Tell us about your childhood. I was born in the Dominican Republic. One interesting thing from my past that links to me and where I am today is that while my family lived in the Dominican Republic, my father owned a Datsun dealership. The Datsun brand became Nissan, and that is the automobile brand I am selling today. As a child, I would go to school, and then, in the afternoons, I would go to the dealership and help my father with whatever needed to be done. I learned a lot about cars and business. When I was 13 years old, my family migrated to New York. We lived in Queens for 13 years. At the time, my uncle had a business in Brooklyn wholesaling fruits and vegetables. I started working there, helping with pickups, and I began moving up in the company until I became a driver. Soon after that, my father opened his own fruit and vegetable wholesaling business in the Bronx, and I started working there. Then, in 2001, the owner of the house that we were renting was moving back to New York City and told us we had to move out because they were moving into the house. We tried to find another place to live in the area, but everything was so expensive. I remember my father saying that it was “time for us to move to another state.” Even though we didn’t have any relatives or family members in Florida, we decided to take a leap of faith, and we moved there. What is your educational background? Degrees or Certifications? I have a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Queens College (CUNY). How did you get into the auto industry? In 2001, just after moving to Orlando, Florida, I needed to get a job since we no longer had the family business. I decided to look for a job as an accountant and put my college degree to work. The only job I could find wanted to pay me $12.00 per hour, and that was not going to work. That’s when it clicked; I loved cars. I was so enthusiastic about them that I had four different subscriptions to auto magazines, and I thought to myself, “Maybe I should sell cars.” The house that we had rented was a mile from Universal Nissan. They gave me the opportunity to start selling cars, and I have worked there ever since. I’ve been involved with CFADA for over four years now. If you want to have your voice to be heard and be part of the solution to problems affecting the auto industry, CFADA is a must. Being a member gives you that power. ACCELERATE 9
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