[ Crescenter International Enterprises ]

Crescent International is the Sixth World's ninth largest megacorporation, though its position in the global economy is a critical one. With its primary and most extensive assets being in the financial realm (chiefly in banking, stock brokerage, financial planning assistance, and currency appropriation), it has carved a tremendous niche for itself in the world, having become a necessary link in the money chain. It is responsible for handling most secure transactions between its fellow megacorporations, having developed a peerless wire transfer system in response to the Crash of '29.

Aside from these assets, Crescent International participates in nearly every other possible area of corporate interest, from microwave ovens to industrial manufacturing. Its 2054 purchase of Generation Militechnologies also helped Crescent International buy a foothold into the competitive world of military contracting.

Company History in Brief

Founded in 1997 by Alec Erikson, Crescent International was founded as a small, New York based company. However, at the time of its foundation, then Erikson Financial Enterprises was a small firm operating primarily off of its stock brokerage interests. Early success prompted the shrewd Erikson to expand his business, opening branch offices in Boston, then Washington, D.C., then Miami, then Los Angeles. Expansion was rapid at first, but slowed down significantly after Erikson opened his Los Angeles offices. Then, in 2006, he opened a Seattle office, expanding company interests to take part in trade in addition to its string of blossoming stock brokerage firms. Within another two years, Erikson Financial Enterprises and the Erikson Trading Company had merged to form Crescent International, and expanded company interests again, purchasing a controlling interest in the Walker Corporation. Business expanded slowly but steadily over the next several years.

Then Alec Erikson died unexpectedly in 2028, leaving his corporate holdings to his son, Karl. Karl was commonly known to be as intelligent, if not more so than his father, though he was more prone toward taking risks. When Karl took control of the company, it had become a mid-sized multinational corporation of diverse interests, however, it was far from where Karl claimed he saw the company in as few as ten years.

Potential catastrophe was averted during the Crash of '29 by Karl Erikson's uncanny ability to take advantage of the situation. Though their corporate computer systems had taken a beating by the viruses, and they had lost large amounts of sensitive and vital data, Erikson refused to panic. Instead, while other finance oriented companies wallowed in their inability to communicate and conduct business, he sent out his representatives (basically) on foot, to conduct business face-to-face. During the confusion, he made deals with computer companies who promised they could build him a secure system while other representatives did the necessary legwork to secure other deals, acquiring vast interests while other, previously larger financial companies shrank and disintegrated. Then in 2031, when his secure network was in place, he made propositions to the world's largest companies, including the Big Eight (Ares, Aztechnology, Fuchi, Mitsuhama, Renraku, Saeder-Krupp, Shiawase, and Yamatetsu), promising his corporation could handle all of their sensitive finances without the risk of losing them to such a disastrous event as the 2029 crash. Nearly every company he made the proposition to accepted.

Since then, Crescent International has become the world's ninth largest corporation as well as securing its place as an integral cog in the world's economy. It has interests in all areas, either through the direct creation of companies or by acquiring controlling interests in pre-existing corporations such as Generation Militechnologies.

Vital Interests Profile

CRESCENT INTERNATIONAL

Status: Public Corporation Total Net: 103
Home Office: Seattle, UCAS
Pres./CEO: Karl Erikson Chairman of the Board: Karl Erikson
Major Shareholders:
  • Karl Erikson (24%) 
  • Alexis Woodbridge (24%) 
  • Thomas Quigley (12%)
 
Interests Profile
Area PAR
Aerospace 4
Agriculture 1
Biotechnology 4
Chemicals 3
Computer Engineering 2
Computer Science 3
Consumer Goods 6
Cybernetics 3
Entertainment 6
Financial 14
Heavy Industries 4
Militech 7
Mystical 1
Service 5
Operational Profile
Area PAR
Fiscal 15
Intelligence 8
Management 8
Reputation 7
Security 6 
(average)
Magic 3
Matrix 7
Physical 7
Military Company/Above Average

Subidiaries of
Crescent International Enterprises

Corporate Strategy

Although at first glance, Crescent International Enterprises' interests profile appears extremely diverse and difficult to manage centrally, the company has done and continues to do very well. One may ask how this is done. While Erikson likely has many business secrets he keeps to himself to ensure an edge over his competition, one thing is extremely clear, the day-to-day affairs of nearly every subsidiary company are managed locally. Since Crescent is primarily a corporation with financial interests, over the years they have come many times into positions where they have advantageously acquired a large number of shares to other, smaller corporations. While many megacorporations, such as Ares, Aztechnology, and Saeder-Krupp have merely assimilated these businesses, essentially making them component parts of the parent corporation, Erikson has allowed the local management to remain largely in control. Although Crescent International directly acquires nearly all profits from their subsidiaries, Erikson is wise to meet or exceed every single subsidiary's budget requirements. To him, they are all merely simple business investments and in order to continue to turn profits off of them, he must allow them to run the way they ran before Crescent acquired control of them. In this manner, not only does Crescent lend its nearly universal success techniques to these subsidiaries, they add their own expertise in their individual fields to keep quality standards high so as not to lose customers or reputations held before Crescent's acquisition of the company. Meanwhile, as these companies continue to operate relatively untouched at the ground level, Erikson and the core of Crescent International are allowed to concentrate on the elements of business that allowed them to become the ninth largest corporation in the world in the first place.

The Major Players

Karl Erikson. The son of the founder, President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board. Although at times he tries to play the "loving father" role as CEO, Karl Erikson is far from a naive man. He is quite aware of Woodbridge's plans and is constantly taking precautions to avoid one of her many "traps."

Alexis Woodbridge. The Chief Operating Officer. She is desperately seeking command of the company. She is willing to initiate whatever measures she feels necessary in order to acquire her controlling interest. Though she has worked with Erikson with some degree of civility for some time, she grows weary of his apparent meandering and wants him out of her way. She is driven by a simple power-mongering instinct inside her. It is not necessarily greed. The money has less to do with it as the idea of the power she will hold at the reigns of Crescent International.

Wasp. Alexis Woodbridge's personal bodyguard. He is salaried through her and is, technically not a C.I. employee. He is listed here because he is constantly with her and those in the shadow community who have dealt with Crescent are usually aware of Wasp's existence.

Thomas Quigley. The third largest shareholder. He is a simple investor, motivated solely by his quest for money. He wisely invested in C.I. stock early and bought it up as it came. He is a slippery individual, though not in his tact. Though his original intention had been to sell his C.I. stock as early as possible, he has held onto it, enjoying his power position as the third highest ranking member of the board. He has been offered large sums of money by both Erikson and Woodbridge for his stock, however he continues to refuse. Therefore, he is now often the target of either of their schemes. However, he is far from inept or unable to fend for himself. Like Woodbridge, he keeps a bodyguard: a combat mage known only as O on a long term contract with him.

Derek Sterling. The Director of Security Operations. This is the man in charge of Crescent International's security forces. Though he tends to establish a bureaucracy, relegating much of the lower level management to sub-directors, he handles the more elite security staff as directly as possible and is known to have been the C.I. Johnson on more than one occasion. He approves the design schemes for all of Crescent International's Matrix, Physical, and Magical Security systems and has a reputation for being almost anal retentive about his job. He has a shady past and is rumored to have a violent background. The two primary rumors are that he was either a shadowrunner or a government special forces agent. Erikson is his direct superior.

Beneath Derek Sterling is a core group of four divisional heads for Crescent International's Security Operations. Directly under Sterling is John Angry Bear, the Director of Material Security, a full blooded Iroquois, and a former officer in the Iroquois National Military. Following the tier, there is Trevor Deane, Directory of Matrix Security, a youthful decker type and an unlikely member of the company's security leadership, considering his secretive, possessive, and sometimes sadistic nature. Gail Andross is the Director of Magical Security, with a ThD from the University of North Carolina, and a grain of frustration with her insufficient staff. Gunter Stälstig rounds out the security leadership as the Commanding Officer of Crescent International's Strategic Defence Company (more popularly referred to as the Crescent Guard).