February 28, 2024
Who among us has never dreamed about finding buried treasure?
Whether you were a kid pretending to dig for stolen bank notes or an aimless beachgoer hoping to stumble on to a gold doubloon, the thought of discovering pilfered riches or a sacred piece of history is the stuff of dreams.
Steve Bender
But for one long time fleet industry mover and shaker, treasure hunting is more than mere fantasy. In the case of Fleet Street Remarketing President and Owner Steve Bender, it’s a passion that’s resulted in him starring in a new History Channel series called ‘Lost U boats of World War II,’ a one-hour show that debuted February 27, and can be viewed any time on the History Channel app.
For Bender, the show is more than a passing fancy, it’s the culmination of decades of knocking around the Caribbean in search of an elusive flash of gold or a rotting ship hull and the mere possibility that one day he would hit the proverbial jackpot. Excited as he was when he was approached about being on the show, he was extremely skeptical about the realities of finding sunken U-boats laden with Nazi gold.
“I’m not the kind of guy who just takes something at face value, I like to step back and read the indicators,” said Bender. “That’s how I am in life and that’s how we do business at Fleet Street. “If we’re going to get involved in something as a company, we’re going to do the research, do the work, and dig a little deeper and that’s how I felt about the show.”
So – after a ton of research and a lot of convincing from his friend – Bender agreed to fund the project by chipping in his sea plane, 35-foot boat and seed money to get things off the ground.
Darrell Miklos
The brainchild of Bender’s longtime friend and colonial shipwreck expert Darrell Miklos, ‘Lost U-boats of World War II’ is a show focused on Miklos’ attempt to locate a submerged German sub he stumbled on after jumping into the Caribbean off his father’s boat to avoid an argument over 30 years ago. Bender and Miklos are joined on the show by renowned archeologist Garth Baldwin, an expert at analyzing artifacts picked from the sea floor.
The 6-episode show – produced by Pilgrim Productions in cooperation with the History Channel – has already shot and wrapped its first season, and Bender is hoping that interest in treasure hunting, reality TV, and World War II will drive viewership to the point the show is picked up for a second season.
Regardless of how things turn out, Bender – who’s the current past-President of the Automotive Fleet Leasing Association (AFLA) – wants his friends and customers in the fleet space to know that he “ain’t quitting his day job.” And that despite the lure of striking it rich or finding superstardom as the next TV heartthrob, his stint on the show has only galvanized his commitment to growing Fleet Street and staying true to his fleet industry roots.
Perhaps even more importantly, Bender thinks his experience on the show – and one jarring scene in particular – has made him a better person and opened his eyes to some meaningful life lessons. Something he never expected when he agreed to do the show, but that clearly overwhelms him, occurred in episode 4. And while a big part of him brushes off that defining moment as “typical” reality TV, it’s obvious the secret Bender learns has a powerful effect on not only his personal – but professional – life as well.
In the end, the hair-raising moment, which involves a long-lost relative, forces Bender to face his reality and come to grips with his past. The scene is must-see TV, and Bender admits that it taught him a powerful lesson that he’s incorporating into both his personal life, and the way he conducts business at Fleet Street. To never be ashamed of who you are, and to realize that to be successful in life, you have to embrace the mistakes you’ve made.
“That was an eye-opening moment for me,” said Bender, who worked as a professional diver in his 20’s. “It’s taught me that sometimes in life you have to accept things that happen and that it’s not about whether you win or lose, but how you recover.”
In addition to re-energizing his love for adventure and treasure hunting, Bender said the best thing to come out of the show was his desire to push Fleet Street to even greater heights in the coming months and years. And a commitment to embrace life no matter what comes his way. Even more importantly, he believes the show has taught him that sometimes in life – and business – you just have to just have to “own your mistakes and put good energy out into the universe.”
“I know it might sound corny to some people,” Bender said. “But the truth is this show has taught me that we’re all going to face adversity whether it’s business or life and if you put your best into everything – just like we do here at Fleet Street – good things are going to come back to you. I firmly believe that.”
‘Lost U-boats of WW II’ is broadcast Tuesday night’s at 10 pm on the History Channel. To watch the show anytime, download the History Channel app or look for the show on services like Hulu and YouTube. And to learn more about Fleet Street and its online retail car buying service CarVantedge, click here.
