Source: The Wall Street Journal

December 7, 1998

By ELEENA DE LISSER

Twelve-year-old Michael Podraza and his father Dan, have been in business a little over a year, but already something is crystal clear about their working relationship: The son knows best.

While Mr. Podraza, 50, runs the family's suburban Chicago Beanie Baby trading business, pays the bills and supervises the employees, it's his prepubescent son who acts as his top adviser. Michael is the company's fraud detector, a key job in Beanie Exchange Inc., since counterfeit Beanies can be tricky to detect.

At a recent Beanie Baby trade show in Chicago, a woman approaches the Podrazas' booth seeking to sell a valuable Chilly the Polar Bear. But as Mr. Podraza inspects the toy, he isn't 100% certain that the Beanie he has in his hands is worth much. "Where's Michael?" he frets out loud. "Can somebody go get Michael? I need him." The boy runs over, examines the stuffed animal's tags, eyes and underside. It's authentic, he declares. His dad then hands the woman a check for $1,500.

All Work, No Play

It's not just $1,500 checks that show how Michael's role in Beanie Exchange is doing odd things to the family structure. Diana Podraza, Mr. Podraza's wife and Michael's mother, is bothered by Michael's preference to deal with adults rather than other children. When she tried to send him to camp last summer, he refused to go.