DGCSC "shareholders" meeting (closed)

[notmuch_23 2300]

On the second floor of the Copper Bell Hotel Casino, in conference room 4, Thurgood helps unload pizzas onto the back table, while the rest of the room is ready for the "shareholder's" meeting of the Damn Good Craft Soda Company (even though legally, they're partners). In years past, this took place at the company headquarters in Casper, but with the constant production work there, including all of the noise, a meeting there would be untenable. Thurgood offered Tyler a conference room at the Copper Bell rooms for each participant, and catering. The rest of the family members with stakes protested at first, until they looked into the Copper Bell, and protested having the meeting at headquarters. After all, when the meeting was over before, there wasn't much to do but go home. Now, there's five floors of casino, five floors of mall, and stand-up comedy tonight, just in the Copper Bell. Elsewhere in New Everrun's entertainment district are recreational drugs, sport fights, nightclubs, prostitutes of both biological sexes, many humanoid subspecies, and cater to any sexual preference; all regulated and perfectly legal!

As Thurgood places the deep-dish three-meat pizza on the table, Tyler Delp steps in and picks up a slice of stuffed-crust supreme.

"'Sup Tyler?" Thurgood asks, "I've got a tablet to send drink orders to the cigar bar up here, both soft and hard."

"Sweet," Tyler says as he puts the slice on a waxed paper plate. Thurgood can tell there's something on his mind.

"What's eat'n ya?" Thurgood asks.

"Mom just sold her share and fucked off to Genesaris to retire," Tyler replies.

"To who?" Thurgood asks."

"Wouldn't tell me; no matter how much I asked. Don't know if I want 'em here, but I can't stop 'em."

"I just hope it's not somebody that'll give us too much shit," Thurgood says, "how much did she have to sell?"

"Twenty percent."

Both realize this new partner now has a controlling share.

Edited March 5, 2021 by notmuch_23

[notmuch_23 2300]

The rest of the Delp family share holders file in a few minutes later.

"Hi Tom, hi Laura, hi Rachel, hi Shaun, hi Lauren, hi Chuck, hi Ray," Tyler greets as each one files in, and steps right over to the back table for pizza and cookies.

Then Aveline steps in.

"Hey Av," Thurgood says, "I got things here, but thank you for checking."

"I ain't here to check on ya," Aveline says.

"Well, this is a private meeting for Damn Good Soda Company stakeholders," Tyler says, "so if-"

Aveline cuts him off by slapping a stack of papers into his chest, "and I'm takin' my seat."

Tyler starts reading. "Well, I now know who mom sold to."

Aveline shoves a USB thumbdrive in Thurgood's free hand. "I've got a presentation too." Now the other Delp family members turn as Aveline takes a seat to the right of the head chair.

"Uh, will this be a good or bad thing?" Tyler asks Thurgood.

"Dunno for sure, but given what she did here," Thurgood replies, "I'm cautiously optimistic."

[notmuch_23 2300]

After everybody else takes their seat, and Thurgood pulls up the first slide on the projector.

"First, I think y'all have noticed that my mom Karen isn't here this time; that's because she recently sold her share of the company and went to retire somewhere in northern Genesaris. Aveline Singlance bought it, which is why she's sitting in Karen's normal seat."

"How much did Karen have to sell?' Tom asked.

"Twenty percent," Tyler replies, "but before y'all start whining, remember how much my mom held us back; she's the only reason we haven't been able to update a LOT of things. But anyways, everybody knows fourth quarter of 18,598 and first quarter of 18,599 were quite turbulent."

Thurgood changes the slide to line graphs for those periods that show near constant downward lines for working capital, profit, and a sharp slope up for costs while sales and revenue stayed nearly constant.

"Cuz your 'expansion' fucked us over!" Lauren says.

"Okay, I admit that my expansion was too much too soon, and I had to sell much of my share of the company to get out of the financial trouble. But, in doing so, we've gained an invaluable wealth of knowledge and experience in logistics and international business, and in the second and to now towards the end of third quarter, we set numerous records for sales and profits."

Thurgood changes the slide again to line graphs showing working capital, sales, revenue, and profits sloping well upwards, costs sloping up a bit and leveling off under profits.

"In Casper alone, our market share has grown from 35% to a whopping 74%. Here in New Everrun, our market share is even better at 85%! Our brand is the only soda pop sold in half the stores here, we have eighty percent of the entire shelf space for packaged beverages, which include sports drinks, water, juices, beer, wine, and spirits in two-thirds of stores, including large supermarkets here, due solely to demand!"

Thurgood changes to the slide that shows market share on pie charts, and a picture of a DGCSC-dominated soft drink display.

"So, where do we go from here?"