All language subtitles for Undercover Boss - 07x05 - YESCO.FUM.English.C.updated.Addic7ed.com

Tonight, on "Undercover Boss,"

Jeff Young, co-owner of YESCO,
the company that created

some of the world's
most iconic signs...

So check that out.

Goes undercover
in his own company.

Uh-oh.
Oh, and you ripped the paper.

Whoa, that is
moving around.

This heir to a sign dynasty
will face his biggest fear...

We're gonna climb
this big sign.

Good grief. Oh, my gosh,
look how high that is.

And meet the employees

who keep his company's legacy
shining bright.

Oh.

25 years, every day,
that name has been on my chest.

What happens
when he opens his eyes

and sees the writing
on the wall?

So I'm in the restroom,
the sticker says,

"For demoralized service,
call YESCO." What is that?

They did layoffs
last week.

How's salesmen holding up
around here?

We have good designers,

but everything's always
out to bid, you know.

Things have changed compared
to when I originally came here.

- We have a huge disconnect...
- I see.

between labor
and management...

- Okay.
- And then essent...

the company fell apart.

Find out next,
on "Undercover Boss."

Headquartered
in Salt Lake City, Utah,

YESCO is the largest
custom sign manufacturer

in the country.

With more than 1,300 employees
and 85 locations

across the United States
and Canada,

this multi-million-dollar
empire is led by one family.

I'm Jeff Young, co-owner
of YESCO Custom Electric Signs.

When about light spectrum and
nanometers and all of that,

I lose a lot of people.

Shuji Nakamura was
the scientist

who came up with blue LED.

My bucket list item is
to meet, shake his hand.

I've actually emailed him
a couple times.

He hasn't answered,
but all the signs

and all the neon
and all the light pixels,

I'm just infatuated
with the technology.

I have a new son-in-law
and I was pointing in the soffit

in a restaurant, saying,
"That's 4,500 Kelvin

and that's 6,500 Kelvin."

You don't mix your Kelvin light,
do you?

Heavens, no.

YESCO signs can be seen
in sports venues,

in retail establishments,
in hospitality hotels,

banking, finance,
transportation, auto.

Probably the most famous sign
we're known for

is the "Welcome
to Las Vegas" sign,

and second near that
would be the cowboy

downtown on Fremont Street
in Las Vegas,

the Wynn sign in 2005,
and of course, the Aria...

260 feet tall,
beautiful, beautiful sign.

I love signs so much.

Some of these signs
we're talking about were built

almost 100 years ago,

and they're icons
in the Las Vegas skyline,

and it's just amazing to think
that we've been involved

with that history
so deeply.

YESCO began with
my grandfather Thomas Young

arriving to the U.S. by ship
at 15 years of age,

and opening a custom sign shop
in 1920.

After embracing
the new technology of neon,

YESCO grew to 150 employees
and $3 million in revenue.

My father took over
in 1969

and doubled the size
of the company four times,

so when my brothers and I
took over in 1988,

it was technology once again
that helped us

dominate
the sign market.

We went all-in
on LED technology

and decided to franchise
our business to the east.

It worked, and we doubled
the company twice more

to reach $250 million
in revenue

and around 1,000 employees.

Welcome, everybody,
to this nice barbecue.

To start, I've asked Steve Jones
if he would offer a prayer

and a blessing on the food.
Steve?

Our kind heavenly Father,
we are grateful

to gather together here
today as family

in this beautiful home.

Our families are members
of the Mormon Church,

which I think helps hone
a different sort of leadership

where you're working
together.

You're not working for me.
You're working with me.

Everything okay
over here?

Our company values are centered
around our clients first,

then employees,
and then a fair return to YESCO.

So what would you like
for dessert?

We have apple pie.

- Very small piece.
- Are you nervous?

- Yeah, I was gonna ask.
- Well, yeah,

of course I'm nervous.
What if someone figures it out?

Just be yourself.

First, have they seen you
with the beard?

I stopped traveling and
visiting months ago.

So my name is gonna be Alex,
and I've invented an LED system

that helps preserve
your food,

and they think I'm competing
for a million bucks.

You're identified so closely
with your religious culture.

Tattoos that would

- throw them off.
- Color, hair color.

- Maybe shave your head.
- Go bald.

Don't do that. Don't do that.

See, Cathy's just worried.

I think it's exciting.

I can't wait to see
what you look like.

I'm looking for a look
that's gonna be kind of...

a little bit techno,
a little bit nerdy.

We can try, like, doing
a pop of some sort of color,

- or something like that.
- Okay.

In the last four years, we've
sold 88 new franchise locations

and we're pushing
to get to 300 locations

by our 100th anniversary
just 5 years from now.

So check that out.

The service franchise model
is one that's heavily reliant

upon the technology
that we've provided.

If that technology is
misaligned or not useful,

the whole thing's
gonna fail.

In order to really see
what I need to see,

I need to go undercover.

This is the perfect time
to do it.

How do you feel?

I feel purple on top.

My employees will think that
I'm an inventor/entrepreneur

who is opening
his own company.

They'll have no idea that this
actually "Undercover Boss."

Nice.

Like some milk?

Oh, my gosh.

- Oh, no.
- Oh, my.

The purple pants.
Oh, shoes.

Oh, the...

I love... I love it.

- What do you think?
- You look...

Give me a hug anyway?

- Weird!
- Who's that man with my mother?

I gotta go.
It's time to head out.

Okay.

My grandfather was successful

'cause he was involved
in every project.

There's no way on earth
I can keep my eye

on projects
like my grandfather used to.

See you in a little bit, huh?

Love you, Annie.
Love you, sweetheart.

I committed with my siblings
to do whatever it takes

to make this company
successful,

to give us
and other family members

a chance to work here
through the next generations.

- You look great.
- Exciting adventure.

- Take care.
- Good luck to you.

All right, thanks.

I take that personally.

I'm gonna do everything
in my power

to make sure
this company never fails.

Today I'm in Chicago, Illinois,

at the YESCO franchise to work
with a service technician.

- Morning.
- Morning.

- I'm Alex.
- Hi, Alex.

Sal, YESCO Sign & Lighting.
How are you?

Sal, nice to meet you.

I'm a service and maintenance
electrician.

YESCO began the franchise model
only three or four years ago,

and Chicago is one of our first
franchises to sign up,

so it's been a testing ground
for our franchise system.

Our success in Chicago will
mean success everywhere else.

Our failure in Chicago
could upset the whole program.

Sal, just spell that
for me.

Uh, S-A-L.

S-A-L,
that's straightforward.

When I first laid eyes on Alex,

6obviously, the first thing
I noticed was the purple hair.

Uh, it kind of looks
like somebody

who's kind of stuck
in the '80s.

What are we doing today?

Later, we're gonna
work on some neon,

but right now, we're gonna
climb... this big sign.

Good grief.
Looks like a building from here.

It's one of our biggest
in the area

and we're gonna see if we can do
a little electronics repair

on some stuck modules
that we have up there.

Oh, my gosh.
Okay.

Okay, I'm gonna try
to save the hair here.

The purple hair's
a little off-putting,

especially when you want to make
an investment in somebody.

How do I look?

- Part... part of the team?
- Ready to climb.

- Part of the team.
- All right.

- There you go.
- Thank you.

Oh, my gosh,
look how high that is.

Okay, yeah, I'm not gonna
look down if that's okay.

I'm not that big
on heights.

- Okay.
- Breathe in

through your nose,
out through your mouth.

I know they've got
fall protection.

I just hope I don't have to use
the fall protection.

What is it
when you cross claustrophobia

with a little bit
of heights?

A day at the office for us.

I am clipped on.

Well, there's a view.
This thing is gigantic.

So what we're gonna look for
are some stuck LED modules

- on the front of the sign.
- Okay.

So our job box is over here,
and we should find

a pretty healthy supply
of the LED module cards.

- Oh, okay.
- These are the different...

These are all the lights.

- Three-color lights.
- The LEDs.

- We're gonna close the job box.
- Okay.

This is just a little
interesting right here.

Looking straight down.

It's open catwalk.
There's no floor beneath you.

It's just
this little walkway.

Well, this is the nice
breezy section of the sign.

Okay.

I am hooked in.

It's a sight and a feeling
I'm not used to seeing

every day when I walk
to my office.

Okay, that feels secure.

Our technical support group
in Utah tell us

the coordinate
for that bad card.

We're gonna pop
the door open...

- Okay.
- Take a look inside.

So we're gonna let it down
gently,

- and there you go.
- Oh, I see it there. Okay.

We just swap 'em out,
is that what we do?

Yep, you can turn the card
and you can bring it back in.

Oh, look at that, man,
it's, like, lit up.

There you go.

We're gonna go ahead
and grab another card.

All the cables will only fit
one way.

Sal certainly knows what he's
doing, but I was relieved

to see that these
parts and pieces

have been designed in a way
that can come out

and be replaced
quite easily.

- And look, it's lit.
- Perfect.

How'd I do
for my first one?

There you go.

You're a great instructor.

How long you been
doing this, Sal?

30 years or so.

Kids?
You got kids?

I have a grown daughter
and a granddaughter.

A grown daughter?
Okay.

But it's a rough way
to make a living.

We go weeks
without a day off.

We get emergency calls
24 hours a day.

- Wow.
- 20 hour shifts in your truck.

Some of us practically live
in those trucks.

We should have our mail
forwarded.

Well, what about...
you mentioned the home office.

We have a huge disconnect
from them.

I see.

We don't get software training
on the signs,

and the signs use a lot
of software to do what they do.

I see.

And that slows us down
a lot, and I think

it's really cost ineffective
to do it that way.

Sal mentions to me how important
it is to have people

who have
really great training

to perform the work
in the field

to make it
much more efficient.

Climb on up.

All right.

Software is a big part
of keeping these signs running,

so if we're going to continue
to expand

our service franchises, we need
to improve our training.

We're gonna go take a look
at an old school neon sign,

kind of a Chicago icon,
House of Blues.

Downtown Chicago
at the House of Blues,

iconic sign
right next to the river.

I couldn't be more excited
to fix this sign.

What we have right now
is we have an out section.

It's gonna be
the inner ring of the O.

We're gonna have to go up there.
We're gonna have to replace

a piece of neon
that we already have.

This is low voltage too,
right?

No, this is
extremely high voltage.

Oh.

More than likely it's
a 15,000 volt transformer...

Oh, baby.

Which can throw
an electrical arc

and actually catch you
and pull you in

from about 2 inches away
from any live conductor.

- Oh, okay.
- So you're gonna want to be

very careful where
you put your hands.

You just said it's
15,000 volts.

Yeah.

15,000 volts can jump
upwards of 2 inches,

and I'm thinking I don't want
to get hit today.

The Hyatt earlier today
was perfectly safe.

This can hurt you.
This will ruin your day.

There's not electricity...

is there electricity
in this thing right here?

- No, no, no, this is...
- Okay.

This doesn't carry any voltage
on its own.

We're gonna kind of try to
hold it as gently as possible.

I get electrocuted
pretty regularly.

Neon is high voltage
electricity, really dangerous

to be around and neon glass
is extremely fragile.

I'm gonna take that from you,
thank you.

We're gonna be in a bucket
this time.

We're not gonna be
on a nice, secure catwalk.

It's gonna be
a whole different animal.

Okay.

So you want to keep an eye
on that glass

as much as possible.

You're saying that you can
or can't touch the blue thing?

We don't really want
to touch any of it.

Put your body
into the rails,

whatever you gotta do
to get your sea legs.

Whoa, that is
moving around.

This has got some motion
to it...

Oh, my gosh.

And I have some concern
about that.

Man, this wild wire's
way too close.

Wow, we are up here.

Yeah, my legs just got
a little wobbly, wobbly on...

I'm still a little unclear.

What can you touch?
What can't you touch?

If you listen real carefully,
you can hear the neon buzzing.

Well, that's unnerving.

It's 15,000 volts
I'm contending with.

Don't go anywhere near it.

It started to make me
a little anxious.

Yell down to go ahead
and shut down the sign.

Okay.
It's time to disconnect.

So we're good.

And you kind of line it up
in place.

So we have this little spool
of copper wire.

What we're gonna do
is make an X...

X.

Or a neon bowtie.

Okay.

I'm gonna hold the neon
for you.

Okay. Yeah, I do not know
how you do this alone.

Eh.

Okay, got that.

Just clean it up.
There you go.

Is that it?

That's pretty much
how we do it.

Okay, so now,

- we're gonna fade back a bit.
- Move back a little bit?

- We want to see what happens.
- Moment of truth then?

We gotta cross
our fingers?

Well, we don't know what
condition the other wiring is.

It's time to turn the sign
back on!

Okay.

There we go.

Oh, hey.

For me,
this is a big moment.

- There you go.
- It's instant gratification.

Wow, that is so neat.

There's something
about that neon, huh?

I am very impressed
with Sal.

The level of confidence and
commitment he has in the field,

it's a great relief to me.

Go home, you can tell folks
back home,

"Hey, I've maintained that sign.
I made it come on."

Wow, that is so neat.

You mentioned earlier
about all these long hours.

Where... why is it that you are
spending all the long hours?

- Oh, all our guys do.
- They all do?

That's just...
oh, no, not just me.

Is there something special
about you in particular

that means that you're...

I'm the only
certified electrician.

A lot of our guys, they're
shop-trained and shop-taught.

We don't get any technical
training, we don't get

any technical information
from the home office.

We have to learn how to maintain
these devices for the customers

the slowest, hardest way
possible...

over a phone in the middle
of the night to tech support

to, you know, Utah,

to somebody who's not
standing there next to you.

You say there's maybe
a better way to do that?

There's definitely
a better way.

I think if you had
a training program,

it would make, you know,
them faster, more efficient,

and safer at what we do.

You said, "Huge disconnect"
on this whole point then.

- Yeah.
- Yeah, okay.

But again, we keep hanging
in there,

you know, we keep doing
the seven-day weeks,

because guys like me
worry about,

are we gonna pay our bills?

When the economy tanked,
our pension plans got wiped out.

Okay.

- So...
- Okay.

You know, at 50 years old,
you don't get to start over.

There's just...
keep working.

How does that affect you
in terms of your overall health?

I have cardiovascular disease.

It's genetic.
It runs in my family.

The heart attacks that
I've had are really minor

because there's nothing wrong
with my heart.

- Did you say heart attacks?
- Yeah.

You didn't mention you've had
some heart attacks?

I had three,
but I like my employers.

I like my supervisors.

Okay.

I'm proud of the projects
that we do,

and we can go around town
and we can show people...

relatives, friends, we say,
"Hey, that's ours. We do that."

I've come to realize
how important the training is,

how important
the education is.

The other franchises that we
might sign up in the future,

there's a lot of lessons
to be learned here.

Hopefully, you know,
you're a big success someday,

and I can say,
"You know what"...

Invaluable input.

"I met that guy when he was
at the beginning."

If we're gonna grow
to 300 locations

by our 100th anniversary,
we gotta make sure

everything is exactly the way
it needs to be,

and today has shown me that
there's a lot of work to do.

- Thank you.
- You get my vote.

Okay, thanks a lot.

It's 4:00 in the morning,
I'm in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This is the place where
some of the most iconic signs

in Vegas were created.

Outside of Utah, this is
the heart of our business,

and taking care
of our biggest customers here

means everything to me.

Hey, looking for Michael.

Today, I'm going undercover

in the sign lettering
department,

which handles change letters
that are on marquees,

and they have just
got to get up on time

and they've gotta get up
accurately.

Hello?
Looking for Michael.

Hello.
Hi.

Good morning,
my name's Alex.

Hi, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

Basically, we're gonna be
pulling letters

for the marquee signs.

How long you been doing
this job?

About nine years, so...

That's a lot of letters.

You're gonna need gloves.

Oh, thanks, okay,
I take the gloves.

After working with Sal
and hearing

there's a disconnect there,
I'm anxious to see

if that same feeling
exists here.

So where you from?

Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Kalamazoo, Michigan.
So how'd you make your way

all the way out here
to Las Vegas, Nevada?

Uh, middle of the recession.

Oh, yeah, the recession
brought you out?

Needed study or try to find
something for my son.

Oh, for your son?

'Cause it was gonna be
his first job,

and that was gonna be hard to do
in Michigan at the time.

Okay.

He's working with me
right outside.

- Oh, he's here? Okay.
- He's here.

Excellent.

So let me give you
a brief tour.

I would love that,
thank you.

Okay, you got your plastic,
17 black here.

17 meaning?

17 inch.

3-foot letters
are gonna be here.

I'm gonna have to remember
all this, won't I?

30-inch letters are here.

Numbers, the red ones
will be on top.

Black will be
on the middle shelf.

I see letters everywhere.

10-inch black will be here.

36-inch here,
the 24-inch there,

and I think to myself, "How am I
gonna keep this all straight

and remember where
all these letters are?"

When we say marquee signs,
this is the...

"2 million shuffle your luck.
Play... win... instantly!

Win up to $10,000! Fridays,
Saturdays, and Sundays."

Okay, so all these letters
have to be...

They're all
in this building somewhere?

They're all in here
somewhere.

Okay.

Okay, so start pulling
"Saturdays."

"Saturdays."
Okay, "Saturdays."

T-U-S-P-Q... ah.

H-A-K-A-E-F-G-I.

Tell you what...
Oh.

Q-R-S-T.
S has gotta be up here.

Q-R-Y.
In a... okay.

You said red, right?

There's black ones
over here too.

Okay, there's a red S.

Is that the same height?
Yeah, okay.

T...oh, dear,
gotta go back around.

Ts are right next to Ss.
Come on.

Alex is moving slow.

Wrong color.

What'd I pull?

- Wrong color.
- Oh, man.

I've seen Alex mess up
his inches and feet.

I forgot the N.
That's a problem.

He pulled the wrong ones
or the wrong color.

Oh! Oh! Oh!
Michael, oh, oh.

Hope no one saw that.

I think having Alex here
will slow us down.

Do you have a restroom,
Michael?

Yeah.

And I'll probably end up
spending overtime

to catch everything up.

"YESCO... for demoralized service
call"...that's nice.

There's something written
on the restroom wall,

and it has to do with
the morale of the employees.

"Demoralized."

I would strongly prefer
to have something else

written on the bathroom wall
about the company

and how people
feel about it.

When morale is low,
the quality is poor,

the inventory is unmanaged.
That is my worst nightmare.

"YESCO... for demoralized service
call"...that's nice.

So I'm in the restroom,
the sticker says,

"For demoralized service
call YESCO."

What does that mean?

They did some layoffs
not that long ago.

Oh, yeah,
'cause it's been slow?

They did layoffs
last week.

How many?

I think they're up to 11
or 18 now.

Oh, wow, okay.

The ebbs and flows
of sales in signs in Las Vegas

tends to come and go
quite a bit, and therefore,

our workforce here has to
expand and contract some.

You know these people
pretty well then.

I knew all of 'em.

You never feel good.

My heart really goes out to him
and the employees who are

affected by the decisions
we make at the corporate office.

When you came out,

you didn't sound like you were
that flush on cash.

How did you afford to move?
How did that happen?

When we made it to Vegas,

basically we had
$400 in our pocket.

So this was just on faith?

Just on faith.

Well, where did you live
when you first...

- you're here that first day...
- Homeless.

You... what do you mean
homeless?

Homeless,
no place, street.

- Are you kidding me?
- Nope.

You came to Vegas
and you're homeless?

What did you eat when you were
living on the street?

I got $1 chicken sandwich
every day.

My wife, Zach, and my daughter
were in a homeless shelter.

Getting some food there.

Yeah, they were getting food
from there.

Wow.

Makes me appreciate
the job I have,

a lot more than probably
some of the other people.

Wow.
That's hard times.

I don't... I... that's amazing
you made it through.

Wow.

How long do you plan on sticking
here at the sign company?

Okay.

Three of you full-time
doing this every day, right?

Basically, yeah.

Eight-hour shifts,
you and your son?

Uh, Zach works
a four-hour shift.

Oh, yeah?
Why's that?

Heart condition.

He has a heart condition?

Yeah.
Basically,

he's got a aortic valve

that doesn't open and close
right when he was born.

Is a valve replacement
a possibility for him?

That's what he's gonna do
in the future.

For sure. How much does
the valve surgery run, you know?

Yeah.

I haven't even met your son.
Do you mind?

Zach, there's someone
I want you to meet.

Hey.

- Hey there.
- Hi, I'm Alex.

Hi there.
Nice to meet you.

So nice to meet you.
I've been getting to know

your dad a little bit.

He's been talking to me
about you.

How do you like
working here?

A lot.
It's been a lot of fun

working with Dad and having...
it's having a great time here.

As I think about Michael
and Zach

and how close it hits to home
as a father,

I get a little choked up
to think about

how much dedication he has.

You can't buy
that level of loyalty,

and that's something
that we deeply desire

in all of our employees.

Is your day going well?

I'm busy,
far too busy.

Oh.

I'm still in Las Vegas.

After having worked
with Michael,

hearing about the layoffs
and all the morale going on,

I'd like to investigate
further.

So I'm gonna go
into the Interiors department

to work
with our paint foreman.

The Interiors department
builds signs

for inside of hotels
and casinos.

In this facility
we go through

at least 2,000 gallons of paint
a year,

which is a big line item
for us.

Is there an Eric
around here?

- Ha!
- I'm Eric, I'm in charge

- of paint here at YESCO.
- Hi, Eric.

- My name's Alex.
- Ready to work today?

Nice to meet you.
Let's get to work.

We're gonna be painting
these pot fillers.

The casinos came up
with an area

that's a dead space
between the slot machines.

These mount in between there
and they can put advertisements

for the games or for whatever
they want in the casino.

They're really hot
right now...

- Okay.
- A big seller,

so we're gonna try to make one
to look like this.

Is there a problem I've never
painted before at all?

Well, hopefully,
I can teach you good enough

where you could make it
acceptable,

- that's the challenge here.
- Oh, okay.

- I'm in your hands.
- Okay.

My first impression of Alex,

I'm flashing back
to "Willy Wonka."

You know, he looks
like an Oompa Loompa

with the purple hair
on the "Willy Wonka" show.

Wow, check this room out.

This is the room here
where we mix all our colors.

We could pretty much mix
any color in the world.

- Okay.
- Colors to match your hair

- perfectly.
- Purple number one,

purple number two,
purple number three.

- Yeah, yeah.
- All right.

My grandfather was
a painter,

but yet I have never
donned a paint suit

and I've never used
a paint gun.

I am 95% certain
that they'll sand that down

and repaint that pod tomorrow,
and that's gonna be costly,

and that's what I'm freaking out
about right now.

- Fantastic, I did okay then.
- Yes, you did awesome.

So now, we're gonna sand and
remove all of those things

- you're seeing right now...
- Okay.

And then we'll get you on
to the next step.

Fantastic.

You want to hold it
as flat as you can.

Okay.

Any questions?

No, that looks
pretty straightforward, yeah.

You think I've got
what it takes, Eric?

We'll see.

Do I need to keep it
from going over?

Yeah.

Don't be afraid to push hard,
get a little elbow grease in it.

Uh-ohh.

Oh, and you ripped
the paper.

Sorry, Eric.

I'm wondering
who's controlling who,

if the sander's controlling him
or he's controlling the sander.

Stick a new piece on.

Whoa!
That's all good.

Almost gotta get you
a step stool there.

Yeah, really.

Vertically challenged.

Thank you.

Pass or fail, Eric?

Let's look at it.

There you go.
Good job.

Sometimes people struggle
with that.

See, you're a great teacher,
that's why.

Tell me about your family.

Um, I have a son.

- Okay.
- He works here.

Oh, he does?

Yeah, I got him a job here.
His name's Josh.

- Josh, okay.
- Yeah, great kid, great kid.

So... and I have
a daughter, 18,

she's gonna go to college
in Utah.

Here again, I have an employee
whose son works for the company.

This really is
what I'm about.

In a family business, providing
opportunity for families

for many years to come.

How long you worked here
at the sign company?

Um, I've been here
25 years.

I started on the bottom,
you know, moved up.

About seven, eight years,

I was kind of going through
some personal stuff

and maybe wasn't giving
my best effort,

and then I questioned
a lot of things,

you know, like raises
I wasn't getting,

and I kind of realized,
you know,

the company didn't need
to change, I needed to change.

Interesting.

So I changed my attitude,

and then within three,
four months

after the attitude change,
they started this new...

what they call Interiors,
where we are now.

So I had to basically build
this department from scratch.

Oh, okay.

And I've been the boss over here
for nearly now 15 years.

How do you feel about,
uh, your bosses

and your work environment?

Um, things have changed
compared to how

when I originally came here.

There was a lot more,
like, tight-knit.

You know, we did more,
like, barbecues

and family, you know, picnics
and big Christmas parties and...

I see.

I'm horrified to hear Eric
talk about the culture shift

through the tough economy.

The pressure and stress
and anxiety

caused by the recession
has had an impact

in the experience
our employees have at work.

And how have sales been
holding up around here?

We have good designers,
but everything's always

out to bid, you know,
and we are considered,

product-wise, the best,

but some people don't care
about a great product.

You know, that's what people
take for granted.

Your sign says
a lot about you.

You seem very passionate
about all this.

Yes.
Signs, you know, been around

since, you know,
probably the Egyptians.

Okay.

You know, some guy comes
into Egypt from the desert,

you know, like, "Hey, I want
to get something for my camel."

Like, "Oh, where do I go?"

You have a sign
in front of it.

Camel feed.

All right, well, let's get
out of these hot suits,

and then we'll get
over to my office

and I'll show you some
of the paperwork with the EPA

and all the regulations
I have to do with the bank.

Eric embodies
the culture and spirit

of what we're trying to do
to deliver

the best quality
to our clients.

It's a great thing to imagine
that a frontline supervisor

like him is so connected
with customers' needs.

Come on in to my office.

So assuming I start
my company,

what advice you'd give for me
in starting my own business?

Do you have
the mental strengthness

to persevere, 'cause you're
gonna have a lot of hurdles.

There's always gonna be
that setback.

Like, to me, I actually had
an older son that my son now.

At six years old, he was
involved in a ATV accident.

- Oh, you're kidding me.
- Yeah, he was...

- and he died.
- This is Josh's older brother?

Yes.
Josh was four, he was six.

You have three children.
You've lost one.

Yeah, yes.

Oh, my God.

I don't talk about it
that much,

but it made me a very strong
person on the inside,

because I couldn't feel sorry
for myself.

I had to be strong
for my family.

I see.

And I kind of use that
going forward in life now.

My family, we have
a way of honoring him.

His birthday is 1/18,
so everything we do is 118.

So, like, my son
races motocross,

his number plate's 118,
so every aspect of our lives,

- we try to involve that number.
- Wow.

And it helps me get
through all the hurdles

and the bad part, 'cause if
I can go through that tragedy,

I can go through anything.
Just gotta realize, hey,

sun's coming up tomorrow,
bills still have to be paid,

no matter what.

I can hardly fathom

a parent going through
something like that.

I look at him and realize what
an amazingly strong man he is

to have overcome
such a big loss in his past.

And another thing that I would
suggest is, you know,

keep it simple.

One thing I've noticed is,
like, the larger you get,

the more red tape,
a lot more paperwork.

I see.

When I first came here,
it was more simple,

like, you know,
yellow scratch pad,

write it, do it,
build it.

Now we have a lot more,
and it seems like

you can get a big gap

in between the ground floor
and the top.

Never lose touch with the people
that are making you the money.

It's like when our owner
comes down from Salt Lake.

- He's a little guy...
- Huh.

But he's got a handshake on him
that you feel like

you're shaking the hand
of the Hulk.

Interesting.

Because he puts his passion
for the company

- in his handshake, you know...
- Interesting.

And when you're in his presence,
it's moving.

Like me, 25 years, every day,
that name has been on my chest,

and I choose to...
I'm not required to...

'cause I have pride
in the company, who I am,

but that's what you want,
you know,

build that family bond,
because they don't...

they're not gonna want
to let you down,

and that just strengthens you,
you know?

I see.
That's great advice for me.

I think it's gonna be
a great help to me as I move on.

Awesome, let's do...
it was good.

Eric embodies
the culture and spirit

of what we're trying to do
to deliver the best quality

to our clients, and I believe
from just hearing him

that his people are
very committed to him

and do an excellent job
in their department.

The undercover experience
has given me new eyes.

We promised my dad we would do
everything in our power

to provide jobs
for the families of YESCO.

When I hear people talk
about this company

just packing employees
and laying 'em off,

don't care and are just
only for the bottom line,

there's just no way
my grandfather

would ever have
anticipated this.

He had driving desire
for something better,

and it just magnifies
the level of responsibility

that I have to provide
for all of our employees.

I've seen the eyes
of the people affected.

I want to have an environment
where people feel appreciated.

If they feel cared about,
they'll do anything.

Significant changes
need to be made.

I want to give 'em hope.

I want to recognize
all the immense value

that they each bring to work
every day.

We've got to make this succeed,
no matter what.

The employees think
they're going to decide

if Alex deserves $1 million
to launch his own product.

Oh, my...

How will they react

when the boss reveals
his true identity?

I'm Jeff Young,
Co-owner of YESCO.

All right.

Ah, at least
the purple's gone.

Whoa!

I was kind of anxious
to get back to the old me.

Does that look
anything like me?

Oh, wow.
So no more fauxhawk?

No more fauxhawk.

I am done undercover,
and I learned so much.

I'm absolutely touched
by the sacrifice, service,

and loyalty
of my employees,

and I can't wait to fix
some of these problems.

Whoa!

Ah, at least
the purple's gone.

Michael, do you know
who I am?

You'd be Alex.

I'm Jeff Young,
co-owner of YESCO.

All right.

Hi, Jeff.
Nice to meet you.

Oh, wow.

You're on "Undercover Boss."

Oh, my...

Never in a million years.

Uh...

Sal...

I am so proud that you
represent YESCO.

I hope I do it well.

- That rainy morning...
- Yeah.

You had me climb
up that ladder,

up to heights frankly
I've not been to before.

Yeah, I'm not gonna look down
if that's okay.

What is it when you cross
claustrophobia

with a little bit
of heights?

A day at the office for us.

I watched your strength
and determination

in getting your job done.

I'm very impressed
with who you are

and how you present yourself
in the field.

Thank you.
I appreciate that.

Um, let's see what you do
with it, though.

Seriously, show me what
you're gonna do with it.

That's what I want to see.

You guys are a closed door
to the guys in the field.

They're out there 18 hours,
20 hours a day,

15 a day with you
in the rain.

You gotta stop that disconnect.
You've got to train your guys.

You've got to be
in touch with your guys.

If you want their loyalty,
you want their devotion,

their dedication, you gotta
show up, you gotta be there.

Well, the reason
I went undercover

was to hear
what the real story is,

and you've shared with me how
there's all of this inefficiency

and this lack
of training,

and because of what I learned
from you in the field,

I'm gonna bring you to Utah
for two days

for specialized training.

- Um...
- I'm not done yet.

You know what training
we need,

so I would like to work with you
to develop and implement

the training that's
so desperately needed,

and every tech
from coast to coast

will have an opportunity.

It would be a pleasure
and an honor.

So, Sal, a little coming back
the other direction.

We talked about your overtime,
we talked about your hours,

and we talked
about your health.

All that overtime
is bound to take

a toll on you
personally.

Sure does.

I'm gonna make
some immediate changes

so that the franchise operators
are aware of and sensitive

to what you're going through
in the field.

Well, I appreciate that
very much.

Sal, you took a pretty big hit
during the recession

in terms of your pension,
your retirement funds.

Yeah.

Obviously,
it's pretty depressing,

and it puts a lot of weight
on you,

but it happened
to so many other people,

that I personally can't...
"Oh, poor me, poor me."

Well, as a gift, I would like
to give to you $60,000

to replenish
your retirement funds.

Ah, that's a lot of money.

Thank you.
I thank you for, you know,

for inviting me
to be a part of this.

It's great meeting you.

It's nice meeting you.

Thanks for coming out west
to Salt Lake City.

My hope is that this experience
changes my life forever

by letting me kind of feel
like I was

part of something important,
that I affected change.

We'll be in touch with you
on that training.

- All righty.
- And good luck to you.

- We'll be in touch.
- Take care. We'll see you soon.

All right.
Thank you.

Having been told by Jeff that

I'm going to receive $60,000
to rebuild my pension plan

fills me with a great sense
of relief,

and I am very grateful
for that.

Eric.

Oh, wow.

You took me under your wing.
You suited me up in the suit.

You taught me all
the tricks of painting.

And I have to tell you,
I am so impressed

and so grateful for everything
you bring to this company.

Awesome.
It makes me feel so good.

Ain't nothing better
than to feel appreciated

by the people you work for.

It means a lot,
more than anything.

Working undercover with you
has given me new eyes,

and because of
this experience,

I want to put your ideas
in place.

Awesome, awesome.
I feel privileged.

I watched you flounder
just a little bit

about cutting out red tape.

- Yeah.
- I want to let you know

I was listening
very, very carefully.

I want to make
a personal assurance to you,

you and I are gonna sit down
in the next week or so,

and I want to get all your ideas

- down on paper...
- Okay.

Because I want to put 'em
in place.

Are you willing
to do that with me?

Oh, yes.
Most definitely.

I heard you talk about how
the culture at YESCO

seems to be more corporate
than family...

- Yes.
- And how that's impacted...

Yeah, it does.

Morale, and I want you
to know I've heard you.

I'm giving you and the other
foremen a fund...$25,000.

You'll be able to decide
whatever you need to do

to show your workers
your appreciation for them.

Oh, wow, unbelievable.

Eric, I had absolutely no idea
you had a tragedy.

No parent should ever
have to watch a child die,

and my heart
goes out to you.

It was tough.

He's a very gentle soul.

I still remember to this day,
you know, being in the room,

you know, he was being born
with my father-in-law.

You know, the doctor says,
"It's a boy," we both fist-pump

at the same time, "Yes!"
You know.

January 18, right?

Yes.

Eric, on January 18
of every year,

we will put your son
on 26 digital billboards

throughout the western U.S.

Thank you.

Thank you so...
to you and your family,

thank you.
It means a lot.

You guys are truly
great people.

For me personally, when I think
about what you've done

with your other kids,
I admire you so much

for the father you've been
to your children.

You have invested a ton of time
and effort in your kids.

I know Alyssa's headed
out to school.

Yeah, she wants to go to Dixie
in St. George.

I'm gonna give you
$40,000...

To pay for her education...

Oh, my God.
I wish...

She's gonna lose it.

In the name of your son,
Rayland.

Oh, my...

'Cause I've been...
oh, you don't know

how hard I've been
sweatin' that.

Oh, wow.

That's a life-changer
for my whole family.

I can't even believe it.
Ohh.

I can't thank you enough.

I want that handshake.

We'll get it.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.

- Oh, wow.
- Okay.

This company has changed
my life for the positive.

Now it's paying off
for my family

in a way that I thought
it never would.

- Hello?
- 'Lyssa,

they're gonna give me $40,000
for your education.

Oh, my God!
Are you serious, Daddy?

I'm dead serious.

I'm gonna cry right now!

I'm so happy
for my daughter.

It's gonna change her life,
you know?

You heard the expression,
my daughter, she's cry...

Oh, beautiful people,
beautiful people.

Michael, I think about you
working with Zach every day,

and it makes me so grateful
for the chance I have

to work with my father
every day.

It's been a blessing
to really just see him

take on more responsibility,

as he's doing stuff
he didn't think he could do.

Zach works
a four-hour shift.

Oh, yeah?
Why's that?

- Heart condition.
- He has a heart condition?

- Hi there. Nice to meet you.
- So nice to meet you.

How do you like
working here?

It's been a lot of fun working
with Dad and having...

it's having a great time.

Your story of your commitment
to your family

and the level
of sacrifice...

Is a story that needs to be told
to a lot of people.

As a father of five, I tell you,
it is a huge example for me

of what sort of father
I need to be for them,

and I need to thank you
for that,

but do you ever feel
like you just

have never really
had a break?

I had a break.
It was YESCO.

That means so much,
I can't even tell you.

I want to give you
a break today.

Michael, we'd like to give you
$100,000.

That's a lot of money.

Only if it doesn't
hurt the company.

If people are gonna be laid off,
I'd rather see them working.

Wow.

This gift to you in no way
hurts the company at all.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

I'm just working.

Give our love and best wishes
to your family.

I will.

I don't show a lot of emotions,

but I'm touched
by what he's done.

- Hey there.
- Hello.

So what happened?

Well, it was
"Undercover Boss."

Oh, no kidding.

They've been kind enough,
the Youngs, to give us $100,000.

Whoa.

I feel incredibly grateful
and humbled that they are

allowing me this chance at...

just...
everything.

Oh, wow, that's cool.

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