If you’ve never heard of Rocket Fizz sodas, chances are you’ve had at least a sip of one of their products or chewed on some of their old-fashioned candy and didn’t even know it. According to their company profile: The Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shops are one stop shops for all of your soda pop and candy cravings. There are thousands of bottled soda pops and candies from all over America, including some from other galaxies. The gigantic selection will launch you back in time to when you were a kid—even if you are over a hundred light years old. Tonight, Rocket Fizz and its president Robert Powells taken on Undercover Boss. Read on for the details on Powells, his company, and what you can expect on this episode.
1. Powells Realizes His Company Is Old-Fashioned, But Not In The Way He Intended
Powells takes pride in his company with business partner Ryan Morgan and even created its logo himself. The company has an old-fashioned theme, but when Powells goes undercover, he finds that not all of his company should be so old-fashioned. The CBS description of this episode reads:
“Rocket Fizz” – Robert Powells, President and Co-Founder of The Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shops, the largest candy and soda shop franchise in America, embarks on an emotional journey to discover what keeps his candy shops sweet, on UNDERCOVER BOSS, tonight, Jan. 23 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The boss discovers that the inventory system is as old-fashioned as his stores’ classic candies, and he fizzles out while working the assembly line at his bottling plant.
2. On The Show, Powells Works As a Sales Associate, Bottling Operations Manager, Franchise Owner, And Warehouse Associate
Powells comes on Undercover Boss with a broken heart, revealing he lost his girlfriend to suicide. By the end of the show, he gains new friends who tell him that he’s one of the family now and he’s not alone. Check out a clip of Powells hard at work on the show above. And, check out a clip of him messing up with a customer below:
3. Rocket Fizz Was Originally Funded By Fake Dog Poop
According to CBS, when Rob and his co-founder, Ryan Morgan were rejected by banks for a loan to start their business, they had an interesting idea. As a result, Rocket Fizz was originally financed by selling fake dog poop. Check out the full story in the above video clip.
4. Four Employees Are Featured On This Episode
There are four employees featured on this episode of Undercover Boss to show Powells the ropes and they all come with their own story. Marianne is the Franchise Owner who loves having her whole family working with her. After her brother died, Marianne decided to follow her dreams and opened her own Rocket Fizz. Her biggest problem is she’s always stuck in the back of the store doing inventory rather than being out on the sales floor with her customers. Then there’s sales associate Kim who is a “fizzateer” and loves her job. She works hard so she can go to school to become a sign language interpreter. According to CBS, her longtime goal is to open her own Rocket Fizz in Riverside, California near the Deaf Institute.
Ben is the energetic Bottling Operations Manager who is the sole provider for his family. He also recently lost his brother, but doesn’t let his heartache effect his positive outlook on life. Employee Daniel works in the warehouse and he is dedicated to his family as his wife is battling the disease lupus. His wife’s medical bills make life very difficult for him.
5. When Powells First Started Out In The Business, He Picked The Wrong Partner
Will the time the boss of Rocket Fizz spends undercover be sweet or sour? http://t.co/eBpmSCmmcR #UndercoverBoss http://t.co/iu7RRfSD75
In the beginning of his business career, Powells said that he picked a friend to be his partner and it was a big mistake, but that he learned from the experience, telling the LA Times:
It toughened me up, hardened me. Now I’ve got the most trustworthy business partner anyone could find. I learned the hard way that you have to have a partner with a very strong and ethical work ethic.
Powells and his current partner Morgan work well together and they share an 80-hour-per-week work ethic together.