American History 1988
Chapter 123 - 117 Revolution

Chapter 123: Chapter 117 Revolution

"Mother F*cker, I thought you forgot there’s a little town called Youngstown in Ohio, Peter said displeasure evident as he saw Dean knocking at the door, "I even prepared a Christmas turkey yesterday, but guess what, that turkey made it so I didn’t need to prepare breakfast this morning."

"Merry Christmas, old man~" Dean moved forward with a grin to give Peter a hug.

Peter reluctantly patted his back, then took a careful sniff at Dean’s shoulder, "Good, no smell of leaves."

Dean shrugged, "You know I don’t dabble in that stuff."

"I’ll just take it as your Christmas gift to me," Peter said as he let Dean in, "Half the turkey is left, in the fridge. Pizza got tossed, damn it, they even put mustard in it!"

"Wow, that’s a unique taste," Dean dropped his luggage near the dining table before collapsing into the sofa relaxedly. "Old man, ever thought about changing jobs?"

"What?" Peter, holding a beer, froze in mid-action.

"I mean, do you want to leave the construction company and find a job that’s more respectable?" Peter’s main job was clearing the ruins of uninhabited buildings in Youngstown, but Dean couldn’t really keep him lugging bricks forever.

"Shit, are you looking down on my job?" Peter felt discriminated against, "I earn my keep with my own hands, I ain’t in no welfare line, I even pay taxes!"

"Ok~Ok~" Dean gestured with his hands downward signaling him to take it easy, "Alright, let me rephrase that, Dad, are you willing to help me out?"

"Aha, so that’s your real purpose, isn’t it?" Peter pointed at Dean with a triumphant smile, "Even though I never went to college, believe me, I have more experience in some things. So, what do you need help with?"

Seeing his old man putting on the air of someone who had been around, Dean went along with it. He could understand the dignity of a middle-aged man.

"I started a company in Youngstown, you know that, right?" Dean had mentioned it to Peter before, but the latter never inquired in detail.

"Of course, what, is it going bankrupt? If you need help..."

No," Dean interrupted his excessive sense of responsibility, "The tenant screening company is doing well, but since there’s no one I can trust, I need a hand."

"OK, what do you need me to do?" Peter put down his beer, ready to listen seriously.

"You just need to check the company’s accounts from time to time. And, if possible, you could also recommend our product to landlords in Youngstown. Like I said before, it can help landlords check on whether their tenants have a clean background."

"So, it’s a sales job?" Peter skipped over the first part, thinking the latter was where Dean needed help.

"Uh, you could say that," Dean spread his hands without going into further explanation, "Anyway, if you can find customers, there’s a commission in it for you for every order."

"Seems fair," Peter thought it was just like a sales commission; he felt entitled to this payment, earned through his own efforts.

Seeing him agree, Dean relaxed and nodded. Now that he had the capability, he could improve his family’s life a bit.

The income from the tenant screening in Youngstown, minus the necessary costs, Dean planned to give to his old man.

A mere two or three thousand US dollars of pure profit a month was nothing to him. With it, at least Peter could live comfortably, and Dean wouldn’t have to worry anymore.

"By the way, Dad. Besides Youngstown, the tenant screening service operates in other cities across Ohio as well. You think about asking Uncle Frank if he’s interested in starting his own moving company? I’ve got some connections that could bring him clients."

Price’s List and the tenant screening service dealt with big chain intermediaries like cheap rents, Service Management (SERV), because of industry connections Dean held a vast resource of tenant customers.

If they could also provide moving services now, look, the whole industry chain would be complete. Of course, Dean didn’t have the energy to deal with these, but his family could.

Especially Uncle Frank, who was already a manager at Eagle Moving Company, a clear industry insider. Handing this business to him, Dean believed Frank would make something of it, and this was also a way of Dean blessing his family.

After hearing Dean’s explanation, Peter was even more interested in the moving company. "Maybe I can try it with Frank, working for you is not as good as starting my own business!"

Seeing Peter’s ambitious look, Dean didn’t make any fuss, "Fine by me, as long as you’re willing. Oh, and if you need financial support, I can offer some help."

"Your old man, I’ve got my own money~" Peter glanced smugly at his son, "I hardly touched that compensation money, now it’s come in handy."

"Good~ I look forward to your company becoming the biggest moving company in Ohio."

"Just you watch, kid~"

"Dad, I’ve got another suggestion..."

"Mhmm~"

"Have you ever considered finding... um... someone like a partner again? After all, you’re only in your forties~"

"Haha~, your old man won’t starve himself. But you, Dean, when are you bringing home a girlfriend with a big belly? I’ve cleared out space for you guys~"

"I’m still studying, Dad..."

"When I was your age, your brother had already..."

...

Dean only stayed in Youngstown for about a week during the holiday, and most of that time was spent visiting friends here.

As a small town, almost none of the residents of Youngstown went on vacation because they couldn’t afford it.

They were all ordinary wage earners; some even faced the prospect of losing their jobs. Thus, the luxury of a vacation was almost non-existent in Youngstown.

Old classmates, neighbors, and business associates—Dean greeted them all as he met them.

Of course, he spent the most time with his Aunt’s family, Peter and Frank discussed the moving company venture over several nights. The future that Dean described to them was alluring yet filled with hesitation.

The allure was Dean’s portfolio of rental properties, the hesitation was about giving up a stable job to start over. This process was filled with uncertainties, especially in Youngstown’s dire employment environment.

Nevertheless, Dean was confident that Frank would eventually make up his own mind because the population in Youngstown was decreasing, and so were job opportunities. It might not take a few years before Frank too would be out of a job.

Therefore, it might be better to take a leap and make a last-ditch effort.

Dean didn’t get involved with the moving company venture. Besides providing his contacts and resources, he left the rest to the two middle-aged men to figure out.

After spending a week in Youngstown, Dean went back to Cleveland to spend time with Miranda.

This flower needed more nurturing. Dean, like a diligent gardener, busied himself with the work of tending the soil.

However, this shameless and relaxed life had barely lasted a few days before he received another call to Columbus.

The Christmas holidays were over, and by early January, most companies had resumed work.

Right, he had almost forgotten. Schools had winter vacations, but the regular Christmas holiday lasted only about a week.

John and the folks at CompuServe had already arranged a meeting time, so while he was still in Ohio, Dean could just as well talk to them.

"Mr. Macy, I’m delighted to meet you."

"You’re younger than I imagined, Dean. May I call you that?"

"Of course." Amidst a crowd of men in their thirties and forties, the young Dean stood out. He didn’t mind being addressed by his first name, nor did he take offense to it.

"Price’s List is the third most popular third-party website on CompuServe, and it has brought us a significant number of paying subscribers," Robert Macy said warmly, draping an arm around Dean’s shoulder for a photo. "Thank you for your contribution to this."

"Actually, we could have done even better," Dean said, seizing the opportunity to steer the conversation in the direction he hoped for.

"Oh?" Macy said, gesturing for Dean to talk in the conference room after the photo was taken. "Is there something we can help you with?"

The many users of Price’s List also brought stable paid subscribers to CompuServe indirectly. Therefore, Macy, the CEO of CompuServe, was willing to listen to their suggestions.

"Recently, the growth of new registrations on Price’s List has nearly halted, and both the site’s activity and traffic are gradually declining," Dean handed Macy the prepared data. "This is also a loss for CompuServe, isn’t it?"

"After CompuServe rolled out its paid search, these fluctuations started to appear. We are losing our own users, Mr. Macy."

Macy skimmed the materials and then casually set them aside. "Dean, I am sorry that such a change has happened. But the paid search is a policy approved by the board, and we can’t make immediate changes to it."

CompuServe’s search services targeted not just websites and BBS but also some consultative services were the main sources of revenue for this value-added service, like weather forecasts, flight information, stock market trends, and so on.

In the past month, the business growth brought by the paid search had even exceeded the subscription fees of the network operation itself. Hence, Macy was very clear that the board would not give up this profitable segment.

He, as the CEO, certainly would not either, as it was one of the achievements under his leadership. So although Price’s List was important, the company’s own paid search was more crucial.

"Mr. Macy, please trust me. The future of the internet will inevitably follow a route of mass popularization, and high fees are not conducive to CompuServe’s business expansion.

Have you heard? In the southern states and Virginia, more and more private internet service providers are emerging. They may become CompuServe’s competitors in the future."

"The southern states?" Macy shrugged. "They are too far from Ohio. We are the largest internet service provider up north."

"No," Dean shook his head solemnly. "Perhaps not for long. They are planning to unite and open up a private internet. Mr. Macy, has CompuServe received their invitation?"

Macy looked up, startled. He had not heard of this news.

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