Employee walked 20 miles overnight for first day of work — CEO ensured it would never happen again

You’d be enthusiastic for your first day of work but not as much as Walter Carr, who went above and beyond and hustled all night, quite literally, to arrive on time, reported BBC News. When his car broke down, he planned and started on foot the previous night. The man began his journey from Homewood, Alabama, to Bellhop, a moving company in Birmingham, and had 20 miles ahead of him, according to CBS News. The man’s determination touched the hearts of many and became a viral sensation, reaching the ears of Bellhop’s CEO, Luke Marklin. He turned his life around with a gift in exchange for top-tier, flawless commitment.

Carr had completed around 14 miles of his walk at around 4 am when he came across a police officer who offered him a ride. He shared his story with Jenny Hayden Lamey, whom he was assigned to help as part of training for his first day. When the woman heard of his resilience, she offered him a few hours of rest before he could start work but the employee remained focused and politely declined. In a post shared on Facebook, the woman wrote, “He WALKED ALL NIGHT to get from Homewood to Pelham. Because he needed to get to work. For those reading this that are not local, that’s over 20 Miles.”

The young man continued his shift, working with the rest of the crew with just as much enthusiasm and effort. Speaking of his challenging walk, Carr simply said, “I wanted to beat the crew members there to let the company know how dedicated I am,” reported USA Today. The woman started a GoFundMe to help raise money for Carr to afford a vehicle to travel to work. After the officer’s post on X and Lamey’s post on Facebook, the young employee received quite the attention — even from his company’s CEO. He was “blown away” by the determination.

He drove from Tennessee to visit the worker and have a chat. He also gave him a life-changing gift, his very own Ford, PEOPLE revealed. A video was shared by the company of Marklin supporting its employee. He arrived with the young man and told him, “This is my car, I want it to be your car.”  “I couldn’t think of a better way to part ways with this and put it to better use,” he remarked. The GoFundMe has raised over $91,849, much of which Carr plans to donate to the  Birmingham Ed Foundation (Ed).

Harvard Business School revealed that a long commute can seriously affect a worker’s productivity. The Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Andy Wu, who conducted a study, revealed that long commuting hours affect the “quality and quantity of innovation.” The study done on over 3,445 inventors and 1,180 firms revealed that for every “10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of added travel distance, the firm employing those inventors registered 5 percent fewer patents.” And these numbers kept decreasing with more distance. Wu suggested that employers be aware of their employees’ travel and opt for closer distances or remote roles. For jobs like Carr’s, where this is not possible, having a good commute helps. 

Carr’s story has touched many. Like Lamey wrote, “He is humble and kind and cheerful, and he had big dreams! He is hardworking and tough.” Speaking of his journey through the night, she couldn’t imagine what kind of resilience pushed him to make it through. All she could do was appreciate how he managed the unfathomable walk. “I can’t imagine how many times on that lonely walk he wanted to turn back,” she reflected. She added that despite the many questions and doubts that crossed his mind, he didn’t give up, and it was worth commending. “But he walked until he got here! I am in total awe of this young man!” she said.

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