Findlay employee proves that dedication pays off

Martin Norris, who has worked for Findlay Automotive Group for nearly 20 years, is proving that hard work and dedication pays off.

Norris, an energetic and always smiling transplant from Inglewood, Calif., started as a file clerk at age 16½, working for General Manager Rich Abajian at Saturn of West Sahara. From there, he became a manager of inventory and marketing. Recently, he was promoted to finance director at Findlay Volkswagen in the Valley Automall.

“I will never forget my first job with Saturn of West Sahara,” said Norris, who said he has never shied from a new challenge and has drawn admiration from his fellow employees and his customers. “I was just a kid looking for work and found out about the job through a friend whose mother worked as a receptionist for the dealership. Next thing I knew I was a file clerk. I put my head down and went to work — the rest is history.”

Working hard is nothing new for Norris, a father of three who has been married to his longtime sweetheart, Monice, for 14 years. “She’s my strength, for sure.”

He said his father taught him values.

“My dad (Robert) told us to always work hard and be the best you can be at whatever you do,” said Norris, a 26-year resident of Las Vegas and 1994 graduate of Bonanza High School. “He encouraged all of us (he has three brothers) to always do right, work hard and do the best you can at everything. And most of all, he told us to always give back. In addition, my brothers always kept me motivated. I lost my mother when I was only 12, and we had to grow up fast.”

However, Norris’ biggest praise is now directed toward Justin Findlay, who is operations manager for Findlay Volkswagen, Findlay Audi and Findlay Chevrolet.

“The reason I have so much respect for Justin is that when we opened this store, he was right here with us every minute of every day,” Norris said. “He was in the trenches and that helped me establish my own ground rules. He was dedicated to the cause, and so were we.”

Norris said his latest promotion presents the biggest challenge of his career.

“In this position, you are more involved with the inner workings of the dealership,” he said. “Now I have people under me and it’s my job to make sure our people and our department is equally successful. I’m a firm believer that you’re only as good as those around you. I have been blessed with a great people at the workplace, as well as in my personal life.”

He said the challenge in his work comes from the complexities and ever-changing nature of finances.

“It’s unbelievable. At the end of the day, this is an element of the car business that requires dotting every I and crossing every T.”

Dealership General Manager Jim Krumme praised Norris.

“He’s a great team leader,” Krumme said. “He has one of those personalities that radiates itself throughout the dealership and he learns quickly.”

Findlay Volkswagen, 983 Auto Show Drive, is part of Findlay Automotive Group, which was founded by the late Pete Findlay more than 50 years ago. His son, Cliff Findlay, now leads operations in Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Arizona.