A Maine-based cellular network technician will receive a VIP trip to see his favorite football team – the Dallas Cowboys – after appearing on the television show “Undercover Boss.”
Kyron Hobdy, 51, of Windham also was given $40,000 for a family vacation and a donation of $20,000 was made in his name to the Travis Mills Foundation, where Hobdy volunteers to help wounded veterans.
In addition to a trip to see the Dallas Cowboys with his wife, Kyron Hobdy received $40,000 for a family vacation and a $20,000 donation in his name to the Travis Mills Foundation. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
The gifts were made by Laurent “LT” Therivel, the CEO of UScellular, where Hobdy works.
In the show, Therivel says he is a failed bartender looking to start over with the cellular company. Hobdy and two other employees were told that Therivel would be job-shadowing them as part of a British television show, “Starting Over,” that would probably go directly to YouTube.
Hobdy took Therivel on a bumpy ATV ride to the top of Shawnee Peak to check on a substation for the cellular network. After dealing with a balky generator, Therivel learned that Hobdy has to visit hundreds of substations to perform maintenance and that number would grow substantially when the company rolls out the next generation of cellular service.
Therivel learned that the job left Hobdy with little time with his large family – his wife, their five children and a niece and a nephew they are foster parenting. Hobdy also volunteers time to the Travis Mills Foundation, a Maine-based organization that helps wounded veterans and their families.
Therivel said district lines for the territory that Hobdy covers would be redrawn and the company would invest in automation that would allow Hobdy to monitor the sites without visiting them all in person. He also arranged for Hobdy and his wife to go to a Cowboys game and said the $40,000 was intended to help pay for a vacation for the whole family.
“I feel incredible right now,” Hobdy said at the conclusion of the show, which aired Friday at 8 p.m. on CBS. “Words can’t describe – it’s like a dream.”
Hobdy has been working for the wireless company for 14 years and has been a technician for the past two. He also is a stand-up comic on the side and has opened shows for Maine comedian Bob Marley.
Therivel also gave money to two other UScellular employees who were on the show and made changes in company procedures based on their experiences when he was job-shadowing with them.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.