Then came the two weeks that changed our lives. One Monday evening I received a call from a Lowell Oneal from the Motel 6 in Scottsdale, Ariz. I tried to cut him off. He was calling from a new motel 6 which had just opened, and I assumed he had a complaint about the motel or the service. I had received a few calls at home over the years, usually from some big shot wanting special treatment. An example was Bill Lear (with the Lear aircraft). He and his crew were staying at our motel in Reno while attending the air races. Motel 6 in Reno and Las Vegas did not accept personal checks and he wanted me to tell the manager to accept his check. I tried to explain the policy and his reply was "Don't you know who I am?". I said yes and I'm sure the local banker will also know you. My job is to rent rooms - his is to cash checks.
Mr. Oneal however would not let me hang up and he finally got through with the fact that he wanted to talk to me personally. He was from Illinois and wanted to start a chain like Motel 6back there and he had asked the manager in Scottsdale if he knew of anyone who knew about operations who was no longer with the company. The manager gave him my name. He asked if I would mail him some information on myself and he in turn would send us his financial statement . On Friday, we received the package and I was very impressed. Oneal owned and operated six large discount stores called Cousin Fred's and he was very well heeled. Oneal called us on Saturday and said he had received our package and was ready to proceed. He wanted me to fly back to the mid West and he would pay my way. I told him that Margaret and I were a team - it was both or none. He said OK, but I refused to let him pay for Margaret. We felt by paying for her ourselves, it put us on an even keel and with no obligations. Thank goodness for our American Express card - although it would be due and payable the next month!
We flew out the next day for Champagne, Illinois arriving about 6.30pm. The airport was about 2 miles from town and it had been snowing and the road was wet and muddy. Lowell and his wife Veleta arrived - he with business suit, tie and she in a full length mink. We got in their big black Cadillac and started on the trip back into town. It goes without saying that we (Margaret and I) were a bit nervous over this meeting. Our future was at stake. Veleta must have sensed our nervousness for she suddenly said she was glad he was driving back at a normal speed - into the mud holes and all. She said they were forever getting out to the airport because Lowell was trying to keep the car clean. He must have wanted to impress you, she said. Suddenly we both relaxed and began to enjoy it.
We spent Sunday night at their home and on Monday were taken to Bloomington, Illinois where he had his main office and one of the stores. We met his general manager (son in law) and visited their very impressive home. We spent the second night at the ONeals and Tuesday about noon, the four or us boarded the train they call "The City of New Orleans" and traveled south to Carbondale (home of Southern Illinois University). It was a non stop trip, and we rode in the parlor car (reclining seats) 200 miles in about 90 minutes. The Oneals had a second home there which we would use for the balance of our stay to meet the rest of the backers.
We met them that evening at a dinner we all attended. A fancy dinner house, where we were joined by Don and Penny Geary and Bob and Wanda Brewer. Don was a large contractor/investor and Bob Brewer owned and operated two family restaurants - one in Herrin and one in Carbondale. Bob owned the property next to his restaurant in Carbondale, which is where they wanted to build their first motel. It was a pleasant dinner and we were asked a lot of questions - we were truly the focal point.
The next morning the Oneals left and returned to Champagne and we were invited to dine with the Geary's that night in Mt. Vernon - another 'get to know you' visit.
Oneal returned on the Thursday and we spent the evening with him. After dinner he produced a bottle of scotch and we were asked to join him in some friendly drinking. Margaret and I were careful and paced out drinks - I wish I could say the same for Mr. Oneal!
Friday: We were to meet with the principals for an offer or no offer at 2pm at the drive-in/family restaurant next to the proposed site for the first motel. We showed up and they closed off the dining room for our meeting place. We discussed a lot of things and then they asked us what we wanted. Margaret and I had gone over it thoroughly so I was able to spell out our terms and wrote it on a napkin. We were asked to leave the room so they could discuss the proposal, and in twenty minutes we were called back in and told we had a deal. We all initialed the napkin!!
We were told at this time that part of the hold up was that Oneal had a brother who lived in L.A. and he had made an appointment with Paul Greene and Bill Becker that morning. They were waiting for his call on the results. This was when we found out that Paul had told him that I had not done a good job and he was unsure regarding my honesty (no wonder we lost those other jobs). But Oneal, Geary and Brewer took the position that they didn't believe it. The success of the business and the fact that I was there five years belied it.
So a deal was made. We had a job. We had a future. They were also aware of the fact that we needed employment as soon as possible and it would be some time before they could line up the financing, get the prints, permits, etc. so we agreed to do some chores for Oneal's company while waiting for things to develop.
We returned to Santa Barbara and prepared to move to Illinois.....
Monday, January 24, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Mr. Innovation
I have been thinking of the best way to describe the man I married in terms of his creative mind and ability to see the big picture, without it coming out like a starry-eyed bride! And thought I would take the opportunity here (between Dick's blogs on Motel 6) to tell you of some of the other things I have heard him come up with.
We did a lot of traveling from motel to motel and looking at sites, etc. throughout the years and Dick would talk a lot about various ideas he had for business he thought would be successful. The first one I remember, right at the beginning of our relationship, was his plans for a 'mom and pop' operation - a corner store that would sell the pickup items that people wanted in a hurry and didn't want to be bothered going into a big store. You know, one that was more convenient! It was less than two years later that Seven-Eleven started up.
Then there was the idea to have a place where people could take their cars for a quick change of oil and a lube job. He had it designed so that the people drove the car in (like going through a car wash) and it would go over an area where the people would work under the cars from the pit and do the job in rapid time. Just imagine. What! Jiffy Lube opened up a couple of years later.
We already told you of his revolutionary approach to motel accounting - that encompassed accounts receivable and accounts payable (i.e. advance reservations) into one system that balanced on a daily basis. NCR got that one and it became the standard way motel accounting was done.
For thirty-odd years, he has played with the concept of fuel efficiency in cars based on various ways to 'store' the power on braking and 'releasing' it on take off. We read the other day that Lincoln is putting the system into their new cars.
And so it goes on...........just imagine if he had patented a few of these!
Have to be honest though - he did miss a few. Like MacDonalds - his first trip into one of these brought forth the statement "This will never go with the American public. There is no way they will pay for a hamburger in advance"!.
I said the same things about specialty coffee - "It's just a fad - it'll fizzle in a year" - and I don't have the other things to offset mine...................
We did a lot of traveling from motel to motel and looking at sites, etc. throughout the years and Dick would talk a lot about various ideas he had for business he thought would be successful. The first one I remember, right at the beginning of our relationship, was his plans for a 'mom and pop' operation - a corner store that would sell the pickup items that people wanted in a hurry and didn't want to be bothered going into a big store. You know, one that was more convenient! It was less than two years later that Seven-Eleven started up.
Then there was the idea to have a place where people could take their cars for a quick change of oil and a lube job. He had it designed so that the people drove the car in (like going through a car wash) and it would go over an area where the people would work under the cars from the pit and do the job in rapid time. Just imagine. What! Jiffy Lube opened up a couple of years later.
We already told you of his revolutionary approach to motel accounting - that encompassed accounts receivable and accounts payable (i.e. advance reservations) into one system that balanced on a daily basis. NCR got that one and it became the standard way motel accounting was done.
For thirty-odd years, he has played with the concept of fuel efficiency in cars based on various ways to 'store' the power on braking and 'releasing' it on take off. We read the other day that Lincoln is putting the system into their new cars.
And so it goes on...........just imagine if he had patented a few of these!
Have to be honest though - he did miss a few. Like MacDonalds - his first trip into one of these brought forth the statement "This will never go with the American public. There is no way they will pay for a hamburger in advance"!.
I said the same things about specialty coffee - "It's just a fad - it'll fizzle in a year" - and I don't have the other things to offset mine...................
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Where was I? Oh Yes..I just got fired.
I went in the next morning, went through my files, and indexed them so that the next user would be up to speed. I figured out my own severance pay, and had accounting issue a check. I called Paul Greene to come in and sign it, Paul came to my office, signed it and didn't say a word. I only asked for wages and expenses to date and one week's vacation ( before this I had only taken one vacation, the one to Wales) in 4-1/2 years. Bill Becker had suddenly left with his wife and gone on a trip, so I didn't see him.
I'm going to back up a little here and write about Bill and Paul (both of whom were in their mid 40's at the time).
Bill Becker was a local family, living in the best part of Santa Barbara (Hope Ranch), and had some money. Bill served during W.W. II aboard an aircraft carrier - enlisted Navy. After his service, he became a painting contractor and was very successful. His biggest job was a government job painting all the Mare Island Buildings and the Government Housing at Vallejo, Ca. This was a good sized city in itself. Bill was a good, down-to-earth man. His biggest fault was that he was easy going and afraid of Paul.
Paul Green on the other hand (I don't believe he was from a long time local family) was a Stanford Grad. He was an 'up-grade' home designer and builder. He was married and lived in the upscale Montecito (THE area to live) with a home on the beach. Rumor had it that Paul was building this home for a couple with three children. Paul himself had three children with his wife. Paul and the woman who was having the home built developed a strong attachment and the outcome was that they not only ended up divorcing their spouses and marrying, but also had custody of all six children and got the beach house to boot! Paul and this wife hired a nanny and were very proud of the fact that they would take all six children with them on trips. The couple would drive in their Lincoln Continental and the nanny would follow in a Ford Stationwagon with the six kids. They would brag about being good parents - every night they would set aside one hour (10 minutes per child) and the nanny would bring the children in and they would have their one-on-one time with them - their 'bonding' time.
Paul and Bill wanted to go into the motel business, but didn't agree on the approach. Bill wanted the Motel 6 concept. Paul wanted an upscale chain. They were both working out of Paul's office and they started Motel 6 with the two locations in Santa Barbara, at the same time Paul started his chain with the Green Gable Inn, (which never went past the one motel). Paul ran everything and Bill flew his plane and did site work and promotion. Bill was always the 'outsider' fitting into Paul's organization.
Margaret was very unhappy over the way I was dealt with. I was unhappy with Paul. Bill was nice, but he had let Paul do the dirty work for so long that he was obligated to him. I can remember one time when Paul jumped all over a sub-contractor who had not been paid in eight months, for daring to ask for payment.
Later we found out that Paul was blocking our future job hopes by inferring that I had not done a good job and I may have stolen from them. Presumable Bill sat by and said nothing.
To counter Margaret's feeling, I always took the position that in fact they had done me a favor. I could not have learned the business in any school, nor could I have bought the knowledge gained by being there and doing it.
But the new problem was 'how to make what little money we had ($1,200 + or -) and $35/week unemployment and at the same time pay out $250 in child support. We had to get busy and find a position. Armed with a professional resume and the right mailing list, we mailed out 60 plus feelers. We got answers on about 20 or 30, some were filed for future reference. Several set up interviews. The three most interested were (1) the Wax Museum and Drive-Thru Zoo in the LA area. General Manager of total operation, including three restaurants and lounges. Salary was $30,000 plus % of profits. This was double what I was making. After the interview, I was basically told that I had the position - they just wanted to check the references.
(2) Denny's Restaurants - as co-ordinator between construction and operations. It came with a title of Vice President and a salary of $35,000 - great interview, - they just had to check references. (3) General Manager of Fed-Mart discount stores - again strong interest on their part subject to checking references.
At that time we didn't know the role that Paul was playing in killing our deals - we only know that three times we were told we most likely had the position subject to references, only to have the door closed. The situation was getting desperate - we were almost broke and still not a job in sight.
I'm going to back up a little here and write about Bill and Paul (both of whom were in their mid 40's at the time).
Bill Becker was a local family, living in the best part of Santa Barbara (Hope Ranch), and had some money. Bill served during W.W. II aboard an aircraft carrier - enlisted Navy. After his service, he became a painting contractor and was very successful. His biggest job was a government job painting all the Mare Island Buildings and the Government Housing at Vallejo, Ca. This was a good sized city in itself. Bill was a good, down-to-earth man. His biggest fault was that he was easy going and afraid of Paul.
Paul Green on the other hand (I don't believe he was from a long time local family) was a Stanford Grad. He was an 'up-grade' home designer and builder. He was married and lived in the upscale Montecito (THE area to live) with a home on the beach. Rumor had it that Paul was building this home for a couple with three children. Paul himself had three children with his wife. Paul and the woman who was having the home built developed a strong attachment and the outcome was that they not only ended up divorcing their spouses and marrying, but also had custody of all six children and got the beach house to boot! Paul and this wife hired a nanny and were very proud of the fact that they would take all six children with them on trips. The couple would drive in their Lincoln Continental and the nanny would follow in a Ford Stationwagon with the six kids. They would brag about being good parents - every night they would set aside one hour (10 minutes per child) and the nanny would bring the children in and they would have their one-on-one time with them - their 'bonding' time.
Paul and Bill wanted to go into the motel business, but didn't agree on the approach. Bill wanted the Motel 6 concept. Paul wanted an upscale chain. They were both working out of Paul's office and they started Motel 6 with the two locations in Santa Barbara, at the same time Paul started his chain with the Green Gable Inn, (which never went past the one motel). Paul ran everything and Bill flew his plane and did site work and promotion. Bill was always the 'outsider' fitting into Paul's organization.
Margaret was very unhappy over the way I was dealt with. I was unhappy with Paul. Bill was nice, but he had let Paul do the dirty work for so long that he was obligated to him. I can remember one time when Paul jumped all over a sub-contractor who had not been paid in eight months, for daring to ask for payment.
Later we found out that Paul was blocking our future job hopes by inferring that I had not done a good job and I may have stolen from them. Presumable Bill sat by and said nothing.
To counter Margaret's feeling, I always took the position that in fact they had done me a favor. I could not have learned the business in any school, nor could I have bought the knowledge gained by being there and doing it.
But the new problem was 'how to make what little money we had ($1,200 + or -) and $35/week unemployment and at the same time pay out $250 in child support. We had to get busy and find a position. Armed with a professional resume and the right mailing list, we mailed out 60 plus feelers. We got answers on about 20 or 30, some were filed for future reference. Several set up interviews. The three most interested were (1) the Wax Museum and Drive-Thru Zoo in the LA area. General Manager of total operation, including three restaurants and lounges. Salary was $30,000 plus % of profits. This was double what I was making. After the interview, I was basically told that I had the position - they just wanted to check the references.
(2) Denny's Restaurants - as co-ordinator between construction and operations. It came with a title of Vice President and a salary of $35,000 - great interview, - they just had to check references. (3) General Manager of Fed-Mart discount stores - again strong interest on their part subject to checking references.
At that time we didn't know the role that Paul was playing in killing our deals - we only know that three times we were told we most likely had the position subject to references, only to have the door closed. The situation was getting desperate - we were almost broke and still not a job in sight.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Life on the Hill
1967 continued to be a happy, productive and exciting year. I was working at Dr. Kuhn's office - an interesting job and not challenging at all, so it left me lots of energy to put in the extra hours after work at Motel 6 helping Dick. Living on the hill in our little studio was fantastic. The unit itself was really cute - part of the living room is below in this photo taken Thanksgiving.
It was cozy, comfortable and had the most incredible view of Santa Barbara below us and we could see for miles up and down the coast, as well as out to the off-shore Santa Barbara Islands. We had a small balcony and sliding glass doors out and it overlooked the whole panorama. We would get up at night to go to the bathroom and get completely side-tracked looking at the magic, sparkling lights below us. We were just high enough to be above the fog as it would roll in from the ocean, and my fellow workers used to ask me what the weather was like 'up there'.
The days flew by, double jobs, then on weekend business trips to the motels and trips to Fresno when able to see Katrina and Dick's family. My beginnings with them were somewhat strained - after all I WAS the 'other woman', but as time went on we became friends and ultimately I was totally one of the family.
Dick had a long business trip he needed to make to some of the new motels opening up in the midwest, and Gordon and Irene had invited us to visit them in Montreal where Expo 7 was being held. This was obviously going to take more time than I would normally get off with Dr. Kuhn, so we made the decision that I would quit work, and be full time Mrs. Topper and that way could help Dick more.
The trip was great and I loved seeing Gordon and Irene again, and their boys, and having them all meet Dick. Expo 67 was fun and we spent one long day seeing a lot of the exhibitions. Driving back across country, hitting the motels on the way, was greatly enjoyed too and both of us were looking forward to getting back home, refreshed and ready to tackle the work again. But that wasn't to be. Dick's firing, and especially the way it was done, left a very bitter taste in my mouth. I was madder about it than Dick was - he always has had an amazing philosophical attitude to bad events and happenings! I kept thinking I wish I still had my job with Dr. Kuhn! And since I had quit, I couldn't even qualify for unemployment. I spent a few sleepless nights, while Dick went on with his always optimistic outlook and we looked at various ways to approach our future. Dick put a lot of feelers out, and had some interviews, but I will let him tell you that part of the story more.
Christmas came around - no job in sight, money VERY tight, and it was a wonderful Christmas. We decided that we would make it so and hustled up the cuttings off a Christmas tree at a lot and pieced together a tree. We hand made all the ornaments but it still didn't look finished. It needed an angel. I took a an empty toilet roll, stuck two pieces of stiff wire out from the side and draped it with kleenex. A small styrofoam ball was the head and I painted a face on it. Some cotton ball material (dyed red of course) became the hair. But it had to have a halo! Dick's prior wedding ring and lo and behold - a glorious, red-headed angel to top our tree. But what about gifts under the tree - we didn't have any money to buy each other anything, but I did have a bunch of wrapping paper, ribbons and bows left over from the previous Christmas. So we wrapped boxes for each other - competing to see who could make the prettiest and most elaborate wrappings! This remained a practice of Dick's and mine for many years - the only difference was that we had something inside the boxes.
So 1967 came to an end, a little uncertain on our future, very tight on money, but abundant with love. What more could we ask for.................
It was cozy, comfortable and had the most incredible view of Santa Barbara below us and we could see for miles up and down the coast, as well as out to the off-shore Santa Barbara Islands. We had a small balcony and sliding glass doors out and it overlooked the whole panorama. We would get up at night to go to the bathroom and get completely side-tracked looking at the magic, sparkling lights below us. We were just high enough to be above the fog as it would roll in from the ocean, and my fellow workers used to ask me what the weather was like 'up there'.The days flew by, double jobs, then on weekend business trips to the motels and trips to Fresno when able to see Katrina and Dick's family. My beginnings with them were somewhat strained - after all I WAS the 'other woman', but as time went on we became friends and ultimately I was totally one of the family.
Dick had a long business trip he needed to make to some of the new motels opening up in the midwest, and Gordon and Irene had invited us to visit them in Montreal where Expo 7 was being held. This was obviously going to take more time than I would normally get off with Dr. Kuhn, so we made the decision that I would quit work, and be full time Mrs. Topper and that way could help Dick more.
The trip was great and I loved seeing Gordon and Irene again, and their boys, and having them all meet Dick. Expo 67 was fun and we spent one long day seeing a lot of the exhibitions. Driving back across country, hitting the motels on the way, was greatly enjoyed too and both of us were looking forward to getting back home, refreshed and ready to tackle the work again. But that wasn't to be. Dick's firing, and especially the way it was done, left a very bitter taste in my mouth. I was madder about it than Dick was - he always has had an amazing philosophical attitude to bad events and happenings! I kept thinking I wish I still had my job with Dr. Kuhn! And since I had quit, I couldn't even qualify for unemployment. I spent a few sleepless nights, while Dick went on with his always optimistic outlook and we looked at various ways to approach our future. Dick put a lot of feelers out, and had some interviews, but I will let him tell you that part of the story more.
Christmas came around - no job in sight, money VERY tight, and it was a wonderful Christmas. We decided that we would make it so and hustled up the cuttings off a Christmas tree at a lot and pieced together a tree. We hand made all the ornaments but it still didn't look finished. It needed an angel. I took a an empty toilet roll, stuck two pieces of stiff wire out from the side and draped it with kleenex. A small styrofoam ball was the head and I painted a face on it. Some cotton ball material (dyed red of course) became the hair. But it had to have a halo! Dick's prior wedding ring and lo and behold - a glorious, red-headed angel to top our tree. But what about gifts under the tree - we didn't have any money to buy each other anything, but I did have a bunch of wrapping paper, ribbons and bows left over from the previous Christmas. So we wrapped boxes for each other - competing to see who could make the prettiest and most elaborate wrappings! This remained a practice of Dick's and mine for many years - the only difference was that we had something inside the boxes.
So 1967 came to an end, a little uncertain on our future, very tight on money, but abundant with love. What more could we ask for.................
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