AFM

Then Linda said that I would be meeting with each employee and asked the entire company to give me their traditional hearty welcome. A loud wave of applause resounded all over the company and marked the beginning of my very FIRST working day, exciting, overwhelming, and overloaded with information. Never in my life had I learned as much as I did on that day. I was afraid that my head would explode into a million tiny pieces because it was impossible for a human brain to memorize so many faces, names, job titles, and products at once. I did my best to stay focused, mostly thanks to Linda, whose memory was just exceptional. As we traveled from cubicle to cubicle meeting the employees, Linda talked non-stop about the company’s history and its amazing business. “As you know, in today’s global economy there are a great number of companies that market their products exclusively to children,” Linda narrated excitingly as she introduced me to the company staff members at the same time, “Al Larsen, quality control. Such companies manufacture all sorts of fun products like toys, musical instruments, school supplies, clothes, accessories and much, much more. Ben Stock, accounting. However, many of these companies are competitors. They never communicate, they never work together and, in fact, they even dislike each other because every one of them wants to be number one on the global market and never number two. Char Reynolds, system administration and information technology. With this competition, companies often forget that cooperation is a key to success. So, this is when we come to the rescue. We unite all competitors and help even the fiercest adversaries find common ground. Dan Gordon, web design. Our goal is to help competitors co-exist peacefully and productively through our mediation, coordination, facilitation, and negotiation. “Mediation, coordination, facilitation, and negotiation,” I repeated that magic formula below my breath but I had no idea I knew what it meant.

 “We help companies establish joint ventures, expand their operations, and find partners,” Linda continued without a pause, “We also develop ideas for new products that companies might manufacture in the future. For example, our unique line of cosmetics for busy working people Pretty at Work was proudly designed by our R&D department.” (“No more strange  letters!” I was ready to start screaming)  

“So, this is what we are,” Linda continued, “The AFM. Association of Fun Manufacturers.”

Yes, I remembered! This it what it said on the door sign!