Chuck Kuepfer, Stafff Reporter

Terry Davis has circled Thursday, Sept. 6 at 9 p.m. on the calendar.

That’s when Davis, Home Hardware’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, will star in the season premiere of W Network’s Undercover Boss.

The show takes executives from the boardroom to roles as frontline workers within the company.

“I’d seen the show before, so when we were approached it was something that was of interest,” said Davis.

However, when the show’s producers first contacted Home Hardware, the company wasn’t interested.

“They asked for a personal visit to talk about the show,” said Davis. “The more we looked at the programs the more we thought it would make some sense.”

Davis was selected as the Home Hardware executive to go undercover within the company.

“At first I was very excited about doing it, then I started to think what have I gotten myself into,” he said. “We had to schedule, try to find a block of time, and it took about 10 days of traveling and shooting to do it.”

The filming, which whisked Davis to Home Hardware facilities both west and east of Ontario, was completed May 22-31. He was awake for 26 hours straight on the first day of shooting, after flying from Toronto to Edmonton, working night shift at the Wetaskiwin Distribution Centre, then being interviewed in his motel room before he fell asleep.

During filming, Davis also worked on the manufacturing line at the company’s Beauti-Tone Paint and Home Products facility in Burford, and in retail sales at Payzant Home Hardware Building Centre in Lower Sackville, NS and Geerlinks Home Hardware Building Centre in St. Thomas.

“After a while you just get used to the cameras following your every move,” he said. “You’re never supposed to look at the camera.”

Those he worked with while undercover we’re brought to St. Jacobs for the show’s climatic R& R (reveal and reward), June 14.

“I’ve been with the company for 42 years now and I’ve had lots of different opportunities to work in different parts of the company, but I haven’t worked on the retail side of things,” said Davis. “It really reinforced to me how dedicated they are, how really attuned to customers they are, how much they really live and breath the whole customer service experience.”

Along with learning more about the many roles with the company, he also had an inside look at show business. His wardrobe was provided for every day of filming.

“When I was done wearing it, it just went away,” said Davis. “They were all brand new clothes for me to wear that day.”

Davis has seen a first cut of the episode.

“We shot tons of stuff that never ended up in the show,” he said. “My wife and I must have played bocce in my backyard for a good 40 minutes throwing the ball up as close as we could to the camera just to show them the normal activity my wife and I do around the house.”

Davis, though, is happy with the content in the episode.

“In my opinion it really showed some great people that we work with all the time, and we don’t always understand their life story,” he said. “I was able to get a glimpse of a bit more of the lives of some of the people I work with, and I was very touched by some of their life experiences.”

Come Sept. 6, television viewers will be able to see Davis and Home Hardware featured in the episode that leads off the second season of Undercover Boss.

Davis will tune into the show from the Home Hardware headquarters on Henry Street in St. Jacobs alongside co-workers and friends.