WEBVTT - The Iowa Way

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to on the Job. On today's episode, we're speaking

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<v Speaker 1>with Pete McMahon over in the Ames Iowa Express Office,

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<v Speaker 1>who for the past two years has been working alongside

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<v Speaker 1>his wife, Katie. And while working with a spouse might

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<v Speaker 1>seem daunting to some, as we'll hear, Pete had a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of experience being part of a team long before

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<v Speaker 1>coming to Express. If you were to walk into the

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<v Speaker 1>Express office in Ames, Iowa, you might find yourself thinking, geez,

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<v Speaker 1>that's a big guy over there. And that's the same

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<v Speaker 1>thing that the football coaches at the University of Iowa

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<v Speaker 1>thought when Pete McMahon walked onto their field back in

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand as an incoming freshman.

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<v Speaker 2>Guy was six seven, two hundred and ninety pounds, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>as a senior in high school, and back then that

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<v Speaker 2>was pretty big. So that was attraction from the Iowa program.

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<v Speaker 1>As a born and raised Iowan, it had always been

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<v Speaker 1>Pete McMahon's dream to play for the Hawk guys. But

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<v Speaker 1>even as big as he was, that dream wasn't going

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<v Speaker 1>to come easy.

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<v Speaker 3>For those that don't know what is being a walk

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<v Speaker 3>on mean?

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<v Speaker 4>Okay, great question. So every year the university is allowed

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<v Speaker 4>to give.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, so many scholarships, so they bring in the

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<v Speaker 2>you know, they hand out those scholarships to the top

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<v Speaker 2>players that they recruit, and then they bring on a

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<v Speaker 2>handful of folks that are walk ons they call, which

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<v Speaker 2>don't get scholarships, so you pay your own way. And

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<v Speaker 2>then there's a group of those walk ons that are recruited.

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<v Speaker 2>And then there's even another group they call the first

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<v Speaker 2>day walk ons, and they say, hey, if you can

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<v Speaker 2>get yourself in school, if you enrolled in school, and

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<v Speaker 2>then we're not going to help you get it, get

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<v Speaker 2>accepted the university. If you can show you can pass

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<v Speaker 2>your conditioning test on the first day of school, you

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<v Speaker 2>can join the team.

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<v Speaker 4>We'll give you a uniform you can hold this tackling dummy.

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<v Speaker 4>And that was me.

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<v Speaker 2>So I was not a scholarship kid. I wasn't even

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<v Speaker 2>a recruited walk on. I was a first what way

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<v Speaker 2>would call, first day walk on.

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<v Speaker 1>And in fact, Pete did do all that. After proving

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<v Speaker 1>himself in the weight room and on the field, he

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<v Speaker 1>was told that he'd made the team. Pete McMahon's dream

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<v Speaker 1>of being a Hawkey had come true. Had you been

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<v Speaker 1>in the stands as a fan when you were younger. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>we went to a few games as a kid.

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<v Speaker 2>My dad was worked every Saturday, so it was hard

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<v Speaker 2>for us to get there. But there were times, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>went to half a dozen games growing up as a kid.

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<v Speaker 2>But we always listened to it on the radio, always

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<v Speaker 2>watched the game on Saturdays if we were home. So

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<v Speaker 2>it was a great great to be you know, on

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<v Speaker 2>the field and be part of what I grew up with.

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<v Speaker 1>But before you go thinking it was all gravy after that,

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<v Speaker 1>you should know that making the football team does doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>mean you get to play. In fact, Pete didn't see

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<v Speaker 1>any game time until his sophomore year.

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<v Speaker 2>Ten guys got injured and I finally got hit and

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<v Speaker 2>McMahon get in there or you know, go.

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<v Speaker 4>Fill in that spot.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm like, okay, So I run in and I you know,

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<v Speaker 2>run a couple of plays, probably screwed up ninety percent

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<v Speaker 2>of them, and but I got an opportunity to go in.

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<v Speaker 1>Pete didn't even get to eat with the scholarship guys.

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<v Speaker 4>I had to buy my own meal plan. Everybody else

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<v Speaker 4>got to go to this you know, the training table,

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<v Speaker 4>and they would it was for scholarship kids only.

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<v Speaker 5>Wow, that's I imagine they're getting like turkey carved up,

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<v Speaker 5>and you're over there like prison style, pushing your tray along.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, pretty much.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, with all the with all the other kids, with

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<v Speaker 2>all the with the general population.

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<v Speaker 1>It was even worse. It's a team won because on Sundays,

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<v Speaker 1>following a Hawk Gys win, all the scholarship kids would

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<v Speaker 1>be taken to this fancy athletic club for dinner.

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<v Speaker 2>Steak and lobster tale. That was the meal on Sunday nights.

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<v Speaker 2>But I wasn't allow to go. I couldn't go. It

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<v Speaker 2>was a scholarship only. All the scholarship kids get to

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<v Speaker 2>go eat lobster tail and steak, and then all of

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<v Speaker 2>us walk on.

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<v Speaker 4>Since we weren't allowed, we'd go to McDonald's.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean we would literally drive the opposite alight, Oh

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<v Speaker 2>all right, we'll go get jees Burgers.

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<v Speaker 1>And well, I can't get over the injustice of that.

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<v Speaker 1>Pete didn't seem to mind. If anything, it motivated him

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<v Speaker 1>to work that much harder in the weight room and

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<v Speaker 1>hit that much harder on the field.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, some folks get down, oh this is this

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<v Speaker 2>is unfair or whatever, but other folks, you know, used

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<v Speaker 2>his motivation, and I grew up in a blue collar

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<v Speaker 2>family and you know, a working class family and all

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<v Speaker 2>that stuff. If you didn't have something, you went out

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<v Speaker 2>and you worked for it, you got it.

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<v Speaker 1>With that blue collar work ethic and the mentality that

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<v Speaker 1>he continually had to prove himself, Pete McMahon came into

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<v Speaker 1>his own as a Hawk guy and went on to

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<v Speaker 1>have an impressive college.

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<v Speaker 2>Career, you know, as a team captain and you know,

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<v Speaker 2>two Big ten championship rings.

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<v Speaker 4>We finished in the.

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<v Speaker 2>Time ten three years in a row, beat Florida in

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<v Speaker 2>a bowl game.

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<v Speaker 4>My senior year.

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<v Speaker 2>Beat LSU on a last second touchdown pass.

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<v Speaker 1>So when it came time for graduation, there was no

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<v Speaker 1>question in Pete's mind what was next.

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<v Speaker 4>You're gonna play at the next level. From day one.

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<v Speaker 2>You walk into the weight room and you see the

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<v Speaker 2>pictures and the jerseys plastered everywhere of all the guys.

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<v Speaker 4>That came before you, that all played in the NFL.

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<v Speaker 3>So where were you during drafted?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, my dad's house back home, sitting on the couch

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<v Speaker 2>in the living room, just glued to the TV.

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<v Speaker 1>Round one passes and Pete doesn't hear his name. Then

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<v Speaker 1>round two goes.

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<v Speaker 4>By and I get a phone call from the Dallas Cowboys.

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<v Speaker 2>And he just just chatting, you know, hey, Pete just

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<v Speaker 2>went to college.

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<v Speaker 4>Just touch base with you, I see how things are going.

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<v Speaker 4>And I'm like, this is awesome. I think they're gonna

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<v Speaker 4>pick me.

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<v Speaker 2>And they're like, okay, all right, great, thanks, good to chat,

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<v Speaker 2>We'll see you later. And then the next pick was

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<v Speaker 2>out of the University of Iowa, Sean Conson. I did.

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<v Speaker 2>It was a friend of mine, nfllow teammate, and so

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<v Speaker 2>there was a big high there. We thought, oh my gosh,

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<v Speaker 2>it's going to be a third round pick and all

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<v Speaker 2>this stuff, and nope, it wasn't me.

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<v Speaker 1>By the end of the first day of drafts, Pete

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<v Speaker 1>still is unsigned, though this shouldn't be all that surprising

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<v Speaker 1>because statistically speaking, only one point six percent of college

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<v Speaker 1>players go on to play in the NFL. Yet despite

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<v Speaker 1>those odds, Pete tries to stay positive as he settles

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<v Speaker 1>in for the second day of the draft. The fourth

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<v Speaker 1>round passes, the fifth round passes, and then finally, in

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<v Speaker 1>the sixth round of the two thousand and five NFL Draft,

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<v Speaker 1>the Oakland Raiders select Pete McMahon for their offensive line.

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<v Speaker 5>Do they still get the sixth rounds that comically giant check.

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<v Speaker 2>I didn't get the big No, they didn't do that

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<v Speaker 2>for me, but I would have liked that.

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<v Speaker 3>So you turned pro and you go out West.

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<v Speaker 4>YEP. Kind of thought, all right, I got drafted, I'm

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<v Speaker 4>gonna go to this team. I'm gonna be here for

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<v Speaker 4>a couple of years.

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<v Speaker 2>We were looking at houses, then quickly realized it was California,

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<v Speaker 2>so I'm not gonna be buying a house in California

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<v Speaker 2>anytime soon.

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<v Speaker 4>So but we kind of.

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<v Speaker 2>Thought we were there and I was gonna, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>get my car shipped and make a life there.

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<v Speaker 1>But only halfway into preseason training, Pete suffers a knee injury,

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<v Speaker 1>and a bad one at that.

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<v Speaker 4>So that was a little bit of a of a

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<v Speaker 4>curve ball, and then.

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<v Speaker 1>So had surgery, and very quickly Pete learns what it's

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<v Speaker 1>really like in the pro league.

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<v Speaker 2>Two days later, they cut me, and on top of it,

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<v Speaker 2>they didn't even tell me. I found out when my

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<v Speaker 2>girlfriend at the time my wife now, she called me

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<v Speaker 2>and said, hey, it's on the internet that you just

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<v Speaker 2>got released.

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<v Speaker 4>So I called my agent and he's like, what's going on?

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<v Speaker 4>And he calls up. I was like, oh, yeah, we

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<v Speaker 4>released him, and so from.

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<v Speaker 2>Then on I kind of got that, had that mentality

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<v Speaker 2>of hey, you got to look out for yourself and

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<v Speaker 2>this thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Fortunately, soon after getting released from Oakland, Pete manages to

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<v Speaker 1>get on with the Cleveland Browns and spends the season

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<v Speaker 1>with them.

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<v Speaker 2>In that off season that summer, I had gotten married

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<v Speaker 2>and we I was like, all right, you know, moving

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<v Speaker 2>my wife, Katie, We're gonna move back to Cleveland. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>you start a life. But if she's living with her

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<v Speaker 2>parents at the time, had you know, half the wedding

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<v Speaker 2>gifts and packed in the car, I'm kind of like,

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<v Speaker 2>let's not take twelve sets of china to my one

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<v Speaker 2>bedroom apartment in Cleveland. Just you never know what's going

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<v Speaker 2>to happen. So we get there, we're there about a week.

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<v Speaker 2>I get the phone call, Pete, bring your playbook. So

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<v Speaker 2>going into training camp, they released me. We packed up

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<v Speaker 2>the car. We were gone by eight o'clock the next morning.

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<v Speaker 1>So Pete and his wife arrived back in Iowa, and

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<v Speaker 1>the very next day he gets a call from the

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<v Speaker 1>New York Jets saying, pack your bags.

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<v Speaker 2>I look like a really good husband. Just took my

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<v Speaker 2>law's daughter out of their house, brought her back.

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<v Speaker 4>A week later. Oh m. And in that time we

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<v Speaker 4>bought a new puppy.

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<v Speaker 2>So now hey, I'm gonna bring your daughter back and

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<v Speaker 2>with this new dog, and then I'm gonna I'm hopping.

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<v Speaker 4>On a flight to New York. So that was a

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<v Speaker 4>little bit of a crazy time there.

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<v Speaker 1>So then Pete goes to New York in Buffalo and

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<v Speaker 1>Miami and Jacksonville and New England and Hamburg, Germany of

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<v Speaker 1>all places, and then back to Jacksonville.

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<v Speaker 3>You played for a lot of teams in the NFL.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, I did. People ask me what teams do you

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<v Speaker 2>play for? I'm like, I don't know, you name one.

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<v Speaker 2>I probably was with them.

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<v Speaker 3>So you have a nice collection of jerseys in your closet.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I do, I do. Yes.

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<v Speaker 1>But eventually Pete decides that as much of a dream

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<v Speaker 1>as it was to play in the NFL, enough is

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<v Speaker 1>an So when we come back from the break, we'll

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<v Speaker 1>hear how Pete McMahon went from the gridiron to express employment.

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<v Speaker 6>Professionals looking for a job is lonely, endless, searching phone

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<v Speaker 6>calls that go nowhere, applications that vanish into thin air.

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<v Speaker 6>What if you could link with dozens of local companies

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<v Speaker 6>who are hiring right now with just one connection. That's

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<v Speaker 6>Express Employment Professionals. Find us at expresspros dot com. One connection,

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<v Speaker 6>endless opportunities and no fees ever for job seekers Express

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<v Speaker 6>Employment Professionals expresspros dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>We're back with Pete McMahon, who, after a successful college

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<v Speaker 1>career in his home state of Iowa, went on to

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<v Speaker 1>play professional football, albeit for more teams than sometimes he

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<v Speaker 1>can even keep track of.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, go to Buffalo, I go to Miami.

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<v Speaker 2>I think I went to Carolina on point.

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<v Speaker 1>So, as Pete was being shuffled from one team to

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<v Speaker 1>the next, he started looking around for different opportunities, jobs

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<v Speaker 1>that might not be as exciting as the NFL, but

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<v Speaker 1>offered a stability that Pete hadn't yet known.

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<v Speaker 2>I studied economics in college and an economics degree, so

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<v Speaker 2>I thought I might want to do something in the

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<v Speaker 2>finance world.

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<v Speaker 4>But it's two thousand and eight.

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<v Speaker 2>Anybody that was around that time knows that was not

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<v Speaker 2>the best time to look at going into the finance world.

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<v Speaker 4>And then so I looked around.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm like, I guess I'm a former college and professional athlete,

0:11:37.880 --> 0:11:41.720
<v Speaker 2>what do they do? And I saw a bunch of

0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:44.640
<v Speaker 2>guys that I knew were working in the medical device world.

0:11:44.720 --> 0:11:46.160
<v Speaker 2>So I'm like, I guess I'll go do that.

0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:49.720
<v Speaker 1>So Pete starts reaching out to anyone and everyone in

0:11:49.760 --> 0:11:51.200
<v Speaker 1>the medical device industry.

0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:53.640
<v Speaker 3>You reach out to them and they're like, yes, send

0:11:53.640 --> 0:11:54.480
<v Speaker 3>over your resume.

0:11:55.280 --> 0:11:59.040
<v Speaker 5>You got a degree from University of Iowa, and then

0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:02.240
<v Speaker 5>not my after that that's applicable to what.

0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:06.040
<v Speaker 2>You're applying to. Absolutely no, it was not. I did

0:12:06.080 --> 0:12:11.080
<v Speaker 2>some I did some roofing and some substitute teaching while

0:12:11.120 --> 0:12:13.760
<v Speaker 2>I was in between looking you know, for teams just

0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:17.800
<v Speaker 2>to pay the mortgage. But yeah, I didn't have much

0:12:17.800 --> 0:12:18.520
<v Speaker 2>on my resume.

0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:21.240
<v Speaker 5>In a way, you're sort of like a walk on

0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:23.520
<v Speaker 5>for that job too. You didn't have a lot of

0:12:23.840 --> 0:12:29.359
<v Speaker 5>business experience, had zero business experience. I had some life experience.

0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:32.680
<v Speaker 2>I had been knocked down a few times, and I

0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:36.200
<v Speaker 2>think that's what I think. You know, employers want to

0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:38.839
<v Speaker 2>see people who have faced some adversity and then how

0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:40.880
<v Speaker 2>have they gotten through that adversity.

0:12:40.920 --> 0:12:43.120
<v Speaker 4>And we would just go on to these interviews and

0:12:43.200 --> 0:12:45.840
<v Speaker 4>just talk and they wanted to know my story. Hey,

0:12:45.920 --> 0:12:46.920
<v Speaker 4>how'd you get here? Today.

0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:50.200
<v Speaker 1>And just like with the Iowa coaches, Pete managed to

0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:53.880
<v Speaker 1>prove himself to the interviewer and once hired, he ended

0:12:53.960 --> 0:12:57.480
<v Speaker 1>up staying at that job for twelve years. And it

0:12:57.559 --> 0:13:02.120
<v Speaker 1>must have given you a sense of stability.

0:13:01.600 --> 0:13:04.120
<v Speaker 3>That you didn't have in your football career.

0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:09.080
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely, I could unpack my bag, you know, I didn't.

0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:10.360
<v Speaker 4>Have to keep my suitcase packed.

0:13:10.880 --> 0:13:13.040
<v Speaker 2>Uh, and in the corner of my room there, and

0:13:13.120 --> 0:13:16.520
<v Speaker 2>I was able to just relax a little bit and

0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:20.880
<v Speaker 2>and you know, build a life and then started to

0:13:21.280 --> 0:13:23.520
<v Speaker 2>you know, think about having kids and got three three

0:13:23.600 --> 0:13:26.600
<v Speaker 2>kids here today and you know, get back into family

0:13:26.679 --> 0:13:29.200
<v Speaker 2>and friends and community and all that stuff. So yeah,

0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:31.480
<v Speaker 2>there was a there was a big kind of wait there,

0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:34.080
<v Speaker 2>and that all kind of went into the decision like, hey,

0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:36.120
<v Speaker 2>I'm done, I'm ready to move on to the next step.

0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:39.000
<v Speaker 1>And while Pete was working in the med sales industry,

0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:43.400
<v Speaker 1>his wife Katie had gotten involved with Express Employment Professionals

0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:46.080
<v Speaker 1>by buying an office in Ames, Iowa.

0:13:46.559 --> 0:13:50.680
<v Speaker 2>The plan was that Katie was going to be was

0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:52.440
<v Speaker 2>going to stay at home, she was going to have

0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:54.480
<v Speaker 2>the third baby, she was going to stay be a

0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:59.559
<v Speaker 2>stay at home mount that lasted probably not even six months,

0:13:59.640 --> 0:14:03.520
<v Speaker 2>so we moved back, we have our third kid, and

0:14:03.640 --> 0:14:09.679
<v Speaker 2>we learn about Express through her brother who lives in Minneapolis.

0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:15.160
<v Speaker 2>His neighbor is the developer and an Express owner, and

0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:17.880
<v Speaker 2>he said, hey, you know, anybody in Eames that wants

0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:20.640
<v Speaker 2>to buy an Express office, there's one for sale. And

0:14:20.680 --> 0:14:23.240
<v Speaker 2>then we heard about it. We are like, this sounds

0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:28.440
<v Speaker 2>pretty good. So we dove in. Never been in the

0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:34.200
<v Speaker 2>staffing industry before, knew nothing about it, no connections, nobody

0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:36.640
<v Speaker 2>we knew was in the staffing world.

0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:40.400
<v Speaker 1>But despite her lack of experience in the staffing industry,

0:14:40.680 --> 0:14:42.360
<v Speaker 1>Katie dove in with Gusto.

0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:46.280
<v Speaker 2>She went in sold, she found her the team when

0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:51.120
<v Speaker 2>you know, recruited her internal team. She went and got

0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:55.520
<v Speaker 2>business and established herself in the community and really did

0:14:55.560 --> 0:14:57.000
<v Speaker 2>it all all on her own.

0:14:57.120 --> 0:14:58.440
<v Speaker 4>So for the.

0:14:58.480 --> 0:15:02.120
<v Speaker 2>First seven in six and a half years, you know,

0:15:02.320 --> 0:15:06.400
<v Speaker 2>she ran this thing and had some good success.

0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:08.880
<v Speaker 5>And that seemed to have worked well enough that it

0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:11.200
<v Speaker 5>even inspired you to join in.

0:15:11.680 --> 0:15:14.840
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely no while that was her main focus, and you know,

0:15:14.920 --> 0:15:17.480
<v Speaker 2>building this business, and I tried to be a part

0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:20.280
<v Speaker 2>as much as I could, but it pretty much was

0:15:20.640 --> 0:15:24.040
<v Speaker 2>bringing coffee and change light bulbs was kind of my job.

0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:26.960
<v Speaker 2>But I always looked at it and said, oh, this

0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:28.760
<v Speaker 2>is I would love to be a part of it.

0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:31.960
<v Speaker 2>So I was I wouldn't say jealous, but I was

0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:35.840
<v Speaker 2>always eager to learn and be a part of it.

0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:39.240
<v Speaker 3>Did you have any reservations about working with your wife?

0:15:41.040 --> 0:15:43.200
<v Speaker 2>You know, lots of people ask me that, you know,

0:15:43.400 --> 0:15:46.200
<v Speaker 2>that seems to be a hot topic of discussion when

0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:48.960
<v Speaker 2>I tell people that I work with my wife, you know,

0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:53.840
<v Speaker 2>I mean honestly, no, We work really well together.

0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:54.880
<v Speaker 4>We always have.

0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:59.120
<v Speaker 2>I have just tried to be very cognizant of this

0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:02.200
<v Speaker 2>is something that she's built and she's put her blood,

0:16:02.200 --> 0:16:04.240
<v Speaker 2>sweat and tears in and I don't want to try

0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:07.360
<v Speaker 2>to come in and act like I know anything or

0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:10.520
<v Speaker 2>try to disrupt things. That was kind of the only

0:16:10.600 --> 0:16:12.800
<v Speaker 2>thing that I was a little bit. I had to

0:16:12.840 --> 0:16:15.400
<v Speaker 2>make sure I was not stepping on any tells. And

0:16:16.200 --> 0:16:19.560
<v Speaker 2>the way we had it structured, there's really two businesses.

0:16:20.080 --> 0:16:24.320
<v Speaker 2>You know, we can kind of separate, which is nice.

0:16:24.640 --> 0:16:26.400
<v Speaker 3>What's a day for you at Express?

0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:31.720
<v Speaker 2>My day is really revolves around that, supporting my team,

0:16:32.000 --> 0:16:34.560
<v Speaker 2>my customers, and our candidates.

0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:37.760
<v Speaker 4>Katie and I are very I like and we are very.

0:16:37.600 --> 0:16:40.280
<v Speaker 2>Cognizant about how we do things and how we go

0:16:40.360 --> 0:16:42.240
<v Speaker 2>about things, and we want.

0:16:42.120 --> 0:16:43.760
<v Speaker 4>To differentiate ourselves from the.

0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:46.600
<v Speaker 2>Competitors because, hey, we do this, but we do this

0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:50.400
<v Speaker 2>with a little extra we do it with more support.

0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:53.320
<v Speaker 2>We're going to make you feel better about our service

0:16:53.360 --> 0:16:54.560
<v Speaker 2>as opposed to the next guy.

0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:57.960
<v Speaker 1>Interestingly, Pete has actually found that a lot of the

0:16:58.000 --> 0:17:00.920
<v Speaker 1>things he learned in his football career have helped him

0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:02.240
<v Speaker 1>in his role at Express.

0:17:02.640 --> 0:17:07.200
<v Speaker 5>What is the Iowa way and has it influenced your

0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:08.359
<v Speaker 5>role at Express?

0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:16.040
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely doing things the right way always and preparing yourself

0:17:16.160 --> 0:17:18.879
<v Speaker 2>to be the best. That's a reflection of what we

0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:21.879
<v Speaker 2>do at Express, especially when we go to our leadership

0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:24.800
<v Speaker 2>conference and you get to see all these other folks

0:17:24.840 --> 0:17:27.680
<v Speaker 2>and people want to do things the right way. Everybody

0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:32.320
<v Speaker 2>wants to strive to be the best. And sometimes your

0:17:32.400 --> 0:17:36.080
<v Speaker 2>formula or what you do, how you do go about

0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:41.359
<v Speaker 2>doing things isn't pretty or doesn't drive the results that

0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:45.040
<v Speaker 2>you want, but you stick to it and you keep

0:17:45.200 --> 0:17:50.640
<v Speaker 2>going and going. And that's the Express formula that they

0:17:50.640 --> 0:17:54.520
<v Speaker 2>have created, and it's successful when you stick to it

0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:58.960
<v Speaker 2>and you do it and you follow through. There's no shortcuts, Nope,

0:17:59.000 --> 0:17:59.800
<v Speaker 2>no shortcuts.

0:18:00.520 --> 0:18:04.159
<v Speaker 1>And of course Pete McMahon knows firsthand what it's like

0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:08.280
<v Speaker 1>to have little to show for yourself besides unwavering dedication.

0:18:08.800 --> 0:18:11.440
<v Speaker 1>Is there something you look for in these people? Can

0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:15.240
<v Speaker 1>you sort of tell if you're that football recruiter.

0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:17.000
<v Speaker 5>Now you're on the other side of it and you're

0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:18.760
<v Speaker 5>seeing the potential in people.

0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:21.359
<v Speaker 4>Absolutely. I had.

0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:24.280
<v Speaker 2>You know, coaches in the past say hey, we want

0:18:24.400 --> 0:18:27.679
<v Speaker 2>folks that are going to work hard and want to

0:18:27.720 --> 0:18:28.120
<v Speaker 2>be there.

0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:29.960
<v Speaker 4>You teach them the rest.

0:18:30.240 --> 0:18:33.119
<v Speaker 2>So I kind of try to use that mentality, Hey

0:18:33.160 --> 0:18:34.200
<v Speaker 2>do they want to learn?

0:18:34.760 --> 0:18:36.000
<v Speaker 4>Do they want to be here?

0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:39.360
<v Speaker 2>Are they excited to come in here every day and

0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:42.680
<v Speaker 2>be better? It's a pretty cool thing when you see

0:18:42.840 --> 0:18:45.840
<v Speaker 2>when somebody comes in and you give them an opportunity

0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:47.600
<v Speaker 2>and they take advantage of it. You know, if they've

0:18:47.600 --> 0:18:50.399
<v Speaker 2>got kids and they've got family members, you know, the

0:18:50.760 --> 0:18:55.160
<v Speaker 2>fifteen dollars an hour job to somebody is extremely impactful

0:18:55.240 --> 0:18:57.399
<v Speaker 2>to a family and community.

0:18:57.920 --> 0:18:58.880
<v Speaker 4>We're all about that.

0:18:59.119 --> 0:19:02.359
<v Speaker 2>We're all about giving people, you know, another chance to

0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:03.199
<v Speaker 2>be successful.

0:19:03.880 --> 0:19:07.359
<v Speaker 1>So in essence, what Pete McMahon does at Express is

0:19:07.440 --> 0:19:11.760
<v Speaker 1>look for people like himself, fellow walk ons just waiting

0:19:11.800 --> 0:19:16.200
<v Speaker 1>for an opportunity to prove themselves for on the job.

0:19:16.840 --> 0:19:17.840
<v Speaker 3>I'm Avery Thompson,