WB 8: Basic Statistics; Copyediting

Part 1: Tables from the "Economic Development Board Report 2007"

Part 2: Interview Notes

 
Part 1

(This is the same information that appears in JWeb in WB 8, Part I)

The Greenstown Chamber of Commerce has just released "Greenstown Economic Development Board Report 2007," and your editor has assigned you to hunt through the financial information and find a story.

You've already bent down the corners on pages with the following tables:

Table 2-5: Number of Corporate Landscaping Contracts

Table 2-7: Total Dollar Value of Corporate Landscaping Contracts (in millions of dollars)

Part 2

(JWeb wouldn't accept this information -- it was too long. You'll need to consult this for WB8, Part 2.) 

Your notebook contains the following quotes, taken from telephone interviews you've already conducted.

 
Pete Moss, owner of Pete's Landscaping: "Lots of people must be dissatisfied with Daisy Chain. According to the Greenstown Economic Development board, the number of landscaping contracts they had in 2005 was 25% less than the number they had in 2006.  Meanwhile, crowds of satisfied customers have made Pete's Landscaping the fastest-growing landscaping business in Eastmoreland County." (2pm Tuesday.)

Petunia Pettles, manager of Daisy Chain: (After you read to her the above quote from Moss.) "Excuse me? Did Mr. Moss read the same report I did?  Every year from 2004 to 2006, Daisy Chain had more corporate landscaping contracts than Pete's Landscaping. Every year during that period, the total dollar value of our contracts was more than Pete's Landscaping.  In fact, this year alone we had $1.2 million in corporate contracts, which is more business than Pete's Landscaping has ever done."  (10am Wednesday.)

Pete Moss: (After you read to her the above quote from Pettles): "She's playing a little fast and loose with the numbers. In 2004, Daisy Chain earned $1.2 million on 60 contracts. In 2005, Daisy Chain has 75% fewer contracts than it had the previous year.  What did Daisy Chain do to turn away all those customers? In 2004, my first year in business, I had 10 contracts, and in 2005 it's 30.  That's 300%! In 2006, it's 900%, and my company is bringing in eight times as much as it had during my first year.   I tell you, we're the fastest growing landscaping company in Greenstown. Just look at the report! Obviously, I'm doing something right!  And I'll tell you another thing... in 2004, each of Daisy Chain's corporate accounts was worth about $20,000.  You want to check my math?  Sure, that's 1.2 million in total, divided by 60 individual accounts.  You can work it out on a calculator - 20,000 x 60 is 1,200,000.  But in 2006, let me work it out for you, that's about $12,631 and change.  The average value of a Daisy Chain corporate landscaping contract in 2006 was about $12,630.  So sure, they can tell you that in 2006 they're bringing in as much as they were making in 2004, but look at table 205.  In 2006, they had to work more than twice as hard as they did in 2005, and what do they have to show for it?  They just manage to match what they bringing in for 2004. And look at me in 2006 - I had 90 contracts, and they have just 5 more than me." (1pm Wednesday)

Petunia Pettles: (After you update her on what Moss said.) "Pete's Landscaping certainly has grown in the past few years, but Daisy Chain grew rapidly in its first few years, too.  All companies do.  A kid mows his parents' lawn one month, and then adds three customers the next month.  Wow!  Now he's got four times as many clients as he had last month! His business is really growing, but it's small.  Daisy Chain has been growing for many years, and we have the wisdom and experience the community really values. (2pm Wednesday)

Penny Teller, professor of economics at Greenstown College. "Yes, I just received my copy of  the Greenstown Economic Development Board Report 2007. I have it right here. I haven't read it all the way through, but I glanced through it, and it seems just as credible and trustworthy as last year. What's that?  How trustworthy was it last year?  (laughs) I can see I'm talking to an experienced reporter - nothing gets past you.  Last year I thought the report was perfectly fine. I didn't see anything wrong with it, and I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of what's contained in this report, although of course I'm not a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and I don't have access to all the information that they have. But I can tell you the report suggests Greenstown is benefiting from the long-range planning activities of some of the key members of the city leadership, notably of course Mayor Jane Smith and also, I should say, Fred Barker of the 2^nd district.  No, I didn't vote for him, but I live in the 3^rd district (laughs). That would have been illegal.  I've attended events where the mayor has spoken, and I saw her on campus now and then when she was taking classes here, but that was 20 years ago, long before she entered politics.  Yes, I do know Fred. We 've worked together on some planning projects, town and gown kind of things, when the college marching band wanted to lease the landfill above the water treatment center. That was in 2001, I think. 2000 or 2001.  I drive past Pete's Landscaping on my way to work, but I've never been inside. I think some people from Daisy Chain put in some bushes in our side yard once, but my husband is the one hired them.  That was in 2002 or so.  We've had no reason to hire a landscaper since then. I think Daisy Chain is mostly focusing on corporate contracts now, not private households, so I don't know that they particularly market their services to private homes.  You're asking me about Fred Barker again? Well... uh... can I say something off the record? Okay, this is off the record. I have worked with him now and then, and he's competent and has served his district well, but I really don't know him that well. I have a good professional relationship with him, but I don't know him well enough to be able to make personal comments. The two of us were once... well, that doesn't matter.  Even if I were to say something polite and vapid about him, there are people in my professional circle who might take it the wrong way, and I just don't want to go there. I have nothing against the man, but your paper really doesn't need a quote from me about Fred Barker's personality. I thought this was an interview about the economic future of Greenstown. No, no that's fine. You don't need to apologize. I worked on my college newspaper, and I remember what it was like. Yes, you're professionally nosy, that's the idea. Well I guess I'm going to be professionally tight-lipped, if that's okay with you (laughs).  Another question?  Yes, we can go back on the record if it's a question about economics.  (Here you read Teller the statistics that Moss and Pettles used in their interviews.)  Yes, I was looking over the tables here as you were talking, and it looks like both Pettles and Moss are making defensible statements.  No, I wouldn't say either of them was wrong about the numbers, but, and here I am speaking about statistics in general, not about any specific claim of Pettles and Moss, but you know what they say about lies, damned lies, and statistics.  (You fish around a bit, looking for a quote to help you determine whether Moss or Pettles is closer to the truth, but Teller isn't biting.) I'm not really an expert in landscaping, and I've never met Mr. Moss or Ms. Pttles.  I couldn't really tell you who should win the Small Business of the Year award.  I am on that committee, the committee that decides the winner.  The winner will be announced on Monday, yes that's right. No, sorry, I'm sworn to secrecy until the official announcement.  Fred will make when he comes back from vacation. (You shift gears and just ask Teller to talk about the two companies.)  This report suggests Daisy Chain had a bit of a rocky time in 2005, but overall they're showing strength. Pete's Landscaping is starting to make a big impact. Look at table 2-7 - that's a huge jump in the contract values, from 2004 to 2007.  He'd better not count on growth like that in future years, though. There just aren't that many new corporate landscaping projects to be had in our region, so I wouldn't be surprised if his numbers didn't level off after a year or two. Daisy Chain has some proven staying power. I think they were incorporated in the 50s, so they've got a wide base of potential repeat customers out there. (3pm Wednesday.)

Pete Moss: "I don't think it's fair that the Greenstown Chamber of Commerce voted to give the 'Greenstown Small Business of the Year ' award to Daisy Chain.  It's a well-known fact that council member Fred Barker takes care of his family members. In 2004, he was sued for improperly giving city maintenance contracts to Clyde Contracting, which is owned by his brother, Clyde Barker.  So we already know that Fred Barker takes care of his family members. Fred Barker controls the committee that picks the "Small Business of the Year."  He personally accepted a nomination for Daisy Chain, even though his son Robert has, since 2001, been married to the general manager of Daisy Chain, Petunia Pettles.  This same Fred Barker personally rejected a nomination for Pete's Landscaping.  This morning, I sent a letter to Mayor Smith and the Greenstown Chamber of Commerce, insisting that the award to Daisy Chain be rescinded, or I will sue the Chamber of Commerce and Fred Barker for damages due to corruption and conspiracy." (4pm Wednesday)

Fred Barker, Greenstown city council member for District 2: (When you call Barker's office late Wednesday afternoon, an assistant named Michael Wilson says Barker is on vacation. You explain the situation to the assistant, saying that you know you're going to include quotes from Moss, and you want to get his side of the story, too, and that you have to file your story tonight because it's going to be in the paper tomorrow morning. The assistant asks for your e-mail address.  The assistant, who says he is an intern from Greenstown College and has taken a class from Penny Teller, says the Moss story sounds strange. "Why? Because he mentions Daisy Chain in his letter. Nobody's supposed to know who won the award until Monday." (You phrase your next question very carefully:  "If I call someone at Daisy Chain and ask them about winning the award, will they already know about it?" Wilson doesn't see the trap.) Uh, yeah, but they're not supposed to talk about it, not until the official announcement anyway.  (You home in.  "So, when will the award be presented to Daisy Chain?" Wilson is silent for a bit. "What time is the announcement on Monday?") 10 in the morning. ("Typically, how far in advance are the winners notified?") Well, they get a letter. ("Would Ms. Pettles have received it by now?") Who? ("She's the general manager at Daisy Chain.") No, I sent it to a guy, Jonah McTeague. He's the owner." ("Do you mail notices to the losers, too?") No, only the winner gets the letter. The... uh... (Now Wilson sounds worried.) Uh, where did you say you learned... I mean, what makes you say Daisy Chain is the winner?" (You remind him of Pete Moss's letter, which demands that the award to Daisy Chain be rescinded.)  Yeah, but what does he know?  No, no, listen, I'm not authorized to confirm or deny the outcome of the contest, nothing comes out of this office until Mr. Barker gets back Monday morning.  Listen, I have to go. (4:20 pm Wednesday)