Chapter 970: 331, a valuation of 25 million!

Charlie Chaplin, Douglas, and Griffith left in a disorderly manner.

As for Chaplin’s statement about wanting to withdraw from United Artists, Donnie didn’t take it seriously.

Currently, Chaplin is more than just a master of comedy; he’s also a businessman.

As a businessman, Chaplin is well aware that United Artists going public would bring him immense and tangible benefits.

If he were to quit United Artists now, it essentially means giving up tens of millions of US dollars in net worth — something very few can do in this era.

Even Chaplin couldn’t do that.

Moreover, with Griffith’s persuasion, Donnie believed that at least for now, Chaplin wouldn’t be leaving United Artists.

In the evening, Shaw Gordon and Damour Bral came to meet Donnie.

Both of them seemed extremely respectful.

“Mr. Block, thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with us!”

Shaw Gordon expressed their gratitude to Donnie on behalf of both of them.

Donnie waved his hand casually and said, “Paul said you two are very capable people. If that’s the case, we shouldn’t delay–tell me about your plan.”

Shaw Gordon and Damour Bral exchanged glances, both spotting excitement in each other’s eyes.

If Donnie was willing to hear their plans, it meant he recognized them.

They had to seize this opportunity!

Thinking of this, Damour Bral pulled out a meticulously prepared proposal from his bag, handed it to Donnie, and explained, “Trident Shipyard’s largest client right now is United States Logistics. Coupled with the fact that the shipbuilding industry isn’t highly renowned within the United States market, we believe that if we want Trident Shipyard to achieve a satisfactory valuation upon its listing, we need to create momentum for Trident Shipyard first…”

Donnie skimmed through their company’s proposal while listening to Damour Bral’s explanation.

He couldn’t help but feel impressed–they had earned Paul Warburg’s favor for good reason.

Over the past period, Donnie had reviewed several proposals regarding Trident Shipyard’s public listing, and the one from Gordon-Blalock Securities was definitely among the top.

Next, Donnie carefully identified some issues in their proposal and asked the two men questions accordingly. Their responses were fluent and precise, which further satisfied Donnie.

As a result, what was initially planned to be a half-hour conversation extended to two hours.

“I’m very satisfied with your plan personally, but I can’t make a concrete decision just yet. I need to show your proposal to the other shareholders of Trident Shipyard before providing a definitive reply,” Donnie said with a smile.

“Understandable!” Shaw Gordon hurriedly replied. “Mr. Block’s approval of our proposal already makes us exceedingly happy!”

“Then we won’t take up any more of Mr. Block’s time. We’ll be on our way now!”

Damour Bral sensibly stood up and bid farewell as well.

Donnie also stood up but didn’t leave his spot, simply standing there with a smile and saying, “I won’t see you out.”

“Of course, of course!” Shaw Gordon shook hands with Donnie and then left the office with Damour Bral.

Donnie sat back down in his seat, reviewing the proposal they had just handed over. After some time, he called Ozzy Barber, saying, “Make a copy of this proposal and send someone to deliver it to the Quanter Family in Germany. Let them know that I’m highly pleased with this plan and see their reaction.”

Trident Shipyard’s public listing was primarily aimed at raising more funds; it didn’t really matter what kind of relationship Shaw Gordon, Damour Bral, and the Woburg Family had. As long as their efforts could bring more funding to Donnie through this, it was sufficient.

“Understood, I’ll have someone take care of it immediately,” Ozzy Barber replied.

The next day, Griffith and Douglas came to see Donnie. Although Chaplin hadn’t come along, they brought good news–they had successfully persuaded the furious Chaplin to accept United Artists going public.

Donnie was satisfied with this outcome, but he informed the two that the matter of United Artists listing was still confidential for now. If United Artists’ IPO were to achieve unprecedented success, confidentiality was crucial at this stage. He asked them to wait for Donnie’s plan instead!

Hearing Donnie’s words, the two naturally had no objections.

A week later, Trident Shipyard officially announced that they had entrusted Gordon-Blalock Company with handling its IPO.

As soon as this news came out, Gordon-Blalock Securities instantly became the center of attention on Wall Street.

“The rise of a new star!”

The Wall Street Journal gave this headline in their evaluation of the situation.

“Gordon-Blalock Securities has already been in operation for 13 years, which on Wall Street constitutes remarkable success. However, it’s undeniable that Gordon-Blalock Securities’ success is inseparably linked to the support of the Kuhn, Loeb & Co. consortium. It’s widely known that the Kuhn, Loeb & Co. consortium has faced some issues over the past few years, resulting in a reduced level of support for Gordon-Blalock Securities.

This is precisely why Gordon-Blalock Securities hasn’t made further breakthroughs.”