Meanwhile, there is a project the import of clothes from England. Felix Andreevich signs a contract with some Londoner who speaks English poorly. A container with suits and shoes from London is sailing to us, and I am instructed to clear the valuable cargo at the port and deliver it by car to our store.
Vladimir Ivanovich, do you know what an invoice is? Felix Andreevich is interested in me.
At the top of your voice! Im pronounce my version of the quiz «What? Where? When?» The chiefs smile once again proved his endurance and ability to work with the brave soldier Schweik
The next day I survey the morning landscape of the St. Petersburg terminal. My container is already in the warehouse, that yellow one over there, I found it in even rows among its twins, but first this forty-foot-long box needs to be put on a special platform for customs inspection. I, like a madman, ran for an hour and a half, gesturing to the driver of the gantry crane take this one, please! Finally hooked! I run to the customs office, and there its lunch time, holy business! I look at different ads and read:
The cargo of the MST company is serviced out of turn!
Who is so happy? Perhaps this is Matvienko Sergey Timofeevich, the namesake of the well-known Valentina Ivanovna? (we didnt use the word «corruption» then). A female customs specialist floated out of the cherished doors, asked to open the container, and there were large cardboard boxes. All seventeen, as indicated in the invoice. For the sake of order, one box was opened: its true clothes, but mens. Oh, if perfume, then it would be possible to make a present to a beautiful lady, and here mens trousers. We put the customs seal on the container. We go back with a solemn gait and draw up the documents, the stamp is «Allowed». Time is inexorably ticking the car rental is paid until six in the evening. And now it is necessary to put the seal of the cargo office on the documents for admission to the port entrance, and on the container a seal impression with a huge stamp half a meter long and weighing seven kilograms. The office employees did not bother themselves and did not want to go down from the second floor to the courtyard, they gave me a composter. I returned the piece of iron to them, and off we go! We unloaded at Vasilyevsky Island at five oclock, then the four of us counted suits, trousers, jackets. It came together the second time, and the ties did not give up five times: then a hundred, then a hundred and one
The next day, when I was approaching the office, the Lada car stopped at my feet, Felix Andreevich got out of it and shook my hand.
The next container with clothes was brought to our building we paid for customs clearance services. It so happened that Sergey Nikolaevich, or just Sergey, and I approached this truck almost simultaneously. Our friendly handshake was expected, but, to my surprise, he did not see me point-blank, having started communicating with the driver. Having found out what he was interested in, Sergey had already descended and greeted me by the hand. The contrast with Felix was striking. A thought flashed through my mind:
Volodya, draw conclusions.
Overall boxes with clothes were dragged to the fourth floor together with Sergey in our dress uniform and stacked in an empty office next door, the boxes were opened. Our trophies are fashionable suits, jackets, trousers, mens shoes and, of course, ties, all made in England. Of course, everything was sorted, counted and checked against the invoices. Im not a fan of rags, but some copies were very even. And then we had frequent guests employees of friendly companies (its not for nothing that we are a «Holding») who dont want to be a bit of a dandy, some picked up good options for themselves and took them with them. Sergey and I helped the process and kept records. Suddenly the door opened and our president quickly entered the room. After a cursory inspection of the exhibition and sale, he selected two boxes of shoes and said, addressing me:
Bring it to my office tonight.
The chief accountant came with her strict instructions later. I listened to them with due attention and added, looking into her eyes:
Except for these two boxes Khazir Daudovich asked me to leave them for him.
The mention of the head of the holding company dramatically changed the tone of the conversation.
Chapter three. Holding
The financial association «Holding» is a powerful business structure on the St. Petersburg scale. In 1993, it consisted of several foreign trade firms, trading companies with shops, as well as traditional services, which I mentioned earlier, a legal department, had its own travel and insurance companies. The investments were handled by Holding-Invest, considerable funds were invested in the business center at the Nevsky Palace Hotel together with American businessmen Paul Tatum and his partner Richard Monroe. I had the good fortune to communicate with Mr. Monroe personally, we were driving in his car on business somehow, and he praised my English pronunciation (apparently, he was tired of listening to self-taught people). A typical gentleman and a classic scout a solid attractive image, soft manners, a calm voice, an attentive look. Who has never heard of Paul Tatum, I will briefly say one of the first American businessmen in Russia, large interests in Moscow at the Slavyanskaya Hotel, connections at the mayors office, joint business with the famous Chechen businessman Umar Dzhabrailov. According to authoritative sources, in 1991, at a critical moment of the confrontation, namely Paul Tatum provided Boris Yeltsin telephone communication with the military units of General Grachev and Lebed, which greatly contributed to his victory over the GKCHP. Mr. Tatum was killed in the center of Moscow in a pedestrian crossing by a burst from a machine gun in 1996. Tough Business The US State Department sent a note to the Russian government and demanded to find and punish the perpetrators. They didnt find it.
The second interesting project was the joint venture AmRus Communications. The director of the company was Oleg Borisovich, he is also the vice president of the Holding. The company borrowed and introduced advanced American development in Russia equipment for signal consolidation of telephone lines and communication channels, as well as household antennas for receiving television channels. I had a chance to take part in this direction with the specialists of the Bonch-Bruevich Institute of Communications. A professor from institute asked me a question:
Why do I find a common language with you, but not with your supervisor?
The unvoiced answer was that, although I have three higher educations, one of which I received in the building next to you on the Moika Embankment, opposite the Stroganov Palace, but in the new conditions, money decides everything. And you, comrade Professor, will do what is required of you, and if they want, they will buy your knowledge inexpensively. As well as mine, as, in fact, and me.
I will introduce the heads of the association: Khalid headed Holding-Invest, Oleg foreign trade and his beloved AmRus, Amir Vice President for Trade Operations. The holding is headed by Khazir Daudovich, President. In the middle of 1993, the authorized capital of the Holding was one billion rubles. Most divisions had their own Lada cars with drivers, and the vice-president and the president himself drove new Ford Torus cars bought in the USA in the amount of as many as seventeen pieces. Three cars were left in St. Petersburg, the rest were sent on their own to the Caucasus. It was said that at the last checkpoint in front of the Chechen Republic, this cavalcade was stopped by a police colonel of the traffic police. But then our Felix Andreevich, a retired captain of the first rank, a counterintelligence officer, came out to him and solved the issue the caravan moved on. I have already written about the relationship with the Central Research Institute «Rumb» after all, we ourselves were sitting there on the fourth floor. These were our opportunities, but they were not exhausted by this.
The financial association needed financial freedom, and it was realized in the establishment of the bank Tavrichesky together with Mr. Zakharzhevsky. Khazir Daudovich took the post of vice-president of the bank Tavrichesky. I remember, in May of 93, we inspected the building of the future bank being repaired on Radishcheva Street together with a beautiful Scandinavian-type Marina Lavrinets, whom I invited from the Peleng company directly into the caring hands of Vsevolod Valentinovich. He was experiencing a shortage of personnel, and I was obliged to him Marina had a fascinating effect on men from fifteen to seventy years old inclusive, a natural blonde with huge gray eyes and a dazzling smile. Besides, she was the person I could trust I didnt have any friends in the Holding. Its not surprising that the next day after the interview, she was already working on our floor and then often dropped by with Sergey and me, bringing a little charm and magic of natural female beauty into our everyday lives.
Chapter four. Military
The fantasy of the leadership is in full swing, and we were born to make a fairy tale come true. The challenge to Oleg Borisovich is the formulation of my new task: uniform. It is necessary to purchase samples of military uniforms of the Russian army. The further fate of the purchases is not discussed, most likely it is the development of a supply channel for a mysterious customer perhaps for American or Chechen friends (well, not to go in the office on Zaitseva Street in uniform!). I followed a self-imposed rule: no more than two questions! The first is samples of various branches of the armed forces? Yes, except for the naval (which means that the naval landing is excluded). The second is the quantity? Two or four copies of different sizes. We do not specify the deadline, and so it is clear: ASAP (as soon as possible) is an international abbreviation.
The fact is that in those years, the market reached the Russian army, «which will solve everything.» The Ministry of Defense has created a department for the sale of military property a step, in general, sound, a lot of things have accumulated in warehouses. You can buy decommissioned or unnecessary vehicles, but you cant buy an AK-74 machine gun or a tank. Sergey smiles after my calls to the military he has his own version of purchases, but this is a secret. I work out a list of eight dozen items on the nomenclature, approve the money, sign the contract by fax, issue a power of attorney for myself to sign the contract in Moscow, pay the bill. The next day I am already in the capital, we are completing the formalities, I receive an order for the removal of goods from the warehouse so, I can go home. In the subway underpass on Nogin Square, I saw a table with books, out of habit I looked to see if there was anything useful? I was interested in the directory «List of foreign firms and joint ventures in Moscow» with addresses and phone numbers and bought it, of course. Subsequently, this book played a crucial role in my career.
The next day in the office, according to the instructions from above, I handed over the list of goods to the supply department for delivery and received a response from the head of the department :
Go yourself.
Khazir Daudovich was in the office I had to knock on his door. For the first time I heard how he knows how to talk tough with subordinates you cant envy his interlocutor Three days later, the ordered military uniform was in the room next door. I brought forty chairs into this room, carefully hung out and put officers jackets, trousers with red, blue, green piping, caps, flasks, belts on each chair. It turned out well. Felix Andreevich visited the exhibition as a military consultant and said:
Vladimir Ivanovich, you will go far!
The Vice President and the president appreciated the exposition. There is a great atmosphere and a new assignment in Khazir Daudovichs office:
Take some photos in the form.
Who should I photograph?
Anyone you choose in the office.
I really wanted to make a joke and offer those present, but I was smart enough to restrain myself.
Allow me to act according to the formula «In the name of the president»?
I allow it, smiles Khazir Daudovich.
The next day, with a camera, I go into the drivers office, and there were about ten of them there, I choose a nice young guy and say strictly:
Come with me.
The people were stunned, many still did not know me, but here they are in charge The photos turned out wonderful, from the cycle «They protect the Motherland».
Yesterday in our office I unexpectedly met my friend, the one who told me about the Holding company on the stairs during a smoke break six months ago. He was leaving the reception room with the president. Without a doubt, Vsevolod Valentinovich organized the meeting. We greeted each other, looked closely into each others eyes and it seemed to me that he was both happy for me and sorry about something.
Chapter five. The new head of the department and the first success
Felix Andreevich is going on a business trip to Germany. Whether on business matters, or on his personal we do not know. He made it clear that the management allowed it as a sign of past merits. Recently, he was in the hospital, apparently, he made a final decision for himself about his future fate. He showed me a picture of himself in Las Vegas. Las Vegas! Before leaving, he called Sergey and me and said:
As you wish, but for the duration of the business trip I appoint the acting head of the senior Vladimir Ivanovich.
Sergei clearly did not like it, he considered himself a favorite and so presented himself to others. I didnt need it either, as it brought tension into our relationship. In addition, Oleg Borisovich was clearly on Sergeis side: he gave me tasks for language skills, and then called Sergei to him for «information». Upon his return, Felix Andreevich quit, and we were left without a boss. But not for long.
Viktor Vasilyevich Voytalyuk is our new head of foreign trade. Without a doubt, this has strengthened the authority of our department. Graduate of the Higher Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after Dzerzhinsky, Lieutenant Colonel. Among the positions held is Assistant to the Rector of Leningrad State University for International Relations. Who does not know, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin once held the same position.
Viktor Vasilyevich and I are about the same age, thanks to his personal qualities and experience, we immediately developed working and even friendly relations with Sergey and, I hope, with me as well. Viktor Vasilyevich has opened up new opportunities in the development of our business: for example, contacts at high levels in the space and nuclear fields are no joke. Suffice it to say that two heads of the Aerospace Consortium came to us for talks, including cosmonaut number two, Colonel-General German Stepanovich Titov. I had the good fortune to see the legendary hero in person and get his autograph on our letterhead. It was said that the meeting with the cosmonaut from the holding was attended by: the president, Voytalyuk and vice-president Amir a dense brunette of typical Caucasian appearance. Despite the fact that Khazir Daudovich kicked his vice-president under the table, because he got the Hero of the Soviet Union so much with his questions after a glass of cognac that Herman Stepanovich Doctor of Technical Sciences, associate professor could not stand it and uttered a succinct scientific phrase: