"I Bought the Company"

Do you remember that funny television commercial of the eighties about the guy that ‘bought the company?’ In a 1979 airing, the seasoned businessman sitting at his desk says these iconic words:

“Hello. I’m Victor Kiam. I used to be a dedicated wet shaver until my wife bought me this Remington M3 electric shaver. They said its two incredibly thin micro-screens and one hundred and twenty cutting edges shave as close as a blade or they’d give her money back.

I was delighted and impressed. So impressed, I bought the company.

The Remington M3 will cost you about twenty pounds [in the U.K. version of the commercial]. The company cost me considerably more. The Remington M3 shaves as close as a blade or now I’ll give you your money back.”

Why am I quoting Victor Kiam in my column on utility regulation and policy? Because this week I bought the company. That is, Joe Paparello and I were so delighted and impressed with the power of the PUF platform — for opinion, commentary and debate — we bought it.

This is the first week of PUF under new management. With the same old team of Joe Paparello, Alexandra Revel, Mike Eacott, Angela Hawkinson and me.

And, yes, buying PUF did cost me considerably more than your organization’s annual PUF member fee.

For ninety years, since 1928, Public Utilities Fortnightly has served as the platform for thought-leaders to impact the debate in utility regulation and policy. Our new company Lines Up will continue the tradition.

Steve Mitnick, Editor-in-Chief, Public Utilities Fortnightly, and President, Lines Up, Inc.
E-mail me: mitnick@fortnightly.com