Category Work
You want me on your team
Today was blocked out for all-day negotiations on a European manufacturing/distribution deal that I’ve been working on for the past year for a major pharmaceutical company. Our client had flown in from the Midwest, our counterparties from the South, and we had conference rooms reserved for the long haul (not long haul like we did in […]
My job does have some perks
Remember that crazy deal I worked on in December and January that had me living out of a hotel (or, more accurately, a conference room) in New York for so many weeks? Well, the woman who led the business team for my client in that deal was honored tonight for her efforts to promote diversity […]
How did it go?
Hard to say. I mean, I was there and all, but I’m having a hard time forming an opinion on whether the interview went well or not. To be honest, I’m feeling kind of down about it. As I replay the questions, I can identify a couple where my responses were a little less than stellar, […]
Big Day
I got a full seven hours of sleep last night; a killer workout and a hearty breakfast this morning. I’m sporting a pink tie, a green watch and flawlessly polished shoes; there’s a fresh vial of eye drops in my bag. My head is full of questions and (hopefully!) brilliant responses. My train arrives at […]
Snowquester!
The great thing about DC snowstorms is that they generate ENORMOUS hype and anxiety, and only very rarely live up to it — which means I get to enjoy all the drama of a weather emergency without the inconvenience of the real thing. For example, today: DC is supposed to get socked by the last big […]
Done deal
Remember that deal that took over my life in December and had me living in a conference room in New York for weeks on end? Well, I’m happy to say that all the work paid off: The parties signed last week, and it was publicly announced this morning (click here to read the press release). Unofficial […]
Inauguration Day
Today President Obama was inaugurated to his second term as president of the United States. Technically he was already sworn in, having officially taken his oath of office yesterday (January 20th being the prescribed Inauguration Day), but since yesterday was a Sunday, all of the public pomp and ceremony happened today. Four years ago I […]
New York – Done?
At 3:00am last night (this morning?) we discovered that we had finally — FINALLY — reached the what looked like closure on all of the transaction documents on this crazy, never-ending deal. All that remained to be done was secure a few outside approvals and sign the dang things. It was a weird moment. The […]
New York – Deja vu all over again
Welp, I’m back in New York in that conference room where I spent most of the month of December. This deal isn’t done, you see, and the client decided it wanted to get everyone back in the room for more face-to-face negotiations. They’re getting nervous that they’ll lose the deal if they don’t sign it […]
Denver – Sweet familiarity
Welp, I made it to Denver. The trip went fine — but talk about over the river and through the woods! At 6:45am we were still sitting in the New York conference room negotiating, and I was starting to despair of catching the 8:00am train back to DC. But then the partner leaned over and […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 