ST. LOUIS, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharon Price
John, President and CEO of Build-A-Bear
Workshop – an interactive destination where guests can
create personalized furry friends – will share her gratifying and
at times emotional experience on the hit CBS series
"Undercover Boss" on Wed.,
Dec. 21, from 8:00-9:00 PM
ET/PT.
Ms. John, who has served as President and CEO of Build-A-Bear
Workshop since 2013, and four associates will be featured on the
Season Eight premiere of the Emmy Award-winning reality series. In
the episode, she dons a disguise and assumes a new identity to
train with a Build-A-Party leader, a bear builder (store
associate), a warehouse associate and an assistant manager.
Shortly after joining the company, Ms. John and her leadership
team devised a multi-year strategic vision to evolve and extend the
Build-A-Bear brand and return the company to profitability, while
staying true to the unique culture that has allowed Build-A-Bear to
be named to the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For®
list eight years running. Since Ms. John's arrival, Build-A-Bear
has successfully undergone a financial turnaround and made key
changes, including a brand refresh. Going undercover allowed her to
see and hear firsthand how recent changes were being received.
"We began rolling out exciting changes in 2014, including a new
logo and branding as well as a new store format called the
Discovery store," said Ms. John. "Guest feedback in our Discovery
locations is positive, but this was one of the only ways I could
get unfiltered feedback from our associates. I wanted to see if
they understood and were on board with the changes. It also gave me
a chance to get to meet even more of our bear builders and
warehouse associates, who are vital to the long-term success of our
business. I had a great time and gained several insights for
improvements that can be implemented at Build-A-Bear in time to
celebrate our 20th birthday in 2017 and beyond."
While working with Ms. John, one associate mentioned his
nostalgia for some of the more classic teddy bears that the company
offered in years past. In response, Build-A-Bear Workshop is
launching a new furry friend inspired by original Build-A-Bear
products—Traditional Cocoa Bear—featuring posable arms and
legs in U.S. and Canada stores
beginning Thursday, Dec. 22, and at
buildabear.com.
Another associate, who is responsible for training new bear
builders, inspired the company to begin developing a "quick start"
manual to help shorten the on-boarding process for seasonal and
temporary associates. The company also plans to more directly
engage with seasoned associates to obtain their feedback as updates
are made to training processes and materials.
To learn more about Ms. John's journey, to hear the stories of
the associates she met, and to find out what additional changes are
in the works at Build-A-Bear, tune in to local CBS stations for the
Season Eight premiere of "Undercover Boss" on Wed., Dec. 21, from 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT.
"Undercover Boss" is a two-time Emmy Award-winning reality
series that follows high-level executives as they slip anonymously
into the rank-and-file of their own organizations. Each week, a
different leader will sacrifice the comfort of their corner office
for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their
operation.
For more news from Build-A-Bear Workshop, go to buildabear.com
and follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube and Instagram.
About Build-A-Bear
Founded in St. Louis in 1997,
Build-A-Bear, a global brand kids love and parents trust, seeks to
add a little more heart to life. Build-A-Bear Workshop has
approximately 400 stores worldwide where guests can create
customizable furry friends, including company-owned stores in
the United States, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Puerto
Rico, the United Kingdom
and China, and franchise stores in
Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East. The company was named to the
FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list for the
eighth year in a row in 2016. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:
BBW) posted a total revenue of $377.7
million in fiscal 2015. For more information, visit
buildabear.com.
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SOURCE Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.