This week’s Video of the Week comes from the popular CBS-TV program “Undercover Boss” which originally aired Sunday, December 14, 2014.
John Hartmann, the chief executive officer of True Value Hardware, visited one of the chain’s distribution centers in Springfield, Oregon, where he was paired with a veteran True Value forklift operator named Terrell.
‘Undercover Boss’ Drives the Forklift
Hartmann, who is a former FBI special agent as well as heading one of the nation’s biggest hardware chains, didn’t impress Terrell with his forklift driving skills.
“Just because you’re old does not mean you got an excuse or a pass to go slow,” Terrell tells Hartmann at one point, not realizing that his “student” is actually running the company.
Hartmann said after the program was filmed that it was an eye-opening experience for him and one that he will never forget.
“My ‘Undercover Boss’ experience was nothing short of incredible,” Hartmann said in a True Value news release. “I had the opportunity to engage in several key jobs, and although I wasn’t great at each task, I learned along the way from my True Value associate mentors. I gained a newfound understanding of the jobs each of these hardworking professionals do each day.”
Besides failing to impress Terrell with his forklift driving skills, Hartmann also met Brad, a womanizing store employee from Boston, and Lexi, a cashier at the True Value store in Glenview, Illinois.
“Competition is intense and it’s never going to get easier,” Hartmann said during the show’s introduction. “You can’t be grand-daddy’s hardware store anymore.”