Maaco President Goes Undercover, Gets "Eye-Opening" Experience
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The head of an auto body shop got what he calls an "eye-opening" , "life changing" experience after working on the front lines of his business, disguised as one of the employees.
The CEO of Maaco Jose Costa took part in the CBS show Undercover Boss and spoke about it.
"It was nerve racking. I thought he was going to catch me," said Costa.
WATCH Cynthia Demos' report, click here.
He thought the employees he was working with would figure it out but he's only been the president of the company for a year. That coupled with his disguise kept him undercover.
"A lot of the employees in the show said they wouldn't hire me ... if I were to do the job again so it was very eye opening," said Costa.
He said Maaco is the largest auto body shop in the US and Canada. There are 500 locations in 48 states. They've been around 43 years and they are growing.
Costa came from a restaurant franchise background, Burger King in Miami, so automotive is new for him and he had no idea how hard the employees worked.
"To me it was surprising to see how labor intensive the work is at Maaco," said Costa.
He said after the show they made a lot of changes. They changed the structure of the company added bonuses and started more training.
"They do a really good job but their salary doesn't pay all the bills so it was great to find hidden gems and reward them in many ways," said Costa.
On the show there's an employee doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing but you'll have to watch to find out what happened.
In the end, he said, "I think overall it was life changing for them and for me."
Undercover Boss featuring Costa from MAACO airs Friday, January 2nd at 8:00 p.m
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