"Will there be such plans for the new casino?" Giannini asked.
"Of course. However, using the resources of the TV station and proxy betting company requires additional paynt. The managent team will negotiate with ABC Television and the proxy betting company at that ti," Hardy said.
Giannini looked at Hardy and thought, this young man is indeed a cunning fox. The managent team is you, and ABC Television and the proxy betting company are also yours. You negotiate with yourself, and all the money ends up in your pocket. Your calculation is truly shrewd.
The old man checked the ti and said to Hardy, "I walk in the garden every afternoon. The sun is lovely today. Shall we go for a walk?"
"Sure," Hardy said, standing up.
They walked out of the house and into the large garden. The garden extended to the hills at the back, with no end to the grassy fields.
The old man waved to a servant nearby, and soon the butler brought a box. The old man opened the box and took out two pre-trimd cigars, handing one to Hardy.
"Would you like one?"
Hardy took the cigar, smiling. "Davidoff, this cigar beca famous because of Churchill."
"That's right. I like this flavor."
They lit their cigars and walked slowly forward. The people around them didn't follow but spread out to guard, staying at least thirty ters away.
"Hardy, do you know about our Arican Bank?" Giannini asked.
"I know a bit, mainly the publicly available data," Hardy said.
The old man smiled and said, "The Arican Bank now has over 400 branches across every city in the country. Last year, our custors reached 5 million, and the bank's total assets amounted to $11.6 billion."
Total assets are not market value. The Arican Bank's market value is about $2 billion now.
"We have also invested in several companies, such as Wells Fargo, Lockheed Corporation, Litton Industries, and Northrop Grumman. These are all military companies, and I believe they have a bright future."
Hardy thought, they do indeed have a bright future. In the future, Lockheed will beco the world's largest arms dealer, Northrop Grumman the second largest, and Litton Industries the fourth largest in the U.S.
"The Arican Bank has also invested in other banks, such as the Bank of San Francisco, the Los Angeles City Bank, and Wells Fargo. We are also involved in insurance, mining, tal slting, and agricultural products. Including all our partners, our scale has exceeded $20 billion."
The old man played a little trick here. He said "scale" instead of "assets." If it were assets, it wouldn't reach $20 billion. According to the information Henry gave him, the California consortium's total assets are just over $8 billion.
So companies may have impressive nas, but their scale isn't large, with total assets of only a few million to tens of millions.
However, in this era, companies with assets of a few million or tens of millions are already considered significant.
After saying this, the old man seed to want Hardy to digest it for a while, taking a puff of his cigar and exhaling through his nose.
"Hardy, are you interested in joining us?" the old man finally asked.
Hardy knew that the walk was just an excuse, and the real purpose was to avoid others hearing their conversation, as their discussion could involve significant investnt projects that could be affected if leaked.
On his way here, Hardy had already guessed that the California consortium might want him to join, and he had made up his mind.
The California consortium developed after World War II and wasn't as powerful as it would be later. It was still in its early formation stages. Joining now would be like getting in on the ground floor.
All his industries were on the West Coast, naturally aligning him with the California consortium. Not joining would an facing more difficulties in developnt and possibly clashing with the consortium.
Joining the consortium had many benefits. The primary goal of a consortium is to integrate resources. The California consortium almost monopolized most industries in California and the West Coast. With the consortium's support, his future developnt would be much smoother.
Of course, his industries would also have to benefit others.
This is a mutually beneficial relationship. No one can take all the benefits alone.
For example, the construction of the Las Vegas casino, which requires over a $100 million, would need construction companies from the consortium, as well as large amounts of cent, steel, and wood all available within the consortium. It would also need decoration companies, which the consortium had.
Using resources within the consortium would be cheaper than finding outsiders. If funds were insufficient, he could delay paynts for a while or seek bank loans to bridge the gap.
With trustworthy construction companies, both he and his partners would benefit. This is the essence of resource integration. Within this group, it would be challenging for outsiders to intervene, creating a monopoly in certain environnts.
Of course, joining the consortium isn't easy. One must reach a certain scale and be useful to the consortium.
And Hardy had what the California consortium highly valued.
ABC Television.
It had quickly beco the highest rated television station in the country. The consortium highly valued its promotional power. Consortium developnt relies on promotion, and influencing Washington and supporting their people would be impossible without it.
The consortium wanted ABC Television to beco its mouthpiece.
HD Security Company, initially unnoticed, had now beco the largest security company in the country, with Arican Bank as one of its clients.
The consortium valued its power, not just its profitability.
Las Vegas casino, known for being a moneymaker. Hardy's casino further solidified this belief. Entering Las Vegas required Hardy's consent.
Before Hardy, Las Vegas was controlled by the mafia. Now, with Hardy allowing others in, it presented a golden opportunity for wealth.
Consortiums crave money.
Capitalists are crazy for money.
And Hardy controlled the underground forces in Los Angeles, one of the two most important cities in California, along with San Francisco. A king of the underground world, with his destructive potential, was well understood by Giannini.
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