WEBVTT - The Iowa Way

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<v Speaker 1>Wind down with Janet Kramer an I'm Heeart radio podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>I want to introduce you to On the Job and

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<v Speaker 2>host Avery Thompson. Avery shares stories of people making changes

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<v Speaker 2>in their professional and personal lives. Whether it's a successful

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<v Speaker 2>athlete transitioning into a new career off the field, a

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<v Speaker 2>fly fishing tour guide trying to introduce a new segment

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<v Speaker 2>of folks to the joys of the outdoors, or a

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<v Speaker 2>stadium beer and hot dog hawker who doubles as a

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<v Speaker 2>CEO of a red hot startup. We'll find out what

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<v Speaker 2>drives them and what lies ahead. These are heartfelt stories

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<v Speaker 2>of people finding their lives. Work on the Job is

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<v Speaker 2>brought to you by Express Employment Professionals. This week, Avery

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<v Speaker 2>talks to a former offensive lineman about his Express franchise

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<v Speaker 2>in Iowa.

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<v Speaker 3>Welcome to On the Job. On today's episode, we're speaking

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<v Speaker 3>with Pete McMahon over in the ames Iowa Express office,

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<v Speaker 3>who for the past two years has been working alongside

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<v Speaker 3>his wife Katie. If you were to walk into the

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<v Speaker 3>Express office in ames, Iowa, I'd find yourself thinking, geez,

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<v Speaker 3>that's a big guy over there, and that's the same

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<v Speaker 3>thing that the football coaches at the University of Iowa

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<v Speaker 3>thought when Pete McMahon walked onto their field back in

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<v Speaker 3>two thousand as an incoming freshman.

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<v Speaker 4>Guy was six seven, two hundred and ninety pounds as

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<v Speaker 4>a senior in high school, and back then that was

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<v Speaker 4>pretty big. So that was attraction from the Iowa program.

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<v Speaker 3>As a born and raised Iowan, it had always been

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<v Speaker 3>Pete McMahon's dream to play for the Hawkeys. But even

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<v Speaker 3>as big as he was, that dream wasn't going to

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<v Speaker 3>come easy.

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<v Speaker 4>For those that don't know what is being a walk

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<v Speaker 4>on mean? You can join the team, We'll give you

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<v Speaker 4>a uniform, you can hold this tackling dummy. And that

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<v Speaker 4>was me. So I was not a scholarship kid. I

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<v Speaker 4>wasn't even a recruited walk on. I was a first

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<v Speaker 4>what they would call first day walk on.

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<v Speaker 3>And while I can't get over the injustice of that,

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<v Speaker 3>Pete didn't seem to mind. If anything in motivated him

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<v Speaker 3>to work that much harder in the weight room and

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<v Speaker 3>hit that much harder on the field.

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<v Speaker 4>I grew up in a blue collar family and if

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<v Speaker 4>you didn't have something, you went out and you worked

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<v Speaker 4>for it. You got it.

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<v Speaker 3>Pete McMahon came into his own as a Hawk guy

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<v Speaker 3>and went on to have an impressive college career.

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<v Speaker 4>It was a team captain and you know, two Big

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<v Speaker 4>Ten Championship rings. We finished in the top ten three

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<v Speaker 4>years in a row.

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<v Speaker 3>So when it came time for graduation, there was no

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<v Speaker 3>question in Pete's mind what was next.

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

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<v Speaker 3>By the end of the first day of drafts, Pete

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<v Speaker 3>still is unsigned. And then finally, in the sixth round

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<v Speaker 3>of the two thousand and five NFL Draft, the Oakland

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<v Speaker 3>Raiders select Pete McMahon for their offensive line. Do they

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<v Speaker 3>still get the sixth rounds that comically giant check.

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<v Speaker 4>I didn't get the big check. No, they didn't do

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<v Speaker 4>that for me, but I would have liked that.

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<v Speaker 3>And very quickly Pete learns what it's really like in

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<v Speaker 3>the pro league.

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<v Speaker 4>Two days later they cut me.

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<v Speaker 3>Fortunately, soon after getting released from Oakland, Pete manages to

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<v Speaker 3>get on with the Cleveland Browns and spends the season

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<v Speaker 3>with them.

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<v Speaker 4>In that offseason that summer, I had gotten married.

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<v Speaker 3>So Pete and his wife arrived back in Ilewa, and

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<v Speaker 3>the very next day he gets a call from the

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<v Speaker 3>New York Jets saying pack your bags.

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<v Speaker 4>I look like a really good husband. Just took my

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<v Speaker 4>law's daughter out of their house, brought her back a

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<v Speaker 4>week later. Oh ya, And in that time we bought

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<v Speaker 4>a new puppy.

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<v Speaker 3>So then Pete goes to New York in Buffalo, and

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<v Speaker 3>Miami and Jacksonville and New England and Hamburg, Germany, of

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<v Speaker 3>all places, and then back to Jacksonville. You played for

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<v Speaker 3>a lot of teams in the NFL, Yes, I did.

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<v Speaker 4>People ask me what teams do you play for? I'm like,

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<v Speaker 4>I don't know you name one. I probably was with them.

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<v Speaker 3>But eventually Pete decided that as much of a dream

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<v Speaker 3>as it was to play in the NFL, enough is enough.

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<v Speaker 3>His wife, Katie had gotten involved with Express Employment Professionals

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<v Speaker 3>by buying an office in Ames, Iowa.

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<v Speaker 4>We dove in. Never been in the staffing industry before,

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<v Speaker 4>knew nothing about it.

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<v Speaker 3>Did you have any reservations about working with your wife?

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<v Speaker 4>You know? Lots of people ask me that. Honestly, no,

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<v Speaker 4>we work really well together. We always have.

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<v Speaker 3>And of course Pete McMahon knows firsthand what it's like

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<v Speaker 3>to have little to show for yourself besides unwavering dedication.

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<v Speaker 3>You're that football recruiter. Now you're on the other side

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<v Speaker 3>of it, and you're seeing potential in people I had.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, coaches in the past say hey, we want

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<v Speaker 4>folks that are going to work hard and want to

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<v Speaker 4>be there, need teaching the rest. We're all about giving people,

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<v Speaker 4>you know, another chance to be successful.

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<v Speaker 3>What Pete McMahon does it Express is look for people

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<v Speaker 3>like himself, fellow walk Ons, just waiting for an opportunity

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<v Speaker 3>to prove themselves for on the job. I'm Avery Thompson.

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<v Speaker 1>Looking for a job is lonely, endless searching, phone calls

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<v Speaker 1>that go nowhere, applications that vanish into thin air. What

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<v Speaker 1>if you could link with dozens of local companies who

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<v Speaker 1>are hiring right now with just one connection. That's Express

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<v Speaker 1>Employment Professionals. Find us at expresspros dot com. One connection,

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<v Speaker 1>endless opportunities and no fees ever for job seekers Express

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<v Speaker 1>Employment Professionals expresspros dot com.