Two days before the annual winter holiday shutdown at Growthstar, Jonathan and Jason met in the CFO's office. Jonathan wanted to briefly recap the efforts of the past several months and identify any gaps , along with future tasks.

Jonathan began the conversation by chiding Jason a bit. "We certainly got a taste of Dave's personality during the past few months. I recall that he had pulled off a couple of practical jokes on you and Earl."

"He certainly did", Jason chuckled. "He's quite a character."

"More importantly", Jonathan added, "he progressed professionally. I've been impressed by his grasp of the new concepts and analytic approaches, along with the way he has recently conducted meetings and work sessions."

"I agree", Jason replied. "He grasped the concepts and then put them into action."

"I think Cathy and Jill also gained a lot from this endeavor", Jonathan then stated.

"Cathy really opened up and exhibited some talent on the evaluation of strategies and major investment programs that, frankly, I didn't know she had. Jill showed the type of ability that I've felt has been lying within her and she stood her ground with Jack."

"Frank is a rare talent", Jason chimed in. "He's as smart as anyone I've met in all my years."

"Isn't that the truth", Jonathan sighed. "He's given our Treasury staff a very strong analytic capability. Earl's got a real rising star with him. And, speaking about Earl, he's about as enthusiastic as anyone could be. Sometimes, though, I wish...