Breskovich

"The problem was just that he had no money. Not a dime. Even though he wracked his brain, he found no way to get the money. At the same time, lawyers had already started to rattle with bankruptcy petitions and other inconveniences. It was all about buying time, which he had learned from Breskovich, whom he considered somewhat of a master at "stretching" his money."

"It was a sluggish year in the fishing industry and many crab boats lay idle. However, downturns always offer opportunities for those who think ahead and dare to invest. Røkke and Breskovich took advantage of the situation and bought a couple of cheap small boats. On May 13, 1986, new drama arose. "Karina Explorer" struck an underwater reef and sank within a few minutes. Fortunately, the entire crew was rescued, but the boat was lost. For Kari Røkke, it was just a matter of sitting down at the typewriter and drafting a letter on behalf of Kjell Inge Røkke: "The boat was insured. We expect the first payment within 110 days, around the end of August, and by November we should have received the final payment. The boat, crew, and financial creditors will be paid with the first payment from the insurance. The rest will go to the unsecured creditors," Røkke promised at the end of June 1986. Then he went to Alaska, out of reach of the creditors."

"Breskovich also differed from the other fishermen in other ways. While they did not claim to be anything more than fishermen harvesting from nature, Breskovich opted to present himself as a director and shareholder. He was based in offices "down town", while the Norwegian fishermen chose to be in Ballard, a choice that meant they took a long time to be accepted in Seattle's business elite."

"Wittusen dismantled Røkke and Breskovich's plan. For a while, it looked very bleak, and Breskovich realized that the battle was lost: "Let's give up and go home. This project looks like Berlin after the war," he stated. But Wittusen had no intention of giving up. He just wanted to extract all the knowledge from the new clients, and after many tough rounds, he was satisfied. Out came a business plan that Orkla Finans then presented to several Norwegian banks. In a short time, Wittusen achieved the incredible: securing not just one, but three different financing offers. The choice fell on Bergen Bank."

"The old shipyard owner taught Røkke ingenious financial operations and smart business moves, but the most important lesson was to build up long-lasting relationships and tight networks. "Do good business, but not so good that the partner goes bankrupt. To succeed over the long term, it's absolutely necessary to also let the partners do well," Breskovich admonished."