My Story Vault: From a Break Before Law School to Porsche with Christian Trujillo

Christian Trujillo grew up in Middletown, New York, the son of Colombian immigrants who came to the United States in the early 1970s in pursuit of the American dream. Raised in a multicultural community and surrounded by family, Christian developed an early love of cars and began working young, first as a paperboy and later at a swimming pool store, where an unexpected conversation with the owner moved him from the warehouse into sales at age 16. While attending SUNY Albany as a pre-law student, he continued working in sales, but after graduating in 2004, Christian decided he needed a break before pursuing law school.

During a family vacation, his father asked a simple question that changed the direction of his life: “You love cars. Why don’t you try to sell cars?” Christian returned home determined to do exactly that and eventually landed an opportunity at Toyota of Clifton Park after initially being told he was overqualified. He began by handling the dealership’s emerging internet leads, but within his first two weeks, a busy Saturday and a customer ready to buy gave Christian the opportunity to sell his first vehicle. He quickly became the dealership’s top salesperson and one of Toyota’s leading salespeople in the Northeast, turning what was supposed to be a temporary job into a career.

Christian recounts the mentors who helped him move through finance and sales management and the opportunity in 2011 to take on a Porsche dealership at a moment when success was far from guaranteed. With a newborn son, a new home, and a recent serious illness behind him, Christian struggled with the decision until his wife told him, “You have to do this.” Today, after more than two decades with the same automotive group, Christian is preparing to lead the transition from New Country Porsche of Clifton Park into the new Porsche Latham facility, while continuing to build the team he has helped grow over the years. Throughout the conversation, he returns to the principles he credits to his upbringing: integrity, family, taking care of people, and doing the right thing even when it is difficult. Asked what he ultimately wants to be known for, Christian’s answer is simple: “Being a good human.”

Links:

Porsche Latham: www.porschecliftonpark.com

New Country Motor Car Group: www.newcountry.com

Narrative Research Group: https://narrativeresearchgroup.org/

For more information or to share a question or insight, please email Shannon [at] narrativeresearchgroup [dot] org