Ice Cream Stand Employee Announces Management Buy Out Offer

Machesney Park, IL Sept 22 - Rick Donnelly, CEO of Smith's Ice Cream Shoppe formally announced plans to make an offer for a majority stake in the firm.

Smith's has fallen on hard times lately, a condition that Mr. Donnelly attributed to market consolidation and tough foreign competition. "Rajit's Ice Cream Emporium three blocks over opened last summer and they've been just eating our lunch", said Mr. Donnelly yesterday. "It's going to take new vision and direction to save this company."

In addition, the Ice Cream Shoppe has suffered a number of recent mis-steps, including erratic office hours and repeated delays of a widely-anticipated 'Slushee' initiative. "Technical problems, man, technical problems," claimed Mr. Donnelly. "And that's not all either. I keep hearing rumors of union activity - and that could be the last straw that shuts us down."

Mr. Donnelly, who is the Ice Cream Shoppe's sole employee in addition to being the CEO and CFO of the organization, has announced several deals with private equity investors. "I've got about $500 saved up, and my parents said that they'd chip in at least $3,500. Oh, and my brother John said he'd help out too."

Mr. Donnelly summed up his position, "Tom Smith better think long and hard about my proposal. After all, construction is just killing our business: the community pool going in across the street and the rec center down the road have got traffic all tied up."

"Of course I'll pay top dollar for this place: after all, who knows the business better than I do?"