Press Release:
IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — O’Neill, the original surf, snow and youth lifestyle brand for more than 60 years, will be featured on the hit CBS reality series, “UNDERCOVER BOSS,” with CEO Toby Bost working in disguise alongside O’Neill employees in Orange County, Calif. and Las Vegas. The episode airs on CBS tonight from 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT. A preview of the episode can be seen here.
Bost has been CEO of O’Neill Clothing, a brand founded on the beaches of Santa Cruz by Jack
O’Neill in 1952, for the past seven years. During that time, he has seen 12 company stores open
and overall sales increase more than 100%. On tomorrow’s episode, Bost trades in his daily routine and O’Neill wardrobe for a fake mustache, gray hair and a buttoned up polo shirt, disguising himself to work alongside O’Neill staffers in one of the brand’s retail stores, the company’s warehouse and an affiliated screen-printing facility. Throughout the process of being undercover, he receives training and guidance from colleagues, and encounters a number of challenges with staff before revealing himself as the brand’s CEO at the conclusion.
“The UNDERCOVER BOSS experience was intense, and it certainly prompted me to remember the importance of little details,” said Bost. “The opportunity allowed me to examine our company from a new perspective and learn important lessons from our employees. In my position, you aren’t often able to replicate the retail experience through the eyes of an entry-level employee, for instance, so this allowed me to see the challenges they face every day. It also provided a closer view into our training and communications procedures that I wouldn’t have had the same access to otherwise.”
“I approached this opportunity as a unique chance to see how we can improve our operations, sales training and internal communication with employees,” added Bost. “I was able to have hands-on experiences and learn from the people who are creating and selling the clothes we make, engaging daily with consumers, buyers and other retail partners, and keeping this company ticking and thriving every day. There was no special preparation going in, there were certainly a lot of surprises and, most importantly, great insight in terms of where we can improve and better support our dedicated team members.”
For more than six decades, O’Neill has been instrumental in the progression of surfing, opening
the world’s first surf shop, inventing the wetsuit, surf leash, board bag and four-way stretch
boardshort. In 2012, the brand celebrated its history and founder, Jack O’Neill, with a number of
events and campaigns around the globe.
UNDERCOVER BOSS, now in its fourth season, is an Emmy Award-winning reality series that follows corporate executives as they slip anonymously into administrative and operational roles within of their own companies. Each week, a different executive leaves the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their corporation. While working
alongside their employees, they see the effects their decisions have on others and where problems lie within their organizations, while discovering and rewarding the unsung heroes who make their companies run.
For more information on the O’Neill Clothing / Toby Bost episode of CBS’s UNDERCOVER BOSS that airs Friday, February 22, 2013, go to oneill.com
