Page 12 of The Bourbon Bargain

“Can we push this onto one of the subsidiaries, out of the Olympus name but still under the umbrella?” Zander asks, his brain following the same trajectory mine had immediately taken.

“All roads lead back to Olympus and, unfortunately, this one was already under the company name. We can’t change what has been filed and made available to the public,” Diego Vallarta, my senior vice president of finance, says, his phone out, fingers typing out a message to our team as he talks.

My eyes track around the room, from each of my brothers to our executive team and support staff that have turned this boardroom into a war room, electronics out, voices quiet as each part of the team approaches the problem, looking for viable solutions. I pass my palm across the back of my neck and think fast because while this is brand new for us, I know it took enough time getting to us that there are plenty of people out there calling for our heads.

“We need to make a public statement, right now. We can’t wait to address the accident at the mine, or even investigate the cause to get a better idea of how to spin this. The workers need our direct attention, and we need to address the press.” I look at Payton. “I need your team to draft a public statement that we can put online within the hour. It has to have a personal, heartfelt tone. Zander will give the speech at the press conference we’ll hold this afternoon. Call the media outlets and let them know they can attend, but we won’t be taking questions at this time.” I turn to Diego. “I need finance to send aid right the fuck now to the mining outfit. Compensate the families of those killed and keep them as happy as we can. Don’t admit fault, just express our deep condolence and concern we have for the wellbeing of the entire workforce.”

“They may see that as us trying to buy their silence,” Diego hedges, but he’s already nodding at his team to make it happen.

“In a way, it is, but just for now before this can be distorted into something beyond our control. Just circle the fucking wagons and prepare for the backlash anyway, because it’s coming no matter what we do.”

nine

The Atlanta Haute List

SafetyIssuesAndShoddyEquipment The Cause Of Devastating Mine Collapse

The Olsen men of Olympus International are in the hot seat today when a mining accident at a subsidiary held by the company killed twenty-four and injured dozens more. Youngest Olsen brother and Olympus CEO, Zander, stepped out to face the crowd gathered at Olympus International Tower for a press conference that was more of a company statement, as questions weren’t allowed. This blogger found the statement, printed below, to be a little lackluster given the calamity that happened, but it is admirable that one of the brothers actually made it, rather than foist it off on the PR department.

Already, cries for more action can be heard as activists lament the working conditions of the mine, the lack of sufficient safety equipment on hand, and no real training for the workers. Do our favorite billionaire brothers have blood on their hands from this blatant disregard for the safety of their lowest-paid workers? They’ve been profiting off lowly workers for a decade. Maybe it’s time to cancel the Olsens and Olympus International. They’ve bought up enough of the South, and have their hands in piggy banks the world over, when will enough be enough? We’ll be keeping an eye on them even more to see what changes the brothers will make, if any. As always, hit Like and Subscribe for all the Haute gossip!

Statement given by Zander Olsen, Olympus International CEO, Monday 2:32 PM EST

“It is with heavy hearts and our deepest sympathies that we are here today, addressing the collapse of a recently acquired mining outfit in South Africa. We have staff on their way to assess damages and help the local team reorganize with a focus on safety above all. While mining has always been at the heart of Olympus International and a fundamental part of our business structure, branching out into foreign markets is new and comes with many hurdles of various degrees to ensure that other outfits align with our US safety standards and practices. None of our reports from the acquisition of this mining operation led us to believe that any safety precautions had been circumvented, but it is now on us to see what went wrong, fix it, and address any issues that may be raised to ensure it never happens again. We respectfully ask that you keep the people most affected by this tragedy in your thoughts and prayers. Please know that we are taking direct action to help members of the mining force and the families of those involved in this accident because we care about all members of the Olympus International family. No questions will be taken at this time.”

ten

Hayes

“Thishasbeentheday from hell,” Zander says, taking a deep drink from a tumbler of Underworld Spirits bourbon brought in from my office after the press conference earlier today.

I sip from my own glass and eye my brothers across the boardroom table. “This isn’t even close to over. We’ve been playing catch up trying to clear the rubble and figure out the best way through this disaster. We’re still not ahead of it, and it won’t give us the benefit of a night off to regroup.”

“The media is crucifying Olympus, and us. They’re saying we’re not doing enough. That we were negligent and put our workers at risk for profit,” Payton says with more pep to his voice than his statement warrants.

I give him a nasty look as he scrolls on his tablet and ignores me. I will never understand how he can be so optimistic and unfazed by even the worst of the world. It’s like he relishes when shit hits the fan.

“We’ve done what we can with the media. They will run whatever they want until the next news cycle produces a bigger story. Our focus needs to be on the people. The ones who were killed, injured, or at risk since the mine is currently shut down. We have to show the integrity of our business.” Silence descends in the room, papers still, and all eyes turn toward me.

Luca De Silva, SVP of operations, meets Payton’s eyes and a silent conversation passes between them. Payton turns back to me.

“We have an image problem. It’s been brewing for years, but this disaster finally sealed the deal. Wehaveto address the media, and change the way we are viewed, both with this event, and moving forward.”

“Image problem? Who cares about what anyone else thinks of us? All that matters is we get shit done and mow through whatever obstacle is set in front of us,” Zander says, brushing a stack of papers out of his way so he can lean his arms on the table.

“That’s exactly it,” Luca says, casting a graph onto the screen from his tablet. “You won’t be able to keep mowing down competition and gobbling up companies without developing a stigma in the business world that will leak into public perception.”

“Olympus doesn’t have stock that’s publicly traded, just a few of our subsidiaries. Why does public perception need to matter right now?” I ask, trying to follow what Payton and Luca are saying, and how it relates to our next steps.

Payton stands and moves toward the screen. “We’re being held to some higher standardbecauseof how we have operated in the past, and the image we’ve created about being business first, people second, or much further down the list.”

He taps the screen showing a downward trend on a graph.

“Public perception means everything when you have people researching their materials, looking for corporate accountability and sustainability. The raw materials we mine go into everything from computer chips to high-end jewelry. We have more than our direct customers to answer to moving forward.”

He swipes through more photos of the end products and sales graphs and lands on one that pulls all the headlines we have attracted in the last few months.

“Our shipping and aviation departments use up incredible amounts of fossil fuels and dump tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Our workers are paid fairly for their area of the world, but we have moved into industries in a lot of third-world locations, and it looks bad that they’re paid so little for the often dangerous or backbreaking work.”

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