Bow Down to the Silver and Black! Part III

Back in the “loge of luxury”, I tried to watch the game, but because of the curve of the stadium I could see that the suite next to ours was actually a command center for Oakland P.D. and various affiliated crime fighters. Now that was interesting! They had computers and miles of cables to stay in touch with areas of potential trouble and presumably, their munitions warehouse. I found it irresistible to watch guys in commando gear and aviator glasses with walkie-talkies and binoculars trained on the stands below. What were they pointing at? I had to find out! Knocking on their door probably wasn’t a good idea. An opportunity presented itself when one of the agents stepped out in the hallway to make a personal call, where I was doing the same thing. I waited until she was done and said hello. We got to talking, and she said there’s more trouble with fans when Oakland is winning, but that doesn’t happen all that much. (Ouch!) I told her about my job at Red House, and would you believe I found my business opportunity outside the box, literally – in the hallway?! This officer is part of a speaking group that has been looking into shirts for a group of officers culled from all over the Bay Area who speak in schools. Something less intimidating than their uniforms, but also not undercutting their authority as law enforcement officers. Definitely a button-down! The embroidered logo will be tricky, as it has to be general enough to please several different agencies. I said Red House could get what they needed with the budget they had. We scheduled a meeting for next week. I couldn’t wait to tell Michael that while he was watching guys falling on the grass I was expanding Red House’s client base! Touchdown!

Oh, while talking in the hallway, I saw that Natalie had responded to the photo I sent her – which turned out to be rapper/actor/sometimes-inmate SNOOP DOGG! I showed the officer the picture and she laughed and said he’s almost always at the games and no, has never gotten in trouble here. (Not that she knows of!)

Back in the box and back to work – would you believe I was not done yet?! I mentioned my potential deal with the police (during a timeout of course) and one of the guests mentioned that he’s part of a group of realtors who spruce up foreclosed homes, and that they too need a tasteful shirt that promotes their efforts. What a great idea! (The sprucing and the shirts!) The realtors perform a great service and self-promote at the same time. (And the fact is, they have some extra spare time at the present.) They aren’t wielding nail guns and replacing windows, but they clean them - and do yard work and plant flowers at unoccupied homes, preserving the property values of their neighbors. And who will the neighbors call when they want to buy or sell? Now that’s great P.R.! He will check his schedule and call me next week. Wow! Is football a great game or what?!