Patterns

Ruthless Walter Ramsey runs Ramsey & Company, a Manhattan-based industrial empire he inherited from his father. He brings Fred Staples, a youthful industrial engineer whose performance at an Ohio factory recently acquired by Ramsey has impressed him, into a top executive role at the headquarters. Though Staples is initially unaware, Ramsey is grooming him to replace the aging Bill Briggs as the second-in-command at the firm.

Briggs has been with the firm for forty years, having worked for and admired the company’s founder. He genuinely cares about people, regularly prioritizing work over time with his teenage son, but his humane approach clashes repeatedly with Ramsey’s heartless “modern” method of doing business. Not wanting to fire Briggs outright, Ramsey does everything in his power to push him toward resignation. The old man stubbornly refuses to give in, but the stress weighs on him and he begins to drink, worsening his health. Staples is torn between his ambition and his sympathy for Briggs, a tension shared by his wife, Fran Staples.

At a board meeting, while discussing a report Briggs and Staples wrote together, Ramsey praises Staples for turning Briggs’ old, well-intentioned but unworkable ideas into something practical, and the room erupts in a heated exchange. Shortly after leaving, Briggs collapses and dies in the hospital.

Fed up, Staples goes to tell Ramsey off and announce his resignation. Ramsey rebukes him, arguing that a corporation like Ramsey & Company needs men who can play at his level in order to succeed. He offers Briggs’ job to Staples at double his present salary, double stock options, and an unlimited expense account, but Staples resists. Undeterred, Ramsey ups the pitch, saying Staples will never be able to become his whipping boy, but could reach the presidency if he stays and keeps challenging him. Staples leaves and tells his wife that he is staying, convinced there is at least a chance to influence the company’s direction.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 10:46