to the back exit, I stopped and saw Miss Planter standing there, looking as though she was hurt and disappointed. I didn’t mean to hurt her.
“You’ll be the first person I tell. I promise.” And then I shut the door.
Exclusive Interview
Gregory Jouglard, man-about-town reporter for KDBC, had little trouble convincing the station manager the importance of doing an in-depth interview with Hal Ostrander, the current CEO and head of the board of directors for the Lovely Chocolate Company, for a segment of “KDBC Presents.” It was recorded at the factory, high on Lovely Hill, where Mr. Ostrander had agreed to speak one-on-one to the local media. Of course, Mr. Ostrander knew that any chance to promote the product was good business, and an interview was free publicity, worth millions if ratings were good. He wanted to give a good interview and asked one of his special assistants, Dr. Heinrich Von Bonhoffer, to join him. Dr. Bonhoffer was the physical opposite of Mr. Ostrander, a smaller, thinner, frail-looking man, probably around 55 years old, clean-shaven and with a shaved head, with rounded, slightly-tinted wire-framed eyeglasses, with a scar running from his right temple all the way down his face to the bottom of his jaw. Other than that, any noticeable defects couldn’t be seen. He dressed neatly, as did all professionals in the confectionery business, and would be silent until called upon.
Greg Jouglard: This interview is being recorded on Lovely Hill, on the grounds of the Lovely Chocolate Factory, in the office of CEO Hal Ostrander. Mr. Ostrander, thank you for agreeing to this interview.
Hal Ostrander: My pleasure, Mr. Jouglard.
Greg Jouglard: And with Mr. Ostrander is Dr. Heinrich Von Bonhoffer. Welcome, sir.
Dr. Bonhoffer: Thank you, Mr. Jouglard.
Greg Jouglard: Both of you, please call me Greg. Mr. Ostrander, now that the Lovely Chocolate Company seems to have gained stability, at least for the general public here in Lovely, can you tell us what the future holds?
Hal Ostrander: (laughs) Well, Mr… Greg. No man can tell the future. We can, however, tell you our plans, or our intentions.
Greg Jouglard: Fair enough.
Hal Ostrander: Let me assure the local and general public that the Lovely Chocolate Company will keep on producing the high quality candies that America knows and has come to love. We are dedicated to keeping this company “in the family,” so to speak, and have no intentions of selling out to any foreign owners even though we will continue exporting our product overseas.
Greg Jouglard: Have there been any offers from foreign companies to buy you out?
Hal Ostrander: Heavens, yes! We receive offers all the time. It’s as though the world tries our product and loves it so much they wish to own the company! (laughs) But ownership is a matter of pride to us.
Greg Jouglard: How so, Mr. Ostrander?
Hal Ostrander: Our founder, Mr. Cornelius Lovely, was proud of the fact our company was conceived and built in America. Our product is American made, and shared with the world. He loved the country, and he loved his employees. He had loyalty and felt responsible for them; he didn’t want another company, or foreign company, taking over, firing and replacing Lovely employees, who had dedicated their lives to Lovely Chocolate, with their own people.
Greg Jouglard: Does the current leadership share Mr. Lovely’s commitment?
Hal Ostrander: We will try, yes. We are dedicated to that task.
Greg Jouglard: Can you tell us more about Mr. Lovely’s business philosophy, his views on the company?
Hal Ostrander: Well, Mr. Lovely liked to keep things to himself. He had to protect himself and withdrew from any familiarity even among his peers. I never really felt as though I knew him on a friendship level although I did trust him and felt obligated to him.
Greg Jouglard: Was he a Howard Hughes type? Withdrawn to the point of being isolated?
Hal Ostrander: No, not isolated. He just had to be careful. When a man is worth billions, everybody--family, friends, even the government--wants something from him! They knew who had funds and they all wanted, how should I put it, a piece of the pie. He had to protect himself, yes, but he wasn’t isolated.
Greg Jouglard: On the topic of money, do you know exactly how much he was worth?
Hal Ostrander: He was worth as much as the Lovely Chocolate Factory, which at the moment, is quite a lot. I can’t say exactly how much, since it fluctuates from day to day.
Greg Jouglard: We know the impact Mr. Lovely had on the local community. Why