CEO of Retro Fitness Goes “Undercover”

On Friday, April 26th, 2013, Eric Casaburi, the founder and CEO of Retro Fitness, appeared on CBS’s hit show, “Undercover Boss.”

Each week, Undercover Boss follows corporate executives as they go undercover to discover the inner workings of their company. Appearing on the show under the guise of “Barry Goshe,” a game show contestant hoping to win his own club, Casaburi hoped to discover if his clubs were being operated under Retro Fitness’ founding philosophy.

Casaburi founded Retro Fitness in 2004 under his philosophy, “More fitness, less money, by providing an exciting and inviting environment for exercising, fitting to any fitness enthusiast budget.”

Wearing a shaggy wig, scruffy beard and fake “gut” to make him appear less fit, Casaburi visited three different Retro Fitness clubs as Goshe, and worked as a sales consultant, front desk associate and general manager.

Casaburi said his experience on Undercover Boss was an invaluable eye-opener. “As CEO, you don’t get to see the kind of stuff you do when you’re an employee working everyday within the club,” he said. “When I’m around [as CEO], everyone’s on their best behavior.” Being on the show allowed him a different perspective.

Casaburi said one of the hardest aspects of the experience was toning down his knowledge of the industry. “I’m a leader, and teaching is in my DNA,” he said. “It was so difficult for me not to say anything.”

This particular struggle was highlighted multiple times throughout Friday’s broadcast — particularly in one scene, where Casaburi came face to face with a rude employee, Jacqueline, who failed to follow smoothie-making instructions and cursed in front of both Casaburi and members.

“That was the one scene, where if my wig hadn’t of been glued on the way it was, it would have been off and my cover would have been blown,” recalled Casaburi. “It was really difficult for me to keep quiet.”

Ultimately, Casaburi had to cut his time with Jacqueline short in order to prevent his identity from being revealed. “I told the producers, you have to get me out of here,” he said. “I was so close to blowing the whole thing.”

Overall, Casaburi said his experience as an undercover boss was positive. “The takeaway was — I’m really proud and pleased with ‘who’ Retro Fitness has become,” he said. “I say ‘who’ because so many members and employees have embraced Retro Fitness’ philosophy, and it makes me very proud.”

To view the complete episode, visit http://www.cbs.com/shows/undercover_boss/video/.

Photos courtesy of © 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

By Rachel Zabonick

Rachel Zabonick-Chonko

Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.