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A family business is a difficult thing — that’s even more so when the family in question is the Etobicoke Fords.

Deco Labels and Tags, the firm that made the Fords their considerable fortune, was thrust into the spotlight again Wednesday after reports emerged that Mayor Rob Ford and Councillor Doug Ford had used their influence at city hall to arrange meetings for a key Deco business partner.

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Mayoral challengers rushed to decry the news Wednesday, while Doug Ford called it “absolute bull—-.” But all the while, lurking in the background, was Deco itself.

Doug, despite what you have seen, was a polished executive, well-dressed, articulate, an excellent salesman

For all the focus on the Fords over the past four years, the inner workings of the company that made them rich have remained relatively obscure.

On Wednesday, four former Deco employees filled in some of that gap. In interviews with the National Post, all four, including a former senior executive, painted variations on a similar theme.

Deco, they said, was well run under Doug Ford. But after the 2010 election, when he stepped away from day-to-day management, it descended into something between managerial gridlock and absolute chaos under the leadership of Randy Ford, Doug and Rob’s brother.