Photos & story by Chistian Chapman
After being with the Clark family for four generations, Mari Cruz Aurora Aguirre never imagined the influence she would come to have on Charlie Clark. Her influence would be profound, and through him, would be felt across this great country and abroad.
“Nana”, as she would be addressed, would introduce the little boy, Charlie Clark, to Principle, Integrity, and Ethics coupled with Mexican art, music, culture, language, respect and a love of life imbued with all that makes a good man a great leader. Nana taught him Spanish, (which Clark speaks like a native), to love and appreciate the traditions of the Mexican culture.
To date, Nana’s influence is seen and experienced from the moment a customer sets foot in the show room. Just like the weekend tardeadas that were once held in the Hotel Continental ball room, Juarez, Mexico, the showroom feels like a fiesta complete with café tables and chairs. The aroma of fresh coffee draws the customer to the breakfast nook where pan dulce, and donuts abound. On weekends there is a food fest, singing and sometimes, a little bit of dancing as mariachi music embraces the senses. There is fun. There is joy. Guests at Charlie Clark Nissan are treated to abrazos, como familia. Across Texas and New Mexico, the crew of Charlie Clark Nissan are prepared to provide everyone with quality service, and respect. Even the most humble of customers leave with their dignity and the best auto offer available.
You spoke of how extraordinary your grandfather Charles D. Clark was during WWII. How so? During WWII Captain Clark flew the B 17 Bomber. A testament to his will to survive. My Grandfather, Captain Clark became a German prisoner of war and was later rescued by General Patton. The will to survive was in family and faith. Upon his return home to his wife, he asked that she never leave his side and that there always be food in the house. Mrs. Clark was, from that day on, by his side. The strength of faith and family is reflected in all that Charlie Clark says and does.
How did you become BEST OF THE BEST, out of more than one thousand dealerships? I learned from the best. I was once asked did I want to be a sparrow, or an eagle? Great question. Most of all I did not want to become a “junior” in my chosen career. Naming Rick Hendricks Motors, of S. Carolina enhanced by example all that Clark had learned with his family and their automobile dealerships. When family issues became such that a decision had to be made, “Be a Junior or be an Eagle?” Clark chose wisely. With grit and determination and a little bit of faith from the bank, Charlie Clark Nissan began the path to becoming the Number One dealer in the Nissan Family. All that Clark learned from his NANA, all that he learned from his mentors, brought “el nino de oro” to focus on the Hispanic market. To say his approach was and is marketing genius would be an understatement.
How would you describe your approach to taking care of issues? As an entrepreneur I went to the right people who had gone from “good to great” and learned from them. I used to micro-manage my crew, but now I let them evolve into leaders and in the process, we have fun.
Is there a secret to the success of Charlie Clark Nissan? Yes, the Hispanic market is the focus but it is the whole family we embrace. From first generation, to second generation to third generation, buying a car involves the whole family, sons remember how their father was treated and how good the automobile was, and pass on their opinion. Come time for their children to graduate from high school and head out to college, well, we hope they will remember Charlie Clark Nissan, how well they were treated, what a great car was chosen and how much fun it was.
Martin Rocha; Marketing Director Charlie Clark Nissan, El Paso, Texas, as Marketing Director what is Charlie Clark Nissan greatest challenge and how have those challenges been met?
It has to be giving our customers a great customer experience, going above and beyond what they have come to expect. We are non-confrontational. From the moment the customer steps in our show room, we make the experience fun. A café experience complete with a coffee bar, pan dulce, soft drinks, and on weekends, entertainment, mariachis, and of course, a bar-be-que!. It is a fiesta and everyone knows Charlie, so he is here to meet and greet, CON CANCION, CON ABRAZOS, Y CON CARINO.
How do you help the customer?
Charlie Clark makes the car buying experience non-confrontational. We offer amenities for life, we know our customers and they know us. If the issue is fixed income, or credit, there is a need for transportation, we see a relationship. The customer may want a new car but cannot afford a new car, we want to provide as many options as we can…
How did COVID 19 affect you all? We were determined to be an essential business, we stayed open, but we knew we had to change. We knew we would get through it. We bought car sanitation equipment to take care of folks who came to see us regardless if they bought a car from us. The sanitation service was free. We wanted to be a part of what brings down the numbers in El Paso, it is free and will remain free. We must do our part to keep the numbers down. Keep El Paso safe.
Clark, and Nana have appeared in your commercials and they are delightful, how is she doing now? Nana is now 98 years young. When I go home, I see my Nana every day. With COVID-19, it was terrible. I could not give her a hug, hold her hand, it broke my heart to have a window between us. Nana has the finest care and I know the social distance was for her protection but it was terrible.
When not at CC Nissan, there is martial arts in which he has earned a black belt in Judo and a blue belt in Jiu-Jitsu, or he will journey to sacred ground in which his efforts will go to the foundation to preserve the land for future generations to come. There will be an Infinity dealership soon and don’t forget the movie, THE GREEN Ghost in which Charlie Clark plays the hero, the Green Ghost who shares adventures with Danny Trejo and a superb cast! There is so much more to write about this extraordinary man but must close for now. Gracias Nana, por todo.