3 EBITDA margins

"I know these are difficult times, but with the greatest humility, I accept your nomination as CEO of Vought International." I heard Ashley say.

Controlled super-hearing was fantastic I could hear everything that was happening not only in Vought tower but for miles on end if I wanted to.

For now I was mostly focused on the meeting behind the double wide doors and waiting for my cue.

"You know, my mother used to say, before she died of cancer when I was 17..."

The room went silent the moment the heard the doors open.

"My apologies I hope I'm not interrupting." I said and looked at Ashley as she was frozen mid speech.

"No, of course not sir!" Ashley immediately says.

I pause and look at her for a tenses moment then smile.

"Ashley please, enough with the sir stuff. How many times do I have to tell you, call me John!"

She looked at me with big wide eyes, stumped.

"Uh, yes sir, John I mean." She finally blurted out.

"Thank you! Now, hello everyone!" I said to the room of directors. "Sorry I'm late! Got stuck ironing my cape, for all my strength unfortunately I wasn't able to defeat the dreaded Wrinkle!" I said with a wink and sat down.

The laughed to be polite, so I had terrible jokes, sue me.

"Ok, so seeing as it's my first board meeting, I thought perhaps we'd start by, uh, going around the room and giving you all a chance to introduce yourselves."

"Bill Marsh." said the bald, past middle age man two seats down on my left next to Ashley. "And I, for one, would like to thank you, Homelander, for giving me the opportunity to serve this board at such a pivotal moment in, uh, Vought's history."

"Pat Willis, sir." Said a chubby fellow on my right with a full head of greying hair. "You've rid us of Stan Edgar and restored honesty, integrity and innovation to this corporation." He finished.

"One questions." The lady next to him said. "With the changes around here, our EBITDA margins will drop a tiny bit. How do you want to handle that on the earnings call?"

I instantly felt irritation surging through me and I clenched my jaw in reflex. I did not like being challenged and put on the spot, asking questions in a tone as if I didn't know what I was doing.

'Crush her head!'

Ok, calm the fuck down Echo! I pushed back the surge of emotions and took control.

This was going to be a pivotal moment. I was now in charge of Vought as chairman of the board. What I do now would set up the tone for the company.

"What's your name?" I asked through gritted teeth unblinking.

"Maureen"

I held the silence and the stare for a tense two moments. Then I broke out into a cold smile.

"Maureen" I repeated slowly "I am glad you asked that question." I said while standing from my sit walked slowly around the room in her direction.

"I was first going to wait until everyone was done their introductions but we might as well address this issue now." I stopped for a brief moment right behind her seat, I could feel her stiffen up.

I let the tension build for a moment. I wanted her to know she fucked up by not letting everyone get their introductions in.

"From this moment on Vought will not be posting any profits." I said and slowly continued my counter clock-wise walk around the table.

Nobody knew what to say. Eventually Maureen's courage came back.

"I'm sorry sir. What do you mean Vought will not post any profits."

"Maureen, please call me John. I have had enough with the Sir crap. Ok?" I said looking at her she nodded.

"From this moment forward every single penny Vought makes will either be reinvested back into the business, in our employees, R&D or in new ventures. Profits will be a thing of the past." I continued as I reached back to Ashley's seat.

They all looked around the room like I said I was crazy, even Ashley.

"John, I don't think our shareholders will…"

"Appreciate it?" I asked cutting Maureen off. "You are right they won't. That's why we need to give them something else to focus on we need to give them something bigger to look forward." I said turning towards the window, looking out at the expanse of New York City.

"You see Frederick Vought started this company as an R&D lab with the purpose to change people into something…better." I said accentuating the word. "That eventually turned the lab into a Superhero company, for better or for worse."

"Stan Edgar, for all his business acumen, only saw the worst that heroes had to offer and tried to steer the company back into its pharmaceutical roots, thinking that was the intended vision…of course he was wrong." I was laying it on thick now.

"Vought has always been about making people better so it's that root, that idea which we need to re-embrace."

"We need to be better."

"We have to make people better to make humanity greater!"

"Vought will be the company that guides the next step in human evolution" I said turning around suddenly.

"Not only on an individual and personal level but on for society as a whole." I said with fire in my tone.

I could feel all of them watching me with wide eyes filled with trepidations for my own gaze must have looked manic to them.

"Vought will be humanity's guiding light in the dreadful dark." I raised my hand palm open and closed it into a fist.

"Vought will be Hope!" I finished loudly.

They all just looked at me tense unsure what to say and I could tell a little bit scared.

"And, …and" Maureen stuttered. "How exactly are we going to do that?"

"Quite simple my dear" I relaxed my pose and brought both hands behind my back.

"Vought is going into Space."