A couple Lowe’s associates can now check off a bucket list item: attend a live TV show.
“It was really a big deal for me,” said Akeem Montantine, Lowe’s assistant store manager. “I’m not trying to sound corny, because it’s America’s Big Deal you know. But it was a big deal because it’s something different and it’s huge.”
He’s talking about America’s Big Deal, a new live shoppable TV series airing on USA Network Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET. Each week, a Lowe’s executive sits on a panel of retail titans that can help further one entrepreneur’s business dreams. And each week, a couple lucky Lowe’s associates are given the opportunity to attend the live production.
A few weeks ago, Montantine and Kyle Frenche, a Lowe’s store manager, were chosen to go. And they had some of the best seats in the house.
“I was up front, right behind the judges, so it was pretty cool to see that,” Frenche said. “The host was super funny and just the energy… there was so much excitement there.”
Neither had been to a live production event before, so witnessing some behind-the-scenes magic was a thrill.
“The stage was a really good size and then they had a lot of strobe lights flashing which just built the excitement,” Montantine said. “Then, they had this one gentleman getting the crowd riled up, you know, countdown claps and all that.
“Behind the scenes, there’s a lot of clapping,” he added, laughing.
But there was nothing inauthentic about the energy in the room, Montantine said. For the contestants, the audience or the retail judges.
“We truly wanted to applaud every entrepreneur! For what they’ve done and where they’ve come from. It was such a motivational experience,” he said.
“It’s great exposure [for Lowe’s] and the entrepreneurs,” Frenche added. “For other entrepreneurs to see this and go, ‘Wait a minute.’ I think it would make other people [watching] think, ‘Wow, I can invent something and I have a chance for Lowe’s to buy it so I can do better for myself and my family.’”
And that very episode, that’s exactly what happened. Lowe’s executive Don Frieson offered a Big Deal to entrepreneur Javi Martinez, creator of the Mammoth Grip. The product is a hand grip that allows you to carry more at once.
“I thought it was simple but it made a lot of sense and was good for the DIY customer and the Pro,” Frenche said. “I thought Don made a great purchase on that product because we can definitely sell it.”
Added Montantine: “Once we landed a deal, I felt like I won.”
A winning experience for everyone involved. But particularly the small business owners whose lives are changed by the exposure and support. It’s something Lowe’s strives to do off the air as well, through its in-house program Making It… With Lowe’s.
Although the experience at the show was a personal high for both associates, they came away feeling even more proud of their company and how it’s helping others.
“It made me feel that I’m with the right company,” Montantine said. “There are so many companies out there, but to be a part of something like this? It just made everything make sense.”
