyone was raised to know that aggressing against someone was wrong, and there would be consequences. Additionally it seemed primitive to most people these days to use violence, or take something that didn’t belong to them.
In New England, there was so much wealth, that no one would ever find themselves in the position where they needed to steal to survive, at any rate. Crimes of passion, though rarer, were the main form of deviance; but still, 1 murder per 100,000 people would be a year with a shockingly high rate.
Drake’s failure was that he did not expand what his company offered in their security packages. Many security companies these days were smaller parts of larger insurance companies that did not only provide security, but offered trash pickup, fire protection, transportation, health insurance and a whole range of other services. Drake did not have the energy or business savvy of his grandfather or father, respectively. He was well-versed in economics, finances and accounting, but he was never that great in negotiations, and building relationships with other businesses. He was seen by other CEO’s as a "my way or the highway" type guy, when the general business environment of the time was more flexible.
Businesses survived by working together. They survived by knowing their strengths, and recognizing their weaknesses. There was no shame in outsourcing an aspect of your company if it could be done better, and integrating products was in high demand throughout industries. For a population that all thrived on working together in their productive endeavors, these consumers demanded businesses that mirrored their needs, wants, and values.
Drake was too reluctant to make a deal with other highway owners when the bundling boom had most companies offering a one stop shop for multiple services. NESA owned highway 90 from Boston all the way to 20 miles east of Albany. But only NESA customers could get on without paying a toll every time they entered.
Drake was behind the times, because virtually every other highway in New England had ceased charging tolls years earlier. Instead highway owners made agreements amongst themselves to sell traveling rights to companies and customers in bundles. A Corner Cop Security sticker – embedded with a chip – gave access to just about every highway in New England, without making customers stop for a toll, because their toll was included in their Corner Cop Security package.
If an NESA customer wanted that kind of road access, they would have to purchase a separate travel package from another company. Vehicles traveling on roads without authorization were often issued citations and fines from patrolling officers; officers hired by the highway owner. They knew who had paid because the chip in the authorization stickers sent out a signal. And security companies often provided customers with a service that confirmed an officer stopping them was legitimate. But it was worth it to just get a travel package, not have to buy multiple road subscriptions, and avoid fees for traveling without a subscription. Customers liked when they could obtain multiple services through one company, it made things simpler when paying the bills.
Although a dollar didn't technically exist as a currency anymore, dollars were still referred to as units of measurement. One dollar could always buy the same amount of goods – a candy bar or a drink generally cost a dollar – but one unit of any particular currency might be worth ten cents, ten thousand dollars, or anywhere in between. Stores paid for a standardizing service at the checkout that told them how much to charge in any one currency, depending on the value at any given time, and their prices were expressed in dollars. Companies and banks were typically happy to have their currencies valued around $1 per unit.
Outside, the leaves were showing the first signs of change. It was that perfect crisp air that only required a sweatshirt to be comfortable. Drake momentarily let his mind wander to another fall day thirty years earlier when he wasn’t holed up in his office. He was walking with a girl admiring the foliage, thinking that he could spend every day just like that one. She was smart, and always talked about becoming a teacher, but Drake would tell her she shouldn’t stop there.
Drake quickly forced his mind back to business. He started to read the report on NESA’s main competitors. Some companies were doing better this quarter, some worse, but none seemed to have much connection to NESA; about an equal number of customers left the other companies for NESA, and vice versa. There was no strong correlation between customers leaving for any other specific company, until he came across Atlas Protection in the report.
Atlas protection was a newer but established company which had recently been ramping up their services after a few years of extraordinary profits. In the previous 12 months, a whopping 22% of former NESA customers who canceled their policies had joined up with Atlas Protection. It appeared that most of them were saving money for basically the same service, and those that were spending more were getting more, a lot more.
Exit surveys identified the lack of additional benefits in security packages as the main reason for leaving, and it made sense that their destination would be Atlas Protection. An AP package gave you access to nearly every road and highway in New England – except route 90. But customers also cited AP’s charitable giving as a reason for the switch. Every year 5% of all Atlas Protection profits were donated to various charities, so people felt like they were doing a good thing by patronizing AP, and they were.
Drake was glad that he had given the go-ahead to partner with ICE, but in his heart he knew it wouldn’t be enough. He sat back and swiveled in his chair to gaze out the broad window behind him, thinking that there must be some way to rise again as a business. He had a primal urge for victory, and to crush his enemies in the dust, but a civilized society afforded no such opportunities. As Drake looked down at the street full of busy shoppers, and slow moving cars, he saw an all-black SUV with white letters emblazoned on the side that read, "Atlas Protection."
It was a busy day at Atlas headquarters; actually, every day was busy. The company was receiving an influx of new customers daily, and had been for some time. AP was successful originally because of the variety of package deals they offered for security. There were over a dozen plans to choose from, from a bare bones package to one with all the bells and whistles. And even then, it was easy for Atlas Protection customers to customize the plans for their needs.
A guy who lives off in the remote woods might only want legal protection in case he needs to call for an investigation. This type of crisis-only insurance was dirt cheap, and worth it since every company charged more for customers who only came to them after being victimized. Only a very small percentage of the population chose to purchase no security up front.
Other customers wanted the gold plan of multiple daily checkups of their property by AP officers. Obviously this was more expensive, and generally reserved for businesses, or the extremely wealthy. Sometimes neighborhoods would go in together for a patrol, and each household would purchase a separate more basic plan for their security needs. AP was happy to accommodate any customer, and the customers appreciated the excellent service.
Kittery Atlas was the President and CEO of AP, having started the company almost 20 years ago when he was only 35. Kittery, named after his birthplace, who went by Kitt, was medium height with mostly gray curly hair that would always get a little out of control before he cut it. In shape and energetic, Kitt’s positive attitude infected his staff who swore they never saw the man have a bad day. That was probably because his home life was just as great as his office life. Happily married for 30 years, Kitt was the father of four, with two grandchildren, and a third on the way.
Kitt truly built the company himself from the ground up. For the first few years, his frugality was the only thing making the company survive. He hardly took a salary, and made sure to eat at his parents’ house 2 or 3 times a week to save money. When Kitt was building his company he didn’t have new clothes, he walked the 2 miles to work every day, and never drank alcohol – well, he never bought alcohol. Often a generous friend or family member would send a beer his way as a nice gesture.
But the days of want were over for Kitt and his family, though you might not know how profitable his company was by the way he lived. He and his wife kept the same modest home, though they made improvements and modernizations as the years went on. They had no need for luxury or expensive cars and clothes. Their one indulgence was vacations, often escaping from the grind 5 or 6 weeks each year to hit the best vacation spots on earth. As the years went on, Kitt added a vacation bonus for his employees, feeling guilty that they might not have the same opportunity to travel as he and his family.
Kitt’s office door was never closed, and there was a near continual stream of employees filing in and out for various reasons. Kitt loved to be involved in the daily activities of the company, but was not a micro-manager. He generally listened to updates and said, "Okay, go get em!" with a genuine smile on his face. He was a great manager who didn’t have to sacrifice morale for order. He could get the best employees because of his unmatched employment offers, and the lack of turnover further helped the company profit using experienced staff.
Over the past 5 years AP had really taken off, with so much growth it was tough to keep up. Kitt handled this by absorbing smaller companies, and introducing them to his business plan without shaking the place up too much. This meant he was not over-extended from expansion, and could gain new customers without them having to lose the old faces of their security companies. But once customers got a taste of patronizing AP, they were so impressed they told all their friends.
"Great job, can you send the Nashua branch manager a thank you for handling that issue so well?" Kitt was saying to a young female employee as he signed a tablet put in front of him by another, who swiftly exited with a nod. "It’s great when we can avoid arbitration in small cases like that. Frankly I was surprised his security was even going to take it to arbitration. Thanks."
"Mr. Atlas," his secretary interjected, peeking her head around the door, "Molly Metis from Business Ethics Review is on hold."
"Oh! Thanks Jan," Kitt energetically replied, before turning to the young lady to whom he had been talking to finish, "Thanks, I gotta take this, let me know if he needs anything when you thank him!" He picked up the phone, "Hi Molly how are you doing on this fine fall day?"
"I’m great Mr. Atlas, and how are you? I just had a couple more questions that popped up for the article we’re releasing next month on Atlas Protection."
"Absolutely, what have you got for me?"
Two
As Molly hung up she leaned back in her plush pink fluffy chair. She liked Kitt – good guy, always positive, charming really – not that it would have m
uch influence on her article, AP was squeaky clean ethically. And what a contrast, she thought as she looked down at her next assignment; Mr. Barry, the arbitration agent. Uhg! She had dealt with him before, and getting a straight answer out of the man was like prying teeth. He always seemed to be hiding something, calculating, dodging. She couldn’t quite understand his attitude since she had never uncovered anything too unsavory about Barry Arbitration – just that he hired a few family members who might have not been completely qualified for their position. But after the Business Ethics Review (BER) report, they were all given lucrative severance packages, and sent on their way. Barry’s reputation didn’t suffer too much from that slip up, since he acted quickly to remedy it.
Molly was in her early thirties, had tan skin (even in the New England winter), but bright blue eyes – which was rare as the recessive trait was quickly disappearing in the modern worldwide melting pot. Molly’s nose was small and sharp, but the rest of her facial features were more rounded. Her hair was wavy and light, almost too blonde for her skin tone; but it was natural, and looked natural. She was a stunning woman by anyone’s standards; not a stick figure but certainly not chubby either.
People that were too skinny were found unattractive in 2115, because it wasn’t too long before that this signified starvation, disease, and death. Weight was actually more moderate than before the collapse. Very few people were obese, because the market had geared towards less meat and oil consumption after the collapse, and healthier, leaner food options in general. But with the collapse fresh in the collective memory, people saw the benefit of having a little extra in case things went sour. Nuts remained a favorite source of protein, keeping well without refrigeration or salting (unlike meat). Diets were extremely varied, since food could be shipped quickly anywhere around the globe and remain fresh. An orange picked on the Florida peninsula in the morning could easily be eaten by an urban New Englander that same afternoon. This also meant fewer preservatives were necessary, so natural farming stayed the standard even in the Modern Renaissance.
