The Buyout

I mentioned in last week's post that there were several intertwined reasons for my silence here. I will tell these stories individually these next few weeks. This is the first.

In spring 2009, a dark, tense cloud hung over P.I. Engineering. The recession had taken its toll on the company's bottom line, and micro-managing had driven morale to an all time low. By looking at the books, the TrainMaster group was showing negative return on investment for the company.

From inside the TrainMaster group, we were starting to see the first fruits of our labor as we were finally courting new customers beyond our initial R&D contracts. Our first strides of sales growth were quickly squandered by the "leadership" at P.I. Engineering.

Early autumn 2009 brought us the dire news that P.I. Engineering could not afford to keep the TrainMaster group on the books for very much longer. The rest of the team and I began prepping our resumes while P.I. Engineering searched for a buyer for our division. Later that autumn, the news came that Union Pacific Corporation had entered negotiations to purchase the TrainMaster group. Over six months of haggling and double dealing, contract scares and power plays stood between us and the eventual purchase date, June 1, 2010.

After those dark days, being a Union Pacific employee felt like I had reached the Promised Land. On the day of the buyout, we hired one of our most satisfied customers as our full time salesman, turning our now "off the shelf" training simulation into quick profits for our new company. It is such a great feeling to know that the people in charge actually care about our team and want to help us flourish.

I probably could have told this story soon after June 1, 2010. However, those dark days toyed with my emotions in a way very similar a more personal struggle that took place over the same two years. That struggle is a story for another day.