Undercover Boss (2010) s03e03 Episode Script
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates
Announcer: This week on Undercover Boss The president of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, the world's second largest family-owned wine company, poses as a man looking to pursue his dream job in the wine business.
Have you had our wines before? - I work in a grocery store - Okay.
So I know a little bit.
Here we go! [Grunts.]
Keep going, keep going.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Announcer: By working on the front lines Coming.
Announcer: he'll get a close-up look at his own company.
Is that your goal to stay with the Jackson family? Not having any benefits that does get to me.
Yeah.
Announcer: And along the way, he takes the ride of his life with a less-than-model employee.
Every job has its bull#@*$.
Managers can be #@*$.
I mean the first thing that comes to mind is "#@*$ you.
" Announcer: Coming up next on Undercover Boss.
Undercover Boss 3x03 - Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates Original air date January 29, 2012 Announcer: Headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, and with wineries spanning from Santa Barbara to Napa, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates produces more than 5 million cases of premium wine every year.
Overseeing this $1/2 billion a year industry is one man.
I'm Rick Tigner, president of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates.
So I'd like to take a couple minutes.
Just evaluate them, write down a couple notes.
I always tell everybody we're in the business of celebrating.
Celebrating success, celebrating people's daily lives.
- Smoky.
Woody.
- Yeah, a lot of woody in there.
Yeah? how good is that? This is, to me, a north coast Appalachian brand.
Kendall-Jackson was founded by Jess Jackson in 1982.
He was a very successful attorney, and he wanted to retire into the wine country.
So he bought a 80-acre pear orchard up in Lake County.
He transplanted it to grapes.
And today, we have over 1,000 employees, and we make over 5 million cases of wine a year.
All: - Cheers! - Yay! I grew up in Modesto, California.
My mom and dad got divorced when I was a young kid.
My father was a roofer, so when he wasn't working, he probably was out drinking.
So actually, after my father got his tenth D.
U.
I.
, you know, my father went to prison.
I worked my way through junior college in a liquor store, so I learned more about sales and marketing.
And that's when I knew that was my calling.
I met Jess in 1991.
Jess Jackson and I got along from the very, very beginning.
One vacation, maybe four years ago, and he took some executive staff up to Alaska to go fishing.
Instead of him going off with his family, he stood there side-by-side with me all day long, showing me how to fish.
That would have been never anything I would have ever done with my father.
I've been with the company for 20 years.
For the first 19 years, I ran sales and distribution.
Last may, I was actually sitting down with Jess Jackson, and at that point, he goes, "well, why don't you just take over the presidency?" "Are you ready yet?" And I said, "well, I'm ready today.
" He goes, "well, then, today's the day.
" And so he gave me that opportunity after years and years of working well together.
After a long, courageous battle with cancer, Jess Jackson passed away in April.
Everything that I have is all provided by Jess Jackson, so for me today I'd like to thank him personally.
For me, that was a tough day.
Because I didn't really have a father figure in my childhood, you know, Jess kind of filled that void.
To Jess.
All: To Jess.
So I think for me to continue on Jess' legacy as the new president, I owe that to the family, but I also I owe that to Jess.
Well, my wife, Wendy we've actually been married, you know, 24 years.
Three great kids, and we've had a really good life.
But about four years ago, my wife was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Ah! [Laughs.]
I got them.
Living with Parkinson's does have its obstacles.
My wife literally has to take seven or eight pills a day.
- How's your ankle? - Oh, it's a little sore.
When I was diagnosed with this disease, it was not easy.
But, you know, we made the commitment to each other through sickness and in health.
Should we get home for dinner? - Let's go.
- Okay.
I gotta really spend time being a great husband, and, um, I definitely gotta be there for her.
Are you ready to go, honey? - Aww.
- We should get your pills ready - before I leave.
- Okay.
You're always so good about my pills.
The reason I want to go undercover is people ask the question, "what's gonna happen" "to the company?" All the eyes are watching to see if I'm gonna be able to fill Jess Jackson's boots.
- Do I have everything? - It looks like you do.
During the economic downturn, people drank less wine.
And that took an effect on our overall business.
We actually froze the 401K plan.
That was very tough.
I really have yet to have the opportunity to sit down with the people in production to really get an understanding of where the morale is.
So what we're gonna do is use the bright light to set everything, and then place all the brackets on.
Okay.
When I'm undercover, I'm gonna be Jake Williams, a grocery store manager from Plano, Texas.
[Chuckles.]
My employees will be told that I'm taking part in a reality show, where I have to make a big decision.
Do I keep my day job, or do I take my dream job in the wine business? Today, I'm going to be working in Monterrey where we own over 3,000 acres of land.
Everything that we do starts in the vineyards.
You cannot make great wine out of inferior grapes.
- Are you Laura? - I am.
I'm Jake.
Very seldom do I ever get out into the vineyards.
I have not actually been to this vineyard for the last two years.
The reason I want to work with a production team is because they're actually our largest team inside Kendall-Jackson.
So the vineyard manager I'm working with today they're responsible for the actual infancy of the grape.
And before it goes from the vine to the wine, they're one of the most important parts of this organization.
We're gonna do some crop estimation.
In the wine industry, you want to be able to predict how much fruit you're gonna be getting at harvest.
So we'll go around and count clusters.
- It's very simple.
- Yeah? I'll follow you.
Hello! So everyone, this is Jake.
- Jake.
- Hi, I'm Jake.
So how long have you guys, uh, worked here? - Um, we're gonna head this way.
- Okay.
You'll be needing this.
It's English-Spanish dictionary.
Oh! - Do you do you know Spanish? - I don't yet.
You don't? It's definitely a lifesaver.
What's the most common word I'm gonna have to - Topos.
- Wait, what's that? - Gophers.
- Oh, gophers? There are gophers everywhere.
Okay, I'll watch out for the gophers.
Okay.
So we're gonna go down those rows, count how many bunches there are, - and then we write it down.
- Okay.
So it's it's in florescence right now, so it's flowery.
Is that what those little buds are? Yeah, so this is an ovary.
That's what gets fertilized.
And then it develops into the berry.
How do you know all that? [Chuckles.]
School.
[Laughter.]
So right now, we're just gonna come in.
You got one, two clusters - three, four - Ooh, sorry.
- All right.
- Do you wanna try this one? Will you double-check my work after I'm done? - Yeah, yeah.
- Okay.
Three, four nothing on that one.
Did you get this one back here? I'm sure I missed that one.
With the contacts and the fact that I don't have my glasses, it's hard to see through all the green leaves to count the exact clusters.
Uh-oh.
Think I might have broke one there.
I'm gonna bend that one down.
I'm already sweating.
Broke another one.
[Chuckles.]
That's disastrous.
I mean, that's like dropping money on the ground.
You realize you have this whole block to do, so you're gonna have to pick up the pace a little bit.
Is that what everyone else does? - They all run? - Mm-hmm, yeah, they all run.
[Sighs.]
Here we go.
Come on.
[Sighs.]
Broke off another leaf.
[Sighs.]
Whew.
Running up and down the hill, I was sweating, and pain in my knees and my back All right.
[Sighs.]
This is definitely a difficult job.
I respect the guys who do this job every day.
All that tennis pays off.
I bet all the other guys are already all done by now.
I'm coming! If he was gonna work out in the field, he'd really have to pick up the pace.
- So we're gonna compare notes.
- Yeah, yeah? I did three rows.
How many did you do? You might have to use your dictionary.
Oh.
He can't understand you, so in order to work with him I don't see the word "how" in here, are you sure? - That's the Spanish side.
- Oh.
Como.
Como.
"How," right? You'd think you'd have an interpreter right here.
This is kinda what I go through.
I was actually frustrated with myself.
I never wanna struggle with communication.
I always think I'm a good communicator.
Como esta usted? That's all I know.
[Laughs.]
Oh, how long have you worked here? - Employed.
- You could just use trabajo.
Como [indistinct.]
Whatever that word was.
Cuantos anos trabajo? - Mm, cinco.
- Cinco? - Cinco? Five years? - Five years.
Is there a gap between the English-speaking management and the Spanish-speaking management? If there is, we gotta close that gap.
You use this all day long to ask questions? Yeah.
Jess was a teacher and an educator.
So whether it's Laura learning Spanish, or Spanish-speaking employees learning more English, that would be great.
And I think, as an organization, that's the least we can do.
We're gonna do some replants.
Every year, we get casualties.
Equipment will hit them, gophers will take them out.
Now we're gonna dig down.
Okay, so we got our plant out.
You want to make sure that the roots are pointing down.
Then you're gonna push some dirt in.
- Then we're gonna pack it down.
- Okay.
Then you can do the next one.
So what's the training like? - How did you get trained? - College.
You definitely have to get your degree, and Okay.
So I took entomology, plant physiology, - just you name it.
- Right.
While I was going to school, well, I was the vineyard intern.
- Okay.
- This is where I want to be.
- I like the agricultural side.
- Right.
I am young, and I am a woman in this field, which isn't common.
It's hard going into a crew of 12 guys.
So how do you do that? It's all a matter of respect, I feel like.
Yeah.
I think Laura's great.
She's 24 years old, she has a large future in front of her.
She's very enthusiastic, and she's very smart.
She has a lot of skills that will shine as she grows in this business.
Nicely done.
That was great.
Announcer: Coming up [Grunts.]
Announcer: Rick is horrified by the attitude of one of his truck drivers.
First thing that comes to your mind is "#@*& you.
" Announcer: Rick Tigner is a boss undercover in his own company.
- Are you Laura? - I am.
I'm Jake.
Announcer: He's posing as a grocery store worker, thinking about trading his current job for his dream job in the wine industry.
I'm coming! Announcer: His journey continues in Napa, California.
Today, I'm gonna be working with one of our truck drivers here at the Kendall-Jackson distribution center.
The world of wine is very competitive.
My goal was to create what I call a "concierge level of service.
" And to me, the truck driver is an extension of the salesperson.
- Hello! - Hey, how you doing? I'm good.
Hey, I'm Jake Williams.
Jake, Rene Castellanos, nice to meet you.
Hey, you too.
Very much so.
You can win or lose a sale at the back door, if you don't deliver at the right time, if you don't have the right relationship with our customers.
So we want our truck drivers to be nice and professional, so they have an ongoing relationship.
Today, we're just gonna be delivering to restaurants, and a couple accounts that I have - on my route in the peninsula.
- Okay.
- Is that far from here? - Yeah.
- It's about 70 miles.
- Okay.
I drive about 220 miles a day.
- Okay.
- With an average of, you know, - 27 to 30 stops.
- Okay.
And uh, we just gotta get started more than anything.
Okay.
So is this the is this your truck? Yeah, it's my truck.
It's my baby, it's my office.
- All right.
- It's my everything.
How how long have you been with the company? I've been with the company a little over three years.
- Yeah.
- You get burnt out real quick, just sitting in traffic for two hours.
Oh, my God.
And it'll drive you stir-crazy.
- Every day? - Yeah.
You know, you're liable to snap.
Where we're going right now is called "Van's On The Hill.
" This case right here is case one of three.
- Okay, how do you know that? - Says, "one of three.
" - Oh, there you go.
- There's a little bump.
- You might wanna pull it, so - Okay.
[Grunts.]
There you go.
Use your legs.
Use your legs.
Jake, I don't want you get hurt, - so when you go like this - Right, right.
- say, like this - Yeah.
and pull up with your legs, not your arms or your back.
Just your legs.
There you go.
Use your legs.
[Grunts.]
You're lucky they didn't order the normal.
- Whoa! - The five, six cases.
You're good, don't worry about it.
I almost I almost lost it.
- You ever lost one? - No.
[Grunts.]
[Laughter.]
There you go, man.
Good job.
Now turn it around.
Let's go.
Almost took my midsection out there.
- Can I help you? - Hey, I'm Jake.
- Nice to meet you.
- You too, very much so.
Kendall-Jackson, okay.
Wine goes in this area.
Okay, how's your day going? Couldn't be better.
Sorry about coming at lunch, Rich.
[Clears throat.]
No.
I need one more.
I'm learning how to do the job today.
Yeah, do they? Very good, thank you.
There was a little sarcasm there.
- Yeah? - "I'm glad these guys came in" "at the right time this time.
" He was messing with us.
Yeah, 'cause we're here at lunch.
Right.
Every job has its perks, and every job has its bull#@&* - you gotta deal with, you know? - Yeah.
My job just happens to have a lot of bull#@&*.
Half my stops want their wine before 11:00 A.
M.
Yeah.
- Managers can be #@&*.
- Yeah.
But like, you know, I've been told, like, "what the @#&* are you doing here right now?" Yeah.
And, like, what do you want me to do? You either want the wine, or you don't, you know? - That's on you.
- Right.
I'm shocked about the language.
People were #@&*.
I'm shocked by his attitude towards our customers.
You know, if I was really a new employee, learning about his experience and how he treats some of our customers yeah, unacceptable.
People in the office think the drivers are lazy - or do this or do that.
- Right.
The drivers think that the people in the office - are lazy or do this or do that.
- Yeah.
- They're not my co-workers.
- Yeah.
They're just work associates.
I mean, after a 16-hour day, and they tell you this or that or try to give you attitude.
I mean, the first thing that comes to mind is "#@&* you.
" You know, I mean, I'm out there doing it while you're behind here sitting behind a desk Right, so no there no no teamwork kind of a thing or I'm I'm on team Rene.
The goal of concierge-level service is, "how do we work as a team?" So for me to see individuals out there not working as a team frustrates me.
But I don't believe you can be a team if you're just you're just one person.
[Beeps in reverse.]
- Go ahead.
- Here it goes, Mikey.
- Wait.
- Oh, wait for it to finish? Wait until its ass end is on the way up.
- There you go.
- All right.
We're missing four.
This is to another account.
Jake wouldn't be able to do my job.
I thought you were done with these.
I I'll do them.
I'm not doing them as fast as you.
He's a grown-ass man.
I could practically be his kid, and I'm telling him to hurry the #@&* up, you know? Let's go, Jake.
You grab one side, I'll grab the other.
Sounds good.
How am I doing? - It is what it is.
- Yeah? [Laughs.]
- Yeah, you know? - Yeah.
I it's obviously gonna take a while, you know what I mean? Your goal at the end of the day @&* customer service, @&* all that - Yeah.
- is having that truck empty, because there's nothing better than knowing that you could just get there, turn off your truck, - and clock out and go home.
- Yeah.
But then you've got those days, like I've had this problem with this guy a couple times now where he takes his sweet-ass time.
I call one of the girls in the office.
I'm like, look, this guy takes his sweet-ass time - every single day.
- Yeah.
He's like, "okay, no worries.
" Okay, 40 minutes into it, and here comes this guy with a smile on his face, like, "hey!" I was like, "dude, what took you so long?" He was like, "oh, you shut up.
" I'm like, "I'm out of here, bro.
" He took way too long, 45 minutes.
- Yeah.
- He's like, "you're an #@&*.
" I'm like, "dude, I already called" "the company and told them you're #@&*.
" And, you know, tempers flair.
You done? Uh, yeah.
I b yeah, I'm done.
- Let's go.
- But uh, yeah.
You know, the one comment he made today was, "who cares about customer service?" It was all about emptying the truck.
And when he talked about the one customer and really kinda telling him off a little bit, for me, that was a little shocking.
Here's what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna make a quick phone call, okay? - Okay.
- All right? [Phone rings.]
Mike.
Hey, Mike.
It's Rick Tigner.
Hey, Rick.
How are you doing? I'm actually out on one of the trucks today.
Working with Rene, and it kinda disappoints me that he kind of talks the way he talks about with the customers.
Right.
If he has not used the "F" bomb 50 times, I'd be shocked.
He said he had to use the phone.
I have no idea what the #@&* he's doing.
He's taking his sweet-ass time though.
If this was really Rick Tigner, I I would actually tell the guy right now, "dude, you might be an okay guy," "but your actions and the way you" I don't know.
I almost fired him today.
Oh, hey, well, listen.
I mean, I can tell from your voice you're pissed.
I don't want our employees to act like that.
I don't want the foul language with our customers.
That is not a concierge-level of service.
I'm not sure where Rene's future is with our company.
I'm here today in Santa Rosa, California.
I'm gonna be working on one of our mobile bottling lines.
The mobile bottling unit is actually an 18-wheel truck.
And we move it around from winery to winery to winery.
So that we don't have to actually move the juice.
So they're very cost-effective and efficient.
I'm looking for Marcos.
All right, thanks.
As a customer walks through a grocery store, we want to make sure that when it says "Kendall-Jackson," it's perfect on the bottle.
So today, what I'm hoping to find is perfection.
A high level of quality control.
- Hey, I'm looking for Marcos.
- Um, I am Marcos.
- Hey, Marcos.
I'm Jake.
- Nice to meet you, Jake.
How you doing? I'm doing good.
I'm looking forward to learning.
- Yeah, okay.
Let's do it! - All right.
[Chuckles.]
I say, well, the guy that guy must be from Texas, you know? [Laughs.]
'Cause of guy with a hat, you know? What we're going to be doing Where is the wine? The wine comes from inside.
- You grab one case.
- Okay.
- And then you're gonna dump it.
- Oh! Okay.
- Move it forward - Okay.
- and lift up.
- Lift it up.
Okay? All right.
Grab one case right there.
Okay.
You gotta push it first.
Yeah, I got it, I got it.
No, just There you go.
That was my fault.
I k I keep an eye on over there, you keep - Oh! - Keep going, keep going.
All right, all right, all right.
I got it, I got it, I got it.
A little clumsy here.
Let me show you my way, so you can see, okay? Whoo! Double! All right, try to do that.
You want me to try to do that? - Try to do that.
- Oh, man.
Here we go! All right, you ready? - I want loud, loud, loud.
- All right? There you go.
[Bottles clanking.]
I got it, I got it, I got it.
I got it, I got it, I got it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! [Groans.]
Watch your finger, watch your finger, watch your finger.
I was somewhat of a disaster.
Unloading the bottles, they were falling down everywhere.
You got that one that broke? - I got it, I got it.
- All right.
That was a skill I I just don't have.
And we don't even go fast right now.
Trying, boss.
It costs us a lot of money.
Costs us a lot of money.
[Bottles clinking.]
- Hold on, hold on.
- I'm gonna stop.
We're gonna stop.
You gotta keep up.
All right, Jake, - so we're gonna move over.
- All right, Marcos.
- Okay.
- 'Cause you got bottles, boxes, - you have to have to real fast.
- Yeah.
And then you're going to put a plastic sheet.
Okay.
- You close the box - Right.
and it goes here.
And does it all automatically.
All right, here we go.
All right, guys.
We're ready.
Game time.
[Dramatic music.]
I got plastic everywhere, I got stuff running.
Push it, push it, push it.
Watch out.
Just pushed it out there, huh? - Gotta go faster.
- Like, I can't figure out how to get the plastic thing in there very well and [sighs.]
Now we working! I don't know.
Whoa! I gotta pick up the speed here.
Oh, what's that? I got a runner here.
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! [Groans.]
Announcer: Rick Tigner is a boss undercover in his own company.
I gotta pick up the speed here.
Announcer: But currently, he's got his hands full on the bottling line.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Jake he didn't have a clue what a bottling line does.
Yeah, a little bit.
It is embarrassing to come in as the boss and do one of our fundamental jobs, and really not be able to keep up.
Okay, Jake You're going to be assigned to the labeling for now.
Make sure all the bottles get labeled like that, you know? Are you are you a local boy? Do you do you live around here? - Every day? - Every day.
And that's what I like to do.
I thought Marcos was very, very passionate.
A great trainer.
Make sure there's no, uh, no, uh - bubbles? - No bubbles.
It was very, very hard to keep up.
But very impressed with the mobile bottling line.
All right, let's take a break.
Let's sit down.
That's what I do.
So what do you do outside of work? To have fun and I'm a DJ.
I'm a I'm a Mexican DJ.
You're the guy up on the Actually, they don't do that scratch anymore.
It's all mixed now.
All the the the beats and all that.
You name it.
So you do a lot of weddings and that kind of stuff? Weddings, uh, quinceaneras, you know? Baptisms, you know, birthdays.
Yeah? That actually sounds pretty fun.
[Chuckles.]
- Yeah.
- You know? Tell me about a little more about you.
Family, kids.
I got three kids.
My wife actually has a somewhat of an illness.
She has, uh, Parkinson's disease.
Wow.
So she doesn't get around as much as she used to get.
And um, so that's why we're trying to figure out about making a big decision.
You know, I work for a relatively good company now, and for me to actually, you know, quit my day job.
I'm looking for a company that has sort of those values.
And I'm not really sure what kind of Yeah, over here over he Kendall-Jackson been like every other company.
- Yeah.
- It's been up and down.
Up and down.
I mean, it's tough, you know? - Yeah.
- But you have to do what you have to do.
So uh, how long have you worked here? - Almost 20 years.
- Wow.
How long do you plan on staying at this company? Myself, you know, I'm getting tired of driving and everything.
Right.
The traveling has been the toughest 'cause you spend less time with your family.
That makes it more, you know, difficult.
And you know, sometimes you'll feel underappreciated.
Yeah? Jess Jackson passing on, you think things are changing now with the company? It's going to definitely, it's going to be a change.
New boss comes in, and you know, we've got to prove ourselves to to the new boss that we can handle a business.
You know, I I want the 15, you know, they've helped build this company.
You know, during those growth years.
And now, especially as we continue on to grow the company, I want those 20-year veterans and 15-year veterans to know they have a home here.
Did you ever get to meet Jess and spend time Yes, I met him in '90 I think it was '89, '90.
Wow.
[Scoffs.]
And then this company grew so fast.
Before Jess passed away, he just put us in a really good position.
As the new president, all the eyes are upon me.
All right, Jake, let's go back to work.
All right.
I think about him.
His ambition for this company to last for generations.
It is a big challenge.
After spending time with Marcos and hearing him talk about his family, you know, it really makes me miss my wife.
You know, I haven't been away from her in quite a while.
Makes me curious as to see what she's doing today 'cause I really miss her.
[Sighs.]
[Phone rings.]
Hello? - Hey, sweetie.
- Hi! There's no question that, without her and her support and her love, I wouldn't be where I am today.
How you doing? I'm just not feeling that great.
And I definitely gotta be there for her.
I owe it to her.
[Lively music.]
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates Company actually owns over 20-plus wineries.
Murphy-Goode is actually a relatively new brand for us.
It's priced a little bit below Kendall-Jackson, so it actually brings in new customers to the Kendall-Jackson family.
I'm gonna be working undercover at our Murphy-Goode tasting room here in the heart of the wine country.
- Welcome.
- Jake Williams.
Jake Williams, nice to meet you, I'm Savannah.
Hi, Savannah.
The tasting room is so important.
Usually, it's the first time people are exposed to many of our wines, and it's critical in helping generate revenue for our newer brand.
So first thing, we do have a dress code that's here.
- Definitely not your hat.
- Okay.
Well, I'll take my jacket off.
I started out in 1984 as a salesperson, so it's been a long time since I've been engaging with customers.
So I'm a little nervous to get started.
Have you had our wines before? Uh, never.
I've actually had wine before.
You've had wine before.
But uh, I work in a grocery store - Okay.
- So I know a little bit.
When people come in, you're gonna greet them.
- Okay.
- And we offer 10% off if they come in with a complimentary card.
We also have a wine club.
Our wine club is four times a year.
Right now we're doing a special promotion, which is if they join today, they get 50% off of any purchases that they make.
[Clears throat.]
That's a lot to remember.
And if you have a question, just say, "Savannah," and I'm here to help you.
Okay, so let's start out by opening up the wines.
We get to drink the wines too? Do we do we drink with them? I typically don't just drink through the whole day.
[Laughter.]
I'm gonna just kind of walk in, and so greet me if I was your customer.
All right, let's do it.
- So here I am.
- Okay, how you doing today? I'm doing great, how are you? Okay, would you like to have a tasting? All right, sounds good.
So you pour that much.
It's good.
Okay.
So now I'm gonna have you smell the wine, so you can kinda get the fruit or the flavors.
I mean, it smells smells good.
You can taste a little bit.
No big gulps.
No big gulps, no shots slamming slamming down, bottoms up.
[Laughs.]
Okay.
- Tastes good.
- Tastes good.
- Yeah.
- So summer day, kind of porch wine, goes good with food.
Yeah, porch wine.
That's a good way to explain it.
Here we go.
How you folks doing? - Good, how are you? - Oh, very good.
This is the Pinot Grigio.
And when I tasted it, I thought it had a little bit of I'm gonna say pear or maybe apple kind of flavors.
Is that close? Everyone kind of gets a different sensation on their palate.
- Can I get you to the next one? - Sure.
This is the Snake Eyes Zinfandel.
If that's not enough, just tell me.
- Hi, you guys, welcome.
- How you folks doing? - Six? All right.
- All right.
Oh, you gotta have a hat, man.
Yeah, you gotta have a hat.
Today, we're tasting, uh, five wines.
I should have done the lady first.
Hi, how are you? So here's the, uh oh, that one's wrong.
Here, here you go.
This is where it is, right here.
I got a little "miscombobulated.
" Uh, if you join the wine club, it's, uh, half price today.
I think that's right.
Nah, I don't know.
I'll ask her.
She's the - Oh, okay.
- Yeah, yep.
But it'll all be good.
Little bit rusty in the sales aspect.
Alexander Valley Chardonnay.
Really tough to all take in in a really short period of time.
What can you tell me about it? Well, I can read the the back of it.
And then you got new customers coming in.
It was very hectic.
Very busy.
Times have changed since I was a salesperson, you know? They've come a long way, and I just haven't kept up.
So if we join the wine club You choose from the mix, which is occasional whites and reds, and you get that deal 50% off.
- You get 50% off of? - Anything you bought today, you would get 50% off.
- There you go.
- Boom.
It's very flexible, so let's just say you don't like cabernet, and it shows up in a shipment.
You can change things around.
You know what? I will take this.
Savannah is a lady who knows her stuff, and she knew a lot about wine.
- And you want pick-up, right? - Yes.
All right, sounds good.
And she had a great reaction with the customers, and they reacted to her as well.
Now you're part of the family.
Come back anytime.
Thank you.
I came here today, thinking about how the sales were going So enjoy.
You guys got your wine.
They're in great hands here at Murphy-Goode tasting room.
So um, how did you get into this? [Sighs.]
Well, I got into it on the Internet.
You can only work in a grocery store maybe for so long.
And how's that there? Do you get benefits? - Do you get good salary or - Yeah.
I mean, I'm making o okay money.
So do you have medical benefits here? I don't at the moment, and I don't have a 401K.
Yeah.
You married? Kids? What's your? I'm not married, but I do have three wonderful children.
So are you a full-time employee, or are you a part-time employee? Well, they consider it part-time, - but I work 38 to 40 hours.
- Okay.
Is that your goal to stay with the Jackson family? I mean, I love the industry.
I love my job, but at the same time, like, not having any benefits for my children - that does get to me.
- Yeah, yeah.
We would hate to lose a great employee like Savannah, so when I get back to the office, we're definitely gonna evaluate our benefit program as well as our 401K.
I can't imagine three kids and working 38 hours and no benefits and I've been working since I was 14.
I've been on my own since I was about 14, 15.
- Wow.
- Family lifestyle wasn't, um, very suitable.
You know, we're over it now.
Yeah.
But at that time, it was really hard for me.
Yeah, when I was young, my father left when I was, you know, probably 12.
And you know, my father went to prison and, you know, died of a drug overdose, so, you know, that See, my mom passed away from a drug overdose as well.
Yeah? She, uh, passed away.
I was not even two.
So my dad was a single father, and so, you know, he had his girlfriend.
And then it was at the point where no one got along, and then they'd push me away.
And they told me to leave, and so I did.
So you were were you homeless? I was homeless, yeah.
I couldn't go to school 'cause I had no place to live.
- Yeah.
- But all the time, by the grace of God, there was always a way.
Someway, I always got through everything.
Yeah, that's a that's a lot for Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
[Clears throat.]
Definitely.
You know, I do think about us being a family business.
And you know, she's had a tough upbringing, and, uh, she survived.
Figure everything gets put in my path for a reason.
Yeah.
She's doing the best she can, but I was also thinking about those three kids.
Kinda brought it all back to home.
So [Clears throat.]
- Should we head back to work? - Yeah, we should, yep.
You know, here I am, the president, so the question is, you know, how do how I help? I hope my daughters are as strong as you.
How do we make a difference in her life and really make her a part of the [clears throat.]
you know, the Kendall-Jackson family? Announcer: Coming up Rick summons his employees to evaluate his performance.
The vineyard side for Jake would not be the best position for him.
Announcer: But first he wants to make sure everyone is on the same team.
Team Kendall-Jackson is more important than team Rene.
My customers are involved in team Rene.
They're my co-workers.
Not the people back at at the shop.
My undercover experience has come to an end.
It was amazing for me this week.
I met some great people, and I also learned the things that needed to be fixed in the company.
There's on issue I wanna take care of right away.
[Ominous music.]
Do you know who I am? - You look familiar.
- Yeah? Well, my name's actually Rick Tigner, and I'm actually the president of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates.
[Chuckles.]
Right? Have you have you ever met me before? Jake.
You think Jake Williams walked away with a with a great impression? I have no idea.
For me, you're you're a young guy.
You know, to me, you lack a little maturity and a little self-awareness.
Some other shocking parts were, you know, the truck-driver language.
There's no haze over your eyes, you know? With me, you see what you get.
When you were talking about team Rene and you said, you know, customer service isn't important, and it's all about getting the cases off the truck customer service, for me personally, is one - Yeah.
- of the most important things.
I don't have a problem with with, uh, customer service.
@&* customer service.
But at the end of the day, I want those cases off my truck.
There's something going wrong here.
- Yeah.
- That I really don't think, in my heart of hearts, is that it's an issue with the company you work for.
I think it it had a lot to do with you.
Team Kendall-Jackson is more important than team Rene.
What do you want me to say? I mean I want to hear you say that almost out loud.
[Chuckles.]
Okay.
My customers are involved in team Rene.
They're my co-workers.
Not the people back at at the shop.
I think, uh I think you're wrong about that, saying, "I don't really have any friends back in the office," and I want you to know that you do.
As much as I understand where you're coming from, and I mean, look at you.
You're on that side.
- Right.
- You know what I mean? You went to college.
And and so three years of frustration maybe came off to you like I'm not a team player or whatnot.
At the end of the day, I'm good at what I do, okay, so Look, I'm all about team Kendall-Jackson, and you're all about team Rene.
If we're gonna go right, and you may wanna go left and I say, "we're going right," we're all going right because that's where the team goes.
Here's what I would like you to do.
I'm actually gonna ask you to step away from the truck.
What I wanna do for the next 30 days is suspend you from being a truck driver and have you shadow people in the office and be a part of that team.
You need to learn some of those skills, and I think that'll make you a better manager and a better truck driver.
I love the truck, but I'll do whatever.
I was a little ambushed, but I mean, it's fine.
I still feel the way I feel.
And to know that I'm gonna be caged up, i it's gonna be very difficult.
Nobody wants to work in an office once you've been a driver.
It's really hard to tie up a free a a a freelance dog after a while, you know? He's gonna you're gonna bite at the leash.
I've invited some of the employees I've worked with this week up to Jess Jackson's estate.
They think they're here to vote on whether or not I should keep my day job.
The vineyard side for Jake would not be the best position for him.
I'd rather just keep it honest instead of having him leave his day job for something that wouldn't work out for him.
[Suspenseful music.]
- How you doing? - All right.
Do you know who I am? I don't, sir.
I really don't.
- You think I'm Jake? - Yeah.
But you got your braces off.
[Laughs.]
I'm actually Rick Tigner.
I'm actually the president of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates.
Oh.
[Chuckles.]
You look different.
Oh, my gosh.
How did I do? Well, you kinda sucked, in that area, you know? Oh, my goodness.
[Laughs.]
Well, it's nice to meet you.
Laura, when I look back on the day that I met you, you know, it was like, "hey, here's this young lady" "involved in a big part of our business.
" But the reality for me is, I've never really spent much time in the vineyards.
- Mm-hmm.
- Wh which was obvious, right? Yeah, definitely.
[Laughter.]
I'm sorry I made you run up the hill.
I try I tried my best.
I really, really did.
Laura, I know you're energetic, your ambition is high, and you wanna learn more.
You know, we're gonna spend about $50,000 on a manager training program.
You know, you could be a part of that and then get to that next level.
And then the next level, and the next level beyond that.
Aww, thank you.
You know, one of the most serious things I saw this week is people not being able to communicate with each other.
- Mm-hmm.
- Th that doesn't work.
We're gonna commit $50,000 to actually create a language training program find a way to improve that communication gap that we have.
That's incredible.
One of my goals too is I need to improve my language skills and actually, you know, learn some Spanish so that I can communicate better with the employees.
- Really? - Yeah, yeah.
And there's one more thing I wanna do for you.
You know, you're 24 years old.
- Just got out of college - Yeah.
Do you have any student loans? - Yeah.
- I wanna give you $10,000 to pay for your student loans.
- Are you serious? - Yeah, we are.
[Laughs.]
I really I can't even put words to it.
I'm shocked right now.
- Thank you so much.
- Yeah.
It feels amazing that he really wants me to do well in this company.
It means a lot to me.
I think it's incredible.
Savannah.
You know I ran sales for Kendall-Jackson for 19 years? - Wow.
- I gotta work on my skills.
You gotta work on your skills, yes, definitely.
Did I teach you anything? Oh, you were great.
You were great.
You're resilient, and your your positive attitude and, you know, you were 14 years old, and you went out on your own.
And, you know, you had some struggles, and you talked about being homeless.
That's inspired me.
So we're actually gonna donate $10,000 in your name to a homeless shelter of your choice.
Oh, my God.
There's a lot of people who need it.
You're so generous and so kind.
Well, I'm not done yet.
Oh.
[Chuckles.]
So I know you've been working hard.
You told me that you work six days a week as a part-time employee.
You have three kids.
So the one thing we're gonna do is we're gonna offer you a full-time job.
[Giggles.]
I am overly happy.
I I don't think it's all sunk in yet.
You are now a full-time employee.
That's a $5,000 raise.
- Oh, my gosh.
- On top of that that comes along with medical benefits.
[Chuckles.]
The medical benefits even though you're eligible for them, they actually do cost money, so we're gonna cover the first $5,000 of your first year of medical costs.
Thank you so much.
It's like I'm not a big crier, but it's just coming.
And it's just oh, my gosh.
As a company we we've actually suspended 401Ks.
For us, as a company, you know, it's a million-dollar expense.
You know, it's people like you that need benefits and have to think about their retirement.
So as a company, we're actually gonna restore the 401K - in the next 30 days.
- Oh, my God.
So how does that make you feel that that's because of you? [Mouths words, sighs.]
Wow, I feel so blessed.
[Chuckles.]
I will never forget this day.
Ever forget this day.
Things like this don't happen to me.
Ever.
[Chuckles.]
I just feel so honored, you know? From everything I've gone through, the days I was homeless and I at night, there was nowhere to go, and I was freezing cold.
I it's all worth it.
It's all worth it at this moment.
Marcos, so I understand you've been with the company - for 20 years.
- That's correct, sir.
I've actually been with the company for 20 years.
But what you may not know is we actually started the same week.
- Wow.
- The other thing I learned about you that day was, you know, you have fun.
And I think the fact that you're a DJ was just incredible.
You know, I'm gonna give you $5,000 to buy some new DJ equipment.
Oh, thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
At the next company party, you know I'm gonna want you to be the DJ.
Oh, my God, all right.
Yeah.
- That's a promise.
- All right? That's a promise.
I know that you're driving an hour and a half to work and an hour and a half back every day, and I know how much gas costs these days.
You know, I'm gonna give you $5,000 to pay for your gas.
That's amazing.
Thank you very much, sir.
I really appreciate, you know, the what you're doing right now.
Yeah, and you've had a chance to meet Jess Jackson.
Yeah.
Yes, I did.
And uh, actually Jess lived on this lived on this property.
And uh, he rests here, so to me, it makes it even more special to sit here with you today.
And I think he would have loved working with you.
You know, we talk about appreciation and, you know, again, I think the thing you were worried - about was about recognition.
- Yes.
And uh, we're gonna start a new tradition, and you're gonna be the first.
You're gonna be the recipient of the Jess Stonestreet Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award.
It's gonna be for those people that actually live on with the vision of Jess Jackson, that continue on with a passion, and for those people who actually have shown loyalty throughout the years.
For that, you know, we're gonna give you $10,000.
Wow.
Wow.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
You know, thank you very much.
All right, but I'm not done yet.
Okay.
You work hard.
I want to make your life easier.
And I think you need to spend time with your family.
I want to give you $10,000 to go on paid vacation.
Wow.
And you can go anywhere in the world.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Yeah.
I sat there on the pallets the other day, and I thought here's a guy who feels unappreciated.
Yeah.
But I have to do what I have to do to keep keep food on the table, you know? That's important.
Okay.
Well, thank you.
WowWow As a friend, you know? It's amazing.
The only thing for me But uh oh, my God.
As I think back on the week, I met a lot of people.
A positive attitude can overcome a lot of adversity in your life, and I'm gonna strive for that as I go forward.
What I was looking for this week was the vision of Jess Jackson.
What I found out is that I cannot replace Jess Jackson.
I'm not trying to replace Jess Jackson, but I can live his vision.
I know he's looking down on us tonight, probably with a smile on his face.
You know, Jess, I love you, and, uh and I miss you.
Have you had our wines before? - I work in a grocery store - Okay.
So I know a little bit.
Here we go! [Grunts.]
Keep going, keep going.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Announcer: By working on the front lines Coming.
Announcer: he'll get a close-up look at his own company.
Is that your goal to stay with the Jackson family? Not having any benefits that does get to me.
Yeah.
Announcer: And along the way, he takes the ride of his life with a less-than-model employee.
Every job has its bull#@*$.
Managers can be #@*$.
I mean the first thing that comes to mind is "#@*$ you.
" Announcer: Coming up next on Undercover Boss.
Undercover Boss 3x03 - Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates Original air date January 29, 2012 Announcer: Headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, and with wineries spanning from Santa Barbara to Napa, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates produces more than 5 million cases of premium wine every year.
Overseeing this $1/2 billion a year industry is one man.
I'm Rick Tigner, president of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates.
So I'd like to take a couple minutes.
Just evaluate them, write down a couple notes.
I always tell everybody we're in the business of celebrating.
Celebrating success, celebrating people's daily lives.
- Smoky.
Woody.
- Yeah, a lot of woody in there.
Yeah? how good is that? This is, to me, a north coast Appalachian brand.
Kendall-Jackson was founded by Jess Jackson in 1982.
He was a very successful attorney, and he wanted to retire into the wine country.
So he bought a 80-acre pear orchard up in Lake County.
He transplanted it to grapes.
And today, we have over 1,000 employees, and we make over 5 million cases of wine a year.
All: - Cheers! - Yay! I grew up in Modesto, California.
My mom and dad got divorced when I was a young kid.
My father was a roofer, so when he wasn't working, he probably was out drinking.
So actually, after my father got his tenth D.
U.
I.
, you know, my father went to prison.
I worked my way through junior college in a liquor store, so I learned more about sales and marketing.
And that's when I knew that was my calling.
I met Jess in 1991.
Jess Jackson and I got along from the very, very beginning.
One vacation, maybe four years ago, and he took some executive staff up to Alaska to go fishing.
Instead of him going off with his family, he stood there side-by-side with me all day long, showing me how to fish.
That would have been never anything I would have ever done with my father.
I've been with the company for 20 years.
For the first 19 years, I ran sales and distribution.
Last may, I was actually sitting down with Jess Jackson, and at that point, he goes, "well, why don't you just take over the presidency?" "Are you ready yet?" And I said, "well, I'm ready today.
" He goes, "well, then, today's the day.
" And so he gave me that opportunity after years and years of working well together.
After a long, courageous battle with cancer, Jess Jackson passed away in April.
Everything that I have is all provided by Jess Jackson, so for me today I'd like to thank him personally.
For me, that was a tough day.
Because I didn't really have a father figure in my childhood, you know, Jess kind of filled that void.
To Jess.
All: To Jess.
So I think for me to continue on Jess' legacy as the new president, I owe that to the family, but I also I owe that to Jess.
Well, my wife, Wendy we've actually been married, you know, 24 years.
Three great kids, and we've had a really good life.
But about four years ago, my wife was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Ah! [Laughs.]
I got them.
Living with Parkinson's does have its obstacles.
My wife literally has to take seven or eight pills a day.
- How's your ankle? - Oh, it's a little sore.
When I was diagnosed with this disease, it was not easy.
But, you know, we made the commitment to each other through sickness and in health.
Should we get home for dinner? - Let's go.
- Okay.
I gotta really spend time being a great husband, and, um, I definitely gotta be there for her.
Are you ready to go, honey? - Aww.
- We should get your pills ready - before I leave.
- Okay.
You're always so good about my pills.
The reason I want to go undercover is people ask the question, "what's gonna happen" "to the company?" All the eyes are watching to see if I'm gonna be able to fill Jess Jackson's boots.
- Do I have everything? - It looks like you do.
During the economic downturn, people drank less wine.
And that took an effect on our overall business.
We actually froze the 401K plan.
That was very tough.
I really have yet to have the opportunity to sit down with the people in production to really get an understanding of where the morale is.
So what we're gonna do is use the bright light to set everything, and then place all the brackets on.
Okay.
When I'm undercover, I'm gonna be Jake Williams, a grocery store manager from Plano, Texas.
[Chuckles.]
My employees will be told that I'm taking part in a reality show, where I have to make a big decision.
Do I keep my day job, or do I take my dream job in the wine business? Today, I'm going to be working in Monterrey where we own over 3,000 acres of land.
Everything that we do starts in the vineyards.
You cannot make great wine out of inferior grapes.
- Are you Laura? - I am.
I'm Jake.
Very seldom do I ever get out into the vineyards.
I have not actually been to this vineyard for the last two years.
The reason I want to work with a production team is because they're actually our largest team inside Kendall-Jackson.
So the vineyard manager I'm working with today they're responsible for the actual infancy of the grape.
And before it goes from the vine to the wine, they're one of the most important parts of this organization.
We're gonna do some crop estimation.
In the wine industry, you want to be able to predict how much fruit you're gonna be getting at harvest.
So we'll go around and count clusters.
- It's very simple.
- Yeah? I'll follow you.
Hello! So everyone, this is Jake.
- Jake.
- Hi, I'm Jake.
So how long have you guys, uh, worked here? - Um, we're gonna head this way.
- Okay.
You'll be needing this.
It's English-Spanish dictionary.
Oh! - Do you do you know Spanish? - I don't yet.
You don't? It's definitely a lifesaver.
What's the most common word I'm gonna have to - Topos.
- Wait, what's that? - Gophers.
- Oh, gophers? There are gophers everywhere.
Okay, I'll watch out for the gophers.
Okay.
So we're gonna go down those rows, count how many bunches there are, - and then we write it down.
- Okay.
So it's it's in florescence right now, so it's flowery.
Is that what those little buds are? Yeah, so this is an ovary.
That's what gets fertilized.
And then it develops into the berry.
How do you know all that? [Chuckles.]
School.
[Laughter.]
So right now, we're just gonna come in.
You got one, two clusters - three, four - Ooh, sorry.
- All right.
- Do you wanna try this one? Will you double-check my work after I'm done? - Yeah, yeah.
- Okay.
Three, four nothing on that one.
Did you get this one back here? I'm sure I missed that one.
With the contacts and the fact that I don't have my glasses, it's hard to see through all the green leaves to count the exact clusters.
Uh-oh.
Think I might have broke one there.
I'm gonna bend that one down.
I'm already sweating.
Broke another one.
[Chuckles.]
That's disastrous.
I mean, that's like dropping money on the ground.
You realize you have this whole block to do, so you're gonna have to pick up the pace a little bit.
Is that what everyone else does? - They all run? - Mm-hmm, yeah, they all run.
[Sighs.]
Here we go.
Come on.
[Sighs.]
Broke off another leaf.
[Sighs.]
Whew.
Running up and down the hill, I was sweating, and pain in my knees and my back All right.
[Sighs.]
This is definitely a difficult job.
I respect the guys who do this job every day.
All that tennis pays off.
I bet all the other guys are already all done by now.
I'm coming! If he was gonna work out in the field, he'd really have to pick up the pace.
- So we're gonna compare notes.
- Yeah, yeah? I did three rows.
How many did you do? You might have to use your dictionary.
Oh.
He can't understand you, so in order to work with him I don't see the word "how" in here, are you sure? - That's the Spanish side.
- Oh.
Como.
Como.
"How," right? You'd think you'd have an interpreter right here.
This is kinda what I go through.
I was actually frustrated with myself.
I never wanna struggle with communication.
I always think I'm a good communicator.
Como esta usted? That's all I know.
[Laughs.]
Oh, how long have you worked here? - Employed.
- You could just use trabajo.
Como [indistinct.]
Whatever that word was.
Cuantos anos trabajo? - Mm, cinco.
- Cinco? - Cinco? Five years? - Five years.
Is there a gap between the English-speaking management and the Spanish-speaking management? If there is, we gotta close that gap.
You use this all day long to ask questions? Yeah.
Jess was a teacher and an educator.
So whether it's Laura learning Spanish, or Spanish-speaking employees learning more English, that would be great.
And I think, as an organization, that's the least we can do.
We're gonna do some replants.
Every year, we get casualties.
Equipment will hit them, gophers will take them out.
Now we're gonna dig down.
Okay, so we got our plant out.
You want to make sure that the roots are pointing down.
Then you're gonna push some dirt in.
- Then we're gonna pack it down.
- Okay.
Then you can do the next one.
So what's the training like? - How did you get trained? - College.
You definitely have to get your degree, and Okay.
So I took entomology, plant physiology, - just you name it.
- Right.
While I was going to school, well, I was the vineyard intern.
- Okay.
- This is where I want to be.
- I like the agricultural side.
- Right.
I am young, and I am a woman in this field, which isn't common.
It's hard going into a crew of 12 guys.
So how do you do that? It's all a matter of respect, I feel like.
Yeah.
I think Laura's great.
She's 24 years old, she has a large future in front of her.
She's very enthusiastic, and she's very smart.
She has a lot of skills that will shine as she grows in this business.
Nicely done.
That was great.
Announcer: Coming up [Grunts.]
Announcer: Rick is horrified by the attitude of one of his truck drivers.
First thing that comes to your mind is "#@*& you.
" Announcer: Rick Tigner is a boss undercover in his own company.
- Are you Laura? - I am.
I'm Jake.
Announcer: He's posing as a grocery store worker, thinking about trading his current job for his dream job in the wine industry.
I'm coming! Announcer: His journey continues in Napa, California.
Today, I'm gonna be working with one of our truck drivers here at the Kendall-Jackson distribution center.
The world of wine is very competitive.
My goal was to create what I call a "concierge level of service.
" And to me, the truck driver is an extension of the salesperson.
- Hello! - Hey, how you doing? I'm good.
Hey, I'm Jake Williams.
Jake, Rene Castellanos, nice to meet you.
Hey, you too.
Very much so.
You can win or lose a sale at the back door, if you don't deliver at the right time, if you don't have the right relationship with our customers.
So we want our truck drivers to be nice and professional, so they have an ongoing relationship.
Today, we're just gonna be delivering to restaurants, and a couple accounts that I have - on my route in the peninsula.
- Okay.
- Is that far from here? - Yeah.
- It's about 70 miles.
- Okay.
I drive about 220 miles a day.
- Okay.
- With an average of, you know, - 27 to 30 stops.
- Okay.
And uh, we just gotta get started more than anything.
Okay.
So is this the is this your truck? Yeah, it's my truck.
It's my baby, it's my office.
- All right.
- It's my everything.
How how long have you been with the company? I've been with the company a little over three years.
- Yeah.
- You get burnt out real quick, just sitting in traffic for two hours.
Oh, my God.
And it'll drive you stir-crazy.
- Every day? - Yeah.
You know, you're liable to snap.
Where we're going right now is called "Van's On The Hill.
" This case right here is case one of three.
- Okay, how do you know that? - Says, "one of three.
" - Oh, there you go.
- There's a little bump.
- You might wanna pull it, so - Okay.
[Grunts.]
There you go.
Use your legs.
Use your legs.
Jake, I don't want you get hurt, - so when you go like this - Right, right.
- say, like this - Yeah.
and pull up with your legs, not your arms or your back.
Just your legs.
There you go.
Use your legs.
[Grunts.]
You're lucky they didn't order the normal.
- Whoa! - The five, six cases.
You're good, don't worry about it.
I almost I almost lost it.
- You ever lost one? - No.
[Grunts.]
[Laughter.]
There you go, man.
Good job.
Now turn it around.
Let's go.
Almost took my midsection out there.
- Can I help you? - Hey, I'm Jake.
- Nice to meet you.
- You too, very much so.
Kendall-Jackson, okay.
Wine goes in this area.
Okay, how's your day going? Couldn't be better.
Sorry about coming at lunch, Rich.
[Clears throat.]
No.
I need one more.
I'm learning how to do the job today.
Yeah, do they? Very good, thank you.
There was a little sarcasm there.
- Yeah? - "I'm glad these guys came in" "at the right time this time.
" He was messing with us.
Yeah, 'cause we're here at lunch.
Right.
Every job has its perks, and every job has its bull#@&* - you gotta deal with, you know? - Yeah.
My job just happens to have a lot of bull#@&*.
Half my stops want their wine before 11:00 A.
M.
Yeah.
- Managers can be #@&*.
- Yeah.
But like, you know, I've been told, like, "what the @#&* are you doing here right now?" Yeah.
And, like, what do you want me to do? You either want the wine, or you don't, you know? - That's on you.
- Right.
I'm shocked about the language.
People were #@&*.
I'm shocked by his attitude towards our customers.
You know, if I was really a new employee, learning about his experience and how he treats some of our customers yeah, unacceptable.
People in the office think the drivers are lazy - or do this or do that.
- Right.
The drivers think that the people in the office - are lazy or do this or do that.
- Yeah.
- They're not my co-workers.
- Yeah.
They're just work associates.
I mean, after a 16-hour day, and they tell you this or that or try to give you attitude.
I mean, the first thing that comes to mind is "#@&* you.
" You know, I mean, I'm out there doing it while you're behind here sitting behind a desk Right, so no there no no teamwork kind of a thing or I'm I'm on team Rene.
The goal of concierge-level service is, "how do we work as a team?" So for me to see individuals out there not working as a team frustrates me.
But I don't believe you can be a team if you're just you're just one person.
[Beeps in reverse.]
- Go ahead.
- Here it goes, Mikey.
- Wait.
- Oh, wait for it to finish? Wait until its ass end is on the way up.
- There you go.
- All right.
We're missing four.
This is to another account.
Jake wouldn't be able to do my job.
I thought you were done with these.
I I'll do them.
I'm not doing them as fast as you.
He's a grown-ass man.
I could practically be his kid, and I'm telling him to hurry the #@&* up, you know? Let's go, Jake.
You grab one side, I'll grab the other.
Sounds good.
How am I doing? - It is what it is.
- Yeah? [Laughs.]
- Yeah, you know? - Yeah.
I it's obviously gonna take a while, you know what I mean? Your goal at the end of the day @&* customer service, @&* all that - Yeah.
- is having that truck empty, because there's nothing better than knowing that you could just get there, turn off your truck, - and clock out and go home.
- Yeah.
But then you've got those days, like I've had this problem with this guy a couple times now where he takes his sweet-ass time.
I call one of the girls in the office.
I'm like, look, this guy takes his sweet-ass time - every single day.
- Yeah.
He's like, "okay, no worries.
" Okay, 40 minutes into it, and here comes this guy with a smile on his face, like, "hey!" I was like, "dude, what took you so long?" He was like, "oh, you shut up.
" I'm like, "I'm out of here, bro.
" He took way too long, 45 minutes.
- Yeah.
- He's like, "you're an #@&*.
" I'm like, "dude, I already called" "the company and told them you're #@&*.
" And, you know, tempers flair.
You done? Uh, yeah.
I b yeah, I'm done.
- Let's go.
- But uh, yeah.
You know, the one comment he made today was, "who cares about customer service?" It was all about emptying the truck.
And when he talked about the one customer and really kinda telling him off a little bit, for me, that was a little shocking.
Here's what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna make a quick phone call, okay? - Okay.
- All right? [Phone rings.]
Mike.
Hey, Mike.
It's Rick Tigner.
Hey, Rick.
How are you doing? I'm actually out on one of the trucks today.
Working with Rene, and it kinda disappoints me that he kind of talks the way he talks about with the customers.
Right.
If he has not used the "F" bomb 50 times, I'd be shocked.
He said he had to use the phone.
I have no idea what the #@&* he's doing.
He's taking his sweet-ass time though.
If this was really Rick Tigner, I I would actually tell the guy right now, "dude, you might be an okay guy," "but your actions and the way you" I don't know.
I almost fired him today.
Oh, hey, well, listen.
I mean, I can tell from your voice you're pissed.
I don't want our employees to act like that.
I don't want the foul language with our customers.
That is not a concierge-level of service.
I'm not sure where Rene's future is with our company.
I'm here today in Santa Rosa, California.
I'm gonna be working on one of our mobile bottling lines.
The mobile bottling unit is actually an 18-wheel truck.
And we move it around from winery to winery to winery.
So that we don't have to actually move the juice.
So they're very cost-effective and efficient.
I'm looking for Marcos.
All right, thanks.
As a customer walks through a grocery store, we want to make sure that when it says "Kendall-Jackson," it's perfect on the bottle.
So today, what I'm hoping to find is perfection.
A high level of quality control.
- Hey, I'm looking for Marcos.
- Um, I am Marcos.
- Hey, Marcos.
I'm Jake.
- Nice to meet you, Jake.
How you doing? I'm doing good.
I'm looking forward to learning.
- Yeah, okay.
Let's do it! - All right.
[Chuckles.]
I say, well, the guy that guy must be from Texas, you know? [Laughs.]
'Cause of guy with a hat, you know? What we're going to be doing Where is the wine? The wine comes from inside.
- You grab one case.
- Okay.
- And then you're gonna dump it.
- Oh! Okay.
- Move it forward - Okay.
- and lift up.
- Lift it up.
Okay? All right.
Grab one case right there.
Okay.
You gotta push it first.
Yeah, I got it, I got it.
No, just There you go.
That was my fault.
I k I keep an eye on over there, you keep - Oh! - Keep going, keep going.
All right, all right, all right.
I got it, I got it, I got it.
A little clumsy here.
Let me show you my way, so you can see, okay? Whoo! Double! All right, try to do that.
You want me to try to do that? - Try to do that.
- Oh, man.
Here we go! All right, you ready? - I want loud, loud, loud.
- All right? There you go.
[Bottles clanking.]
I got it, I got it, I got it.
I got it, I got it, I got it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! [Groans.]
Watch your finger, watch your finger, watch your finger.
I was somewhat of a disaster.
Unloading the bottles, they were falling down everywhere.
You got that one that broke? - I got it, I got it.
- All right.
That was a skill I I just don't have.
And we don't even go fast right now.
Trying, boss.
It costs us a lot of money.
Costs us a lot of money.
[Bottles clinking.]
- Hold on, hold on.
- I'm gonna stop.
We're gonna stop.
You gotta keep up.
All right, Jake, - so we're gonna move over.
- All right, Marcos.
- Okay.
- 'Cause you got bottles, boxes, - you have to have to real fast.
- Yeah.
And then you're going to put a plastic sheet.
Okay.
- You close the box - Right.
and it goes here.
And does it all automatically.
All right, here we go.
All right, guys.
We're ready.
Game time.
[Dramatic music.]
I got plastic everywhere, I got stuff running.
Push it, push it, push it.
Watch out.
Just pushed it out there, huh? - Gotta go faster.
- Like, I can't figure out how to get the plastic thing in there very well and [sighs.]
Now we working! I don't know.
Whoa! I gotta pick up the speed here.
Oh, what's that? I got a runner here.
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! [Groans.]
Announcer: Rick Tigner is a boss undercover in his own company.
I gotta pick up the speed here.
Announcer: But currently, he's got his hands full on the bottling line.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Jake he didn't have a clue what a bottling line does.
Yeah, a little bit.
It is embarrassing to come in as the boss and do one of our fundamental jobs, and really not be able to keep up.
Okay, Jake You're going to be assigned to the labeling for now.
Make sure all the bottles get labeled like that, you know? Are you are you a local boy? Do you do you live around here? - Every day? - Every day.
And that's what I like to do.
I thought Marcos was very, very passionate.
A great trainer.
Make sure there's no, uh, no, uh - bubbles? - No bubbles.
It was very, very hard to keep up.
But very impressed with the mobile bottling line.
All right, let's take a break.
Let's sit down.
That's what I do.
So what do you do outside of work? To have fun and I'm a DJ.
I'm a I'm a Mexican DJ.
You're the guy up on the Actually, they don't do that scratch anymore.
It's all mixed now.
All the the the beats and all that.
You name it.
So you do a lot of weddings and that kind of stuff? Weddings, uh, quinceaneras, you know? Baptisms, you know, birthdays.
Yeah? That actually sounds pretty fun.
[Chuckles.]
- Yeah.
- You know? Tell me about a little more about you.
Family, kids.
I got three kids.
My wife actually has a somewhat of an illness.
She has, uh, Parkinson's disease.
Wow.
So she doesn't get around as much as she used to get.
And um, so that's why we're trying to figure out about making a big decision.
You know, I work for a relatively good company now, and for me to actually, you know, quit my day job.
I'm looking for a company that has sort of those values.
And I'm not really sure what kind of Yeah, over here over he Kendall-Jackson been like every other company.
- Yeah.
- It's been up and down.
Up and down.
I mean, it's tough, you know? - Yeah.
- But you have to do what you have to do.
So uh, how long have you worked here? - Almost 20 years.
- Wow.
How long do you plan on staying at this company? Myself, you know, I'm getting tired of driving and everything.
Right.
The traveling has been the toughest 'cause you spend less time with your family.
That makes it more, you know, difficult.
And you know, sometimes you'll feel underappreciated.
Yeah? Jess Jackson passing on, you think things are changing now with the company? It's going to definitely, it's going to be a change.
New boss comes in, and you know, we've got to prove ourselves to to the new boss that we can handle a business.
You know, I I want the 15, you know, they've helped build this company.
You know, during those growth years.
And now, especially as we continue on to grow the company, I want those 20-year veterans and 15-year veterans to know they have a home here.
Did you ever get to meet Jess and spend time Yes, I met him in '90 I think it was '89, '90.
Wow.
[Scoffs.]
And then this company grew so fast.
Before Jess passed away, he just put us in a really good position.
As the new president, all the eyes are upon me.
All right, Jake, let's go back to work.
All right.
I think about him.
His ambition for this company to last for generations.
It is a big challenge.
After spending time with Marcos and hearing him talk about his family, you know, it really makes me miss my wife.
You know, I haven't been away from her in quite a while.
Makes me curious as to see what she's doing today 'cause I really miss her.
[Sighs.]
[Phone rings.]
Hello? - Hey, sweetie.
- Hi! There's no question that, without her and her support and her love, I wouldn't be where I am today.
How you doing? I'm just not feeling that great.
And I definitely gotta be there for her.
I owe it to her.
[Lively music.]
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates Company actually owns over 20-plus wineries.
Murphy-Goode is actually a relatively new brand for us.
It's priced a little bit below Kendall-Jackson, so it actually brings in new customers to the Kendall-Jackson family.
I'm gonna be working undercover at our Murphy-Goode tasting room here in the heart of the wine country.
- Welcome.
- Jake Williams.
Jake Williams, nice to meet you, I'm Savannah.
Hi, Savannah.
The tasting room is so important.
Usually, it's the first time people are exposed to many of our wines, and it's critical in helping generate revenue for our newer brand.
So first thing, we do have a dress code that's here.
- Definitely not your hat.
- Okay.
Well, I'll take my jacket off.
I started out in 1984 as a salesperson, so it's been a long time since I've been engaging with customers.
So I'm a little nervous to get started.
Have you had our wines before? Uh, never.
I've actually had wine before.
You've had wine before.
But uh, I work in a grocery store - Okay.
- So I know a little bit.
When people come in, you're gonna greet them.
- Okay.
- And we offer 10% off if they come in with a complimentary card.
We also have a wine club.
Our wine club is four times a year.
Right now we're doing a special promotion, which is if they join today, they get 50% off of any purchases that they make.
[Clears throat.]
That's a lot to remember.
And if you have a question, just say, "Savannah," and I'm here to help you.
Okay, so let's start out by opening up the wines.
We get to drink the wines too? Do we do we drink with them? I typically don't just drink through the whole day.
[Laughter.]
I'm gonna just kind of walk in, and so greet me if I was your customer.
All right, let's do it.
- So here I am.
- Okay, how you doing today? I'm doing great, how are you? Okay, would you like to have a tasting? All right, sounds good.
So you pour that much.
It's good.
Okay.
So now I'm gonna have you smell the wine, so you can kinda get the fruit or the flavors.
I mean, it smells smells good.
You can taste a little bit.
No big gulps.
No big gulps, no shots slamming slamming down, bottoms up.
[Laughs.]
Okay.
- Tastes good.
- Tastes good.
- Yeah.
- So summer day, kind of porch wine, goes good with food.
Yeah, porch wine.
That's a good way to explain it.
Here we go.
How you folks doing? - Good, how are you? - Oh, very good.
This is the Pinot Grigio.
And when I tasted it, I thought it had a little bit of I'm gonna say pear or maybe apple kind of flavors.
Is that close? Everyone kind of gets a different sensation on their palate.
- Can I get you to the next one? - Sure.
This is the Snake Eyes Zinfandel.
If that's not enough, just tell me.
- Hi, you guys, welcome.
- How you folks doing? - Six? All right.
- All right.
Oh, you gotta have a hat, man.
Yeah, you gotta have a hat.
Today, we're tasting, uh, five wines.
I should have done the lady first.
Hi, how are you? So here's the, uh oh, that one's wrong.
Here, here you go.
This is where it is, right here.
I got a little "miscombobulated.
" Uh, if you join the wine club, it's, uh, half price today.
I think that's right.
Nah, I don't know.
I'll ask her.
She's the - Oh, okay.
- Yeah, yep.
But it'll all be good.
Little bit rusty in the sales aspect.
Alexander Valley Chardonnay.
Really tough to all take in in a really short period of time.
What can you tell me about it? Well, I can read the the back of it.
And then you got new customers coming in.
It was very hectic.
Very busy.
Times have changed since I was a salesperson, you know? They've come a long way, and I just haven't kept up.
So if we join the wine club You choose from the mix, which is occasional whites and reds, and you get that deal 50% off.
- You get 50% off of? - Anything you bought today, you would get 50% off.
- There you go.
- Boom.
It's very flexible, so let's just say you don't like cabernet, and it shows up in a shipment.
You can change things around.
You know what? I will take this.
Savannah is a lady who knows her stuff, and she knew a lot about wine.
- And you want pick-up, right? - Yes.
All right, sounds good.
And she had a great reaction with the customers, and they reacted to her as well.
Now you're part of the family.
Come back anytime.
Thank you.
I came here today, thinking about how the sales were going So enjoy.
You guys got your wine.
They're in great hands here at Murphy-Goode tasting room.
So um, how did you get into this? [Sighs.]
Well, I got into it on the Internet.
You can only work in a grocery store maybe for so long.
And how's that there? Do you get benefits? - Do you get good salary or - Yeah.
I mean, I'm making o okay money.
So do you have medical benefits here? I don't at the moment, and I don't have a 401K.
Yeah.
You married? Kids? What's your? I'm not married, but I do have three wonderful children.
So are you a full-time employee, or are you a part-time employee? Well, they consider it part-time, - but I work 38 to 40 hours.
- Okay.
Is that your goal to stay with the Jackson family? I mean, I love the industry.
I love my job, but at the same time, like, not having any benefits for my children - that does get to me.
- Yeah, yeah.
We would hate to lose a great employee like Savannah, so when I get back to the office, we're definitely gonna evaluate our benefit program as well as our 401K.
I can't imagine three kids and working 38 hours and no benefits and I've been working since I was 14.
I've been on my own since I was about 14, 15.
- Wow.
- Family lifestyle wasn't, um, very suitable.
You know, we're over it now.
Yeah.
But at that time, it was really hard for me.
Yeah, when I was young, my father left when I was, you know, probably 12.
And you know, my father went to prison and, you know, died of a drug overdose, so, you know, that See, my mom passed away from a drug overdose as well.
Yeah? She, uh, passed away.
I was not even two.
So my dad was a single father, and so, you know, he had his girlfriend.
And then it was at the point where no one got along, and then they'd push me away.
And they told me to leave, and so I did.
So you were were you homeless? I was homeless, yeah.
I couldn't go to school 'cause I had no place to live.
- Yeah.
- But all the time, by the grace of God, there was always a way.
Someway, I always got through everything.
Yeah, that's a that's a lot for Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
[Clears throat.]
Definitely.
You know, I do think about us being a family business.
And you know, she's had a tough upbringing, and, uh, she survived.
Figure everything gets put in my path for a reason.
Yeah.
She's doing the best she can, but I was also thinking about those three kids.
Kinda brought it all back to home.
So [Clears throat.]
- Should we head back to work? - Yeah, we should, yep.
You know, here I am, the president, so the question is, you know, how do how I help? I hope my daughters are as strong as you.
How do we make a difference in her life and really make her a part of the [clears throat.]
you know, the Kendall-Jackson family? Announcer: Coming up Rick summons his employees to evaluate his performance.
The vineyard side for Jake would not be the best position for him.
Announcer: But first he wants to make sure everyone is on the same team.
Team Kendall-Jackson is more important than team Rene.
My customers are involved in team Rene.
They're my co-workers.
Not the people back at at the shop.
My undercover experience has come to an end.
It was amazing for me this week.
I met some great people, and I also learned the things that needed to be fixed in the company.
There's on issue I wanna take care of right away.
[Ominous music.]
Do you know who I am? - You look familiar.
- Yeah? Well, my name's actually Rick Tigner, and I'm actually the president of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates.
[Chuckles.]
Right? Have you have you ever met me before? Jake.
You think Jake Williams walked away with a with a great impression? I have no idea.
For me, you're you're a young guy.
You know, to me, you lack a little maturity and a little self-awareness.
Some other shocking parts were, you know, the truck-driver language.
There's no haze over your eyes, you know? With me, you see what you get.
When you were talking about team Rene and you said, you know, customer service isn't important, and it's all about getting the cases off the truck customer service, for me personally, is one - Yeah.
- of the most important things.
I don't have a problem with with, uh, customer service.
@&* customer service.
But at the end of the day, I want those cases off my truck.
There's something going wrong here.
- Yeah.
- That I really don't think, in my heart of hearts, is that it's an issue with the company you work for.
I think it it had a lot to do with you.
Team Kendall-Jackson is more important than team Rene.
What do you want me to say? I mean I want to hear you say that almost out loud.
[Chuckles.]
Okay.
My customers are involved in team Rene.
They're my co-workers.
Not the people back at at the shop.
I think, uh I think you're wrong about that, saying, "I don't really have any friends back in the office," and I want you to know that you do.
As much as I understand where you're coming from, and I mean, look at you.
You're on that side.
- Right.
- You know what I mean? You went to college.
And and so three years of frustration maybe came off to you like I'm not a team player or whatnot.
At the end of the day, I'm good at what I do, okay, so Look, I'm all about team Kendall-Jackson, and you're all about team Rene.
If we're gonna go right, and you may wanna go left and I say, "we're going right," we're all going right because that's where the team goes.
Here's what I would like you to do.
I'm actually gonna ask you to step away from the truck.
What I wanna do for the next 30 days is suspend you from being a truck driver and have you shadow people in the office and be a part of that team.
You need to learn some of those skills, and I think that'll make you a better manager and a better truck driver.
I love the truck, but I'll do whatever.
I was a little ambushed, but I mean, it's fine.
I still feel the way I feel.
And to know that I'm gonna be caged up, i it's gonna be very difficult.
Nobody wants to work in an office once you've been a driver.
It's really hard to tie up a free a a a freelance dog after a while, you know? He's gonna you're gonna bite at the leash.
I've invited some of the employees I've worked with this week up to Jess Jackson's estate.
They think they're here to vote on whether or not I should keep my day job.
The vineyard side for Jake would not be the best position for him.
I'd rather just keep it honest instead of having him leave his day job for something that wouldn't work out for him.
[Suspenseful music.]
- How you doing? - All right.
Do you know who I am? I don't, sir.
I really don't.
- You think I'm Jake? - Yeah.
But you got your braces off.
[Laughs.]
I'm actually Rick Tigner.
I'm actually the president of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates.
Oh.
[Chuckles.]
You look different.
Oh, my gosh.
How did I do? Well, you kinda sucked, in that area, you know? Oh, my goodness.
[Laughs.]
Well, it's nice to meet you.
Laura, when I look back on the day that I met you, you know, it was like, "hey, here's this young lady" "involved in a big part of our business.
" But the reality for me is, I've never really spent much time in the vineyards.
- Mm-hmm.
- Wh which was obvious, right? Yeah, definitely.
[Laughter.]
I'm sorry I made you run up the hill.
I try I tried my best.
I really, really did.
Laura, I know you're energetic, your ambition is high, and you wanna learn more.
You know, we're gonna spend about $50,000 on a manager training program.
You know, you could be a part of that and then get to that next level.
And then the next level, and the next level beyond that.
Aww, thank you.
You know, one of the most serious things I saw this week is people not being able to communicate with each other.
- Mm-hmm.
- Th that doesn't work.
We're gonna commit $50,000 to actually create a language training program find a way to improve that communication gap that we have.
That's incredible.
One of my goals too is I need to improve my language skills and actually, you know, learn some Spanish so that I can communicate better with the employees.
- Really? - Yeah, yeah.
And there's one more thing I wanna do for you.
You know, you're 24 years old.
- Just got out of college - Yeah.
Do you have any student loans? - Yeah.
- I wanna give you $10,000 to pay for your student loans.
- Are you serious? - Yeah, we are.
[Laughs.]
I really I can't even put words to it.
I'm shocked right now.
- Thank you so much.
- Yeah.
It feels amazing that he really wants me to do well in this company.
It means a lot to me.
I think it's incredible.
Savannah.
You know I ran sales for Kendall-Jackson for 19 years? - Wow.
- I gotta work on my skills.
You gotta work on your skills, yes, definitely.
Did I teach you anything? Oh, you were great.
You were great.
You're resilient, and your your positive attitude and, you know, you were 14 years old, and you went out on your own.
And, you know, you had some struggles, and you talked about being homeless.
That's inspired me.
So we're actually gonna donate $10,000 in your name to a homeless shelter of your choice.
Oh, my God.
There's a lot of people who need it.
You're so generous and so kind.
Well, I'm not done yet.
Oh.
[Chuckles.]
So I know you've been working hard.
You told me that you work six days a week as a part-time employee.
You have three kids.
So the one thing we're gonna do is we're gonna offer you a full-time job.
[Giggles.]
I am overly happy.
I I don't think it's all sunk in yet.
You are now a full-time employee.
That's a $5,000 raise.
- Oh, my gosh.
- On top of that that comes along with medical benefits.
[Chuckles.]
The medical benefits even though you're eligible for them, they actually do cost money, so we're gonna cover the first $5,000 of your first year of medical costs.
Thank you so much.
It's like I'm not a big crier, but it's just coming.
And it's just oh, my gosh.
As a company we we've actually suspended 401Ks.
For us, as a company, you know, it's a million-dollar expense.
You know, it's people like you that need benefits and have to think about their retirement.
So as a company, we're actually gonna restore the 401K - in the next 30 days.
- Oh, my God.
So how does that make you feel that that's because of you? [Mouths words, sighs.]
Wow, I feel so blessed.
[Chuckles.]
I will never forget this day.
Ever forget this day.
Things like this don't happen to me.
Ever.
[Chuckles.]
I just feel so honored, you know? From everything I've gone through, the days I was homeless and I at night, there was nowhere to go, and I was freezing cold.
I it's all worth it.
It's all worth it at this moment.
Marcos, so I understand you've been with the company - for 20 years.
- That's correct, sir.
I've actually been with the company for 20 years.
But what you may not know is we actually started the same week.
- Wow.
- The other thing I learned about you that day was, you know, you have fun.
And I think the fact that you're a DJ was just incredible.
You know, I'm gonna give you $5,000 to buy some new DJ equipment.
Oh, thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
At the next company party, you know I'm gonna want you to be the DJ.
Oh, my God, all right.
Yeah.
- That's a promise.
- All right? That's a promise.
I know that you're driving an hour and a half to work and an hour and a half back every day, and I know how much gas costs these days.
You know, I'm gonna give you $5,000 to pay for your gas.
That's amazing.
Thank you very much, sir.
I really appreciate, you know, the what you're doing right now.
Yeah, and you've had a chance to meet Jess Jackson.
Yeah.
Yes, I did.
And uh, actually Jess lived on this lived on this property.
And uh, he rests here, so to me, it makes it even more special to sit here with you today.
And I think he would have loved working with you.
You know, we talk about appreciation and, you know, again, I think the thing you were worried - about was about recognition.
- Yes.
And uh, we're gonna start a new tradition, and you're gonna be the first.
You're gonna be the recipient of the Jess Stonestreet Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award.
It's gonna be for those people that actually live on with the vision of Jess Jackson, that continue on with a passion, and for those people who actually have shown loyalty throughout the years.
For that, you know, we're gonna give you $10,000.
Wow.
Wow.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
You know, thank you very much.
All right, but I'm not done yet.
Okay.
You work hard.
I want to make your life easier.
And I think you need to spend time with your family.
I want to give you $10,000 to go on paid vacation.
Wow.
And you can go anywhere in the world.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Yeah.
I sat there on the pallets the other day, and I thought here's a guy who feels unappreciated.
Yeah.
But I have to do what I have to do to keep keep food on the table, you know? That's important.
Okay.
Well, thank you.
WowWow As a friend, you know? It's amazing.
The only thing for me But uh oh, my God.
As I think back on the week, I met a lot of people.
A positive attitude can overcome a lot of adversity in your life, and I'm gonna strive for that as I go forward.
What I was looking for this week was the vision of Jess Jackson.
What I found out is that I cannot replace Jess Jackson.
I'm not trying to replace Jess Jackson, but I can live his vision.
I know he's looking down on us tonight, probably with a smile on his face.
You know, Jess, I love you, and, uh and I miss you.