A lot of small town business has been dwindling, and Moulton's no exception. They can't compete against larger towns, ... In 30 years, we've lost some businesses; and [those] jobs are gone. It hurts.

The dream of the Internet business is to set up the business and just push buttons, ... that is not effective with these people. They want to have an intimate relationship.

We are excited to be purchasing Tyco's Plastics and Adhesives business, a franchise asset with leadership positions in a diverse group of attractive end markets. We view the company as an excellent platform and look forward to the opportunity to invest alongside a strong management team with whom we will work to grow the business and realize the full potential of the Company's leading market positions.

[Before the storm, business was so good that Harris had 24 houses in the works, 12 of them under contract to eager buyers. He employed 60 to 80 subcontracted workers on any given day, with a payroll running close to six figures each week because of the volume of work. On average, his team completed one house every other week.] Nobody had a bigger customer base than me, ... but because I was doing so well and had so much out and in progress, the properties are working against me right now.

It's less about business deals than about politics.

The goal is to create a “chit,” or IOU, so that, assuming you continue to perform well, the organization feels like it owes you the next time.