The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

    ‘Undercover Boss’ features alumnus

    Jeff Platt ’02, C.E.O. of Skyzone, starred in the season finale of “Undercover Boss” on March 14.  Skyzone is a trampoline park featuring basketball hoops and dodge ball that is geared towards getting kids to exercise and have fun.

    Platt’s father, Rick Platt, founded Skyzone in 2004, but after his wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Platt handed over the company to Jeff in 2006.The company was started in Las Vegas but has 49 locations today, spanning the United States and Canada. At 29 years old, Platt was the youngest boss in the history of “Undercover Boss” to star in the show.

    “I hoped to gain greater insight into what the part-time team members at our locations go through on an everyday basis,” Platt told CBS.

    During the show, Platt disguised himself as a young hipster competing on a reality TV show that was not “Undercover Boss” in order to win a cash prize.

    Platt traveled all across the country, taking part of a different job in each franchise hoping to learn more about his company. Platt worked in community relations, a dodge ball court monitor, a cleanup crew and a trampoline builder.

    “It was amazing to see young people having gone through so much, yet still be very energetic, positive and happy people,” Platt told CBS.

    Platt discovered there was a lack of experienced managers running each franchise while undercover, and that the cleaning system and training programs needed to be revamped. Platt also gained an understanding of the hardships that many of his employees had to face on a daily basis.

    “I wanted to try and relate,” Platt told the Boston Herald. “When we did reveal, I made a point that the stories I told were real stories, those were Jeff, not my character.”

    Throughout his experience on the show, Platt said he has learned valuable concepts regarding how to be a better C.E.O.

    “To become a really good leader you have to understand the importance of a team,” Platt told CBS.

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    ‘Undercover Boss’ features alumnus