At 21 years old, Connor Schweikert is one of the youngest on the Currie Motors Ford of Valpo sales team. With a friendly personality and a lifelong passion for cars, he realized this was the perfect position from the moment he heard about the job opening two and a half years ago.
“I wanted to work at Currie because I'm a huge people person and I love talking to people,” he said. “I'm a huge car guy too – I love my cars. That's honestly why I knew it would work out perfectly. Those were the top two reasons that drew me in.”
Schweikert had recently graduated from high school at the time he applied. Like many at this point in life, he was still figuring out his career path and was eager but unsure of the next step to take. It was a longtime friend who pointed him in Currie’s direction.
“One of my good buddies from high school actually knew that I was a people person and knew that I was looking for a job. He recommended me here and I ended up applying, and that's when I got my interview,” he said.
Fast forward to 2022 and Schweikert is now a pro in the field. Much of his time is spent working one-on-one with his customers and helping them find the perfect car for their needs. He describes making a sale and seeing them drive off the lot as a feeling like no other, and Schweikert noted that it’s easily one of his favorite parts of the job.
“It's amazing,” he said. “It's just a natural and general adrenaline rush. It makes you feel good and makes you feel especially happy. Some of my favorite memories here actually stem from being able to work with customers to obtain everything from their daily driver to their dream cars.”
One such customer also provided quite the memorable experience, making it his all-time favorite moment from working at the dealership.
“One thing that I can honestly say that really humbled me was when I sold my dad his truck. It's amazing to be able to help your family. That itself was probably one of my favorite memories,” he said.
Working on Currie’s sales team has also given him the opportunity to learn more about vehicles specific to the dealership, and Schweikert noted that he has grown quite fond of the many performance vehicles available.
“Never in my life, coming to work for a Ford dealership, did I think that I would ever be able to work with some of the crazy-performing vehicles that we have here, from some of our ROUSH, Lifted trucks, Shelby vehicles, and even our Black Ops and FTX trucks. Being able to educate people on these specific vehicles and help them get their dream cars or trucks is pretty amazing,” he said.
Being a part of Currie’s car shows is also a major perk for Schweikert. With his interest in cars from an early age, he always enjoys seeing the different types of vehicles that participate in the different events.
“You can find me at all of the car shows that we either host or sponsor between the summer and fall. That is one of my favorite things that we do because of the amount of amazing cars that some of the people in our community bring out. It’s also fun to be able to be a part of our Ford of Valpo Performance Team. Some of the vehicles that I get to interact with on a day-to-day basis are pretty awesome.”
The team Schweikert works with at Currie is one he considers a second family. Many of his coworkers have taken him under their wings from his very first day, and he appreciates the mentorship, help, and advice they’ve given him over the years.
“We are literally like a big family,” he said. “It's like being around your big brothers and sisters all day because I'm one of the youngest on the sales floor.”
Looking ahead, Schweikert is looking forward to learning even more while working at Currie, and hopes to move up in the ranks as time progresses.
“Moving forward, I’m treating each day like it’s the last,” he said. “There's obviously more potential with the job itself, which makes it awesome. One day, I would even love to be a manager, which is my ultimate dream.”
For more information about Currie Motors Ford of Valpo, visit fordofvalpo.com.
