By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

It was an adventure: my first week with our brand new, old business.

I’ve been running the Trib and more for the past 24 years and it all should be second nature by now. It normally is.

There are daily decisions, a chaotic pace, but most of it, second nature.

Obviously, after reacquiring the Tribune last Monday, the transition from a public company with Manhattan-based financial, human resource, and support staff to a totally Queens-based operation would take some doing. The first week — the first several weeks — could be tough.

Remember: expect the unexpected.

We began last Tuesday with the addition of one staff member, a controller, and everything else the same. Sure there will be other changes, but I wanted to make the transition as seamless as possible for a hardworking, loyal staff of 40-plus.

The initial tasks included: contracting for health insurance (I took care of regular insurance and libel insurance a couple of weeks earlier); banking and bank accounts; arranging for payroll; setting up a new accounting system and server; converting the data from the selling company’s accounting system into our new accounting system and more.

Of course, there was also the job of running the business during busy season — busy season is good . . . it should always be busy season. Our first issue of the Trib was a blockbuster glossy and it had to be billed manually. Don’t worry; we’re entering the information into our new accounting system shortly. We had to deal with vendors who were calling to find out which company was going to be paying the bills. When we told them we would, they seemed satisfied.

And then there was the press. You know those annoying newspaper people: the Associated Press, The Times, Newsday, The Daily News, Editor and Publisher, the Times Ledger group and more–  with an average of four calls apiece – ate up a day plus. There were the well-wishers calls, emails, plants, cookies, and kisses. They were all great, appreciated and had to be acknowledged. Keep ‘em coming.

There was a newspaper to get out. As a matter of fact, our nine editions of the Trib and Western Queens Trib and one edition of the PRESS have three different press times, different dates, and schedules — there are actually three weekly deadlines. Running the business is really a full time job.

We actually also have another business, Multi Media, which provides, printing, graphic and consulting services.

With all of that going on during the transition, it was good to welcome an experienced controller who was handling the accounting system, computer data conversion, payroll service conversion and more.

It was our first day Tuesday, and Friday was payday. And Bob — there’s no better name for an accounting person — was energized and ready for the task. We knew how important it was to make sure the staff was paid in the regular, efficient, timely manner.

And so, Bob had arranged with ADP, the company that previously processed the payroll for the former company, to transfer the entire payroll over to us. We opened a new payroll bank account and sent the requisite forms onto ADP. They assured Bob that their computer would be all set with our new company, staff, salary and deductions on Thursday and we could phone in the hourly information. Payroll would then be delivered, by messenger, no later than Friday at noon.

Whew! — One headache out of the way, if you believe what they say.

ADP did a yeoman’s job. So did Bob and Heriberto, the other member of the Tribune accounting team. And on Thursday afternoon, all was on schedule and set to go. Yeah, team!

Friday, 9 a.m., Bob calls and receives confirmation from ADP that the messenger would arrive by noon.

We had already arranged for a staff lunch to be served at noon so it all seemed to fit together without problem.

At noon Bob was back on the phone and ADP was trying to track down the messenger. He was lost, but presumably given new directions.

We ate lunch and I thanked the staff for their support and good wishes and explained the payroll is with the messenger who was on the road and on the way.

Next ADP call, 2 p.m.: messenger lost on Long Island.

There was some staff grumbling. There were those concerned with getting money into the bank by 3 p.m. and others who needed cash for the weekend. We started making individual arrangements to meet the needs of a loyal but still unpaid staff.

Now our Citibank branch is open until 4 p.m. on Friday so all was not lost. So when Arby’s – the newly opened fast food roast beef franchise just on the other side of the L.I.E. – called to say they had our payroll, it looked like we could put checks in hands and staff in the bank before closing. Whew!

Heriberto went to Arby’s and after phone identification they release our payroll. It seems they were still waiting for theirs. Now, they had opened the payroll package thinking it was theirs, so we did a quick check to verify that we had everything. We still had time.

As Bob showed me that ADP had printed the wrong address on our package of checks — it must have been Arby’s address, but I didn’t have time to check — I quickly divided checks by department and gave them to department managers to distribute. A handful of staffers dashed out the door and headed to the bank, just before 4 p.m. At the same time, Associate Publisher Mike Nussbaum went to the bank to complete some paperwork for our company.

At 4 p.m., Mike calls from the bank.

“The checks have the wrong account number!” he said.

“What?” I ask.

“The ADP paychecks are not drawn on our account,” he explained.

“Whose account? Is there anything they can do? Can we fix the problem?” I shot back.

“No, there is nothing the bank can do and there are staff members waiting on line at the bank,” Mike related.

“Tell them to come back; we’ll issue manual checks and help with individual needs,” I instructed.

Bob and Heriberto shifted into high gear as I collected paychecks imprinted by ADP with the wrong account number and they redrew them each manually.

I checked Bob’s paperwork sent to ADP and confirm that Bob filled out everything correctly. Our address was correct; and our account number was correct.

In the middle of that long account number banks give you we had a series of three numbers: “655,” which Bob correctly gave to ADP. However, ADP printed “666” causing the latest in the day’s comedy of errors.

Now, I’m not sure the genre of movie that “Damien” or “The Omen” falls into. I’m a lover of horror and sci-fi flicks. Those old “Son of Satan” occult type films are the basis of my knowledge and my frame of reference concerning satanic worship. And yes, I clearly recall the “666” hidden under Damien’s hair as being pronounced, “the sign of the devil.” A handful of staffers made reference to the occult’s influence on the less than perfect ending to a wonderful week.

Everyone got paid. We had reacquired the Tribune. Things were up and running and we merely experienced a small bump in the road.

It is those types of bumps that small businessmen deal with regularly. You have to admire the entrepreneurs that fuel a large portion of our borough’s economy. There are the experienced ones like myself and there are those who are new to this country and face the bumps as well as the government bureaucracy and language barriers.

Friday’s experience gave me a renewed respect for small businesspeople. The experience gave me renewed respect for all of those who have a business dream and dare to follow it. They are indeed a courageous lot and are at the heart of the borough of Queens.

And, after many years of being part of a big corporation, I am proud to be back home in Queens as a member of that exciting community of small businesspeople. I am fortunate to be able to follow my dream.

It’s good to be home.

State Senate Dems: Déjà Vu Coup Two

As regular readers know, the hectic work-week — now intensified by our reacquisition of the Trib, makes it almost impossible for me to write my column during the week. And so, I sit at my computer on Sunday with football on the TV, as the Giants continue to make me suffer.

Writing a political column in advance is no easy task.

On Tuesday (two days after I write this, but two days before it’s printed), the State Senate Dems are scheduled to vote for their leadership positions.

And the worst kept secret in Albany is that State Senators prompted by none other than presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton, are attempting to dislodge Dem minority leader Marty Connor of Brooklyn. The spin goes that Connor, – an election law practitioner – devoted more of his energies to serving his lucrative client Thomas Golisano – the Independence Party’s unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate – than to promoting the interests of the Senate Dems.

The City’s Black leadership has been meeting in Harlem and are backing David Paterson, a Harlem Dem who is legally blind and the son of former state Secretary of State Basil Paterson. With the support of black members and Manhattanites Tom Duane, Eric Schneiderman and Liz Krueger and the rumoured backing of Ed Koch, the coup has life.

Queens Dem boss Tom Manton is solidly behind Conner, and will deliver all Queens Dem members except for the Smiths. The Bronx leadership is pledged to stay loyal — it was their betrayal that foiled the last Albany coup. The Latinos seem to be aligning themselves with Connor. However the Bronx’s Ruben Diaz and Efrain Gonzalez are being counted by the coupsters.

We hear that Queens’ one black Congressman, Greg Meeks, is working the phones in support of the coup.

Charlie Rangel is apparently spending more time in his district than in Washington, missing last Wednesday night’s important vote on Homeland Security — a strange occurance for the dean of the NY Delegation. Is it a coincidence that he’s back in his district which apparently houses the war room for the coup leadership.

With three upstaters, the group is said to have 16 votes – enough for victory, including both Queens Senators Smith — Ada and Malcolm.

Coup whispers blame it all on someone trying to find a scapegoat for Carl McCall’s crash-and-burn campaign and Conner is the most convenient target for Sharpton. One old white man observed that Brooklyn Beep Marty Markowitz would prefer to pin it all on George Washington.

Does all this portend ill for New York Dems who, with a two million voting enrolment advantage in the State, seem to be marginalizing themselves and moving towards the left wing of the party?

Are they following the example of the National Party which took a giant step to the left and elected San Francisco liberal Nancy Pelosi after the party’s abysmal showing in the recent election?

Stay tuned.