Courtney Medina has worked in the Sales industry for a while and, more recently, has been working sales at Sauers Auto in La Porte for about a year and a half. How she fell into the job was kind of a happy accident.
“Kim Sauers was a family friend, and I had recently moved down to the area and was looking for a sales job. I had sold insurance previously and thought, ‘I think I’d like to give car sales a try,’” said Medina on her transition into the auto world.
Medina had moved to Northwest Indiana from Bridgman, Michigan, not too far over the border, where she sold property and casualty insurance. Since moving here about two years ago, she has really gotten a flavor for the Region and what it has to offer.
“It’s a lot bigger than where I come from. La Porte might be a small town, but my town has a population that is half or even less than that in size,” said Medina. “I like this area; it’s close to everything and you still have that small-town feel. There are also the shops here or in Michigan City and Valpo if you can’t find something in town.”
When Medina isn’t in the office trying to pair customers with the car that best suits them, she likes to repair and restore old furniture.
“It’s a great way to just unwind and restore something to a better condition than you found it. I’ve always been a bit of a crafty person though,” said Medina.
What keeps her motivated on the job, however, are the customer experiences and the team work among the staff at Sauers.
“There are a lot of people up front at the dealership, and we use a lot of teamwork. Whether it’s me with sales trying to figure out what customers want and how to finance them, or Chris in management and Gary in finance; it’s quite a collaborative effort,” said Medina.
What Medina really finds fulfilling about the job is getting up close and personal with the people of La Porte and the surrounding communities who come through the doors at Sauers on a day to day basis.
“I really like meeting the many different people that come in, and you never know who you’re going to meet next. I’ve met a lot of great people with interesting stories, and I love when they come in for service work. We can catch up and see how their car is treating them. Referrals also make you feel like you did something right, so those are always a great compliment,” said Medina.