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Canfield native comes a long way for a Cruze
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Mark Santilli
Jeff Gordon GM Buys 100 Cruze's
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Mark Santilli came for the Chevrolet Cruze, and he’s not leaving empty-handed — nor hungry. Before heading back to Wilmington, N.C., where he is the marketing manager of Jeff Gordon Chevrolet, he plans to stock the Crystal Red Metallic 2011 Cruze ECO full of Wedgewood pizza, among other local favorites.
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
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Mark Santilli, marketing manager for Jeff Gordon Chevrolet in Wilmington, N.C., picks up one of the 100 Cruzes his dealership recently took on from the Lordstown General Motors complex.
By Karl Henkel
LORDSTOWN
Mark Santilli came for the Chevy Cruze, and he’s not leaving empty-handed — nor hungry.
Before heading back to Wilmington, N.C., where he is the marketing manager of Jeff Gordon Chevrolet, he plans to stock the Crystal Red Metallic 2011 Cruze ECO full of Wedgewood pizza, among other local favorites.
“There are some things you can’t get down there,” he said. “Good pizza is one of them.”
Santilli, originally from Canfield, flew into Akron earlier this week to pick up a Cruze — one of 100 taken on by his dealership, meet with workers at the Lordstown plant and drive 700 miles back to Wilmington in support of General Motors Co. and the auto industry.
Among the workers he spoke with Wednesday was 55-year-old Fabio Rodriguez of Youngstown, who has worked for GM for 27 years. The two also share a connection: They both worked at the Linden, N.J., plant in the 1970s, Santilli’s first job in the auto industry.
“It was really nice to meet him again,” Rodriguez said. “Really exciting for me to see someone from the Linden plant.”
Santilli doesn’t know what’s in store for the car he obtained, but said he knows one thing for sure: It won’t sit anywhere for long.
Of the 100 Cruzes the dealership took on, more than half already have been sold.
Cruze sales have skyrocketed nationwide, and the model is now the best-selling Chevy nameplate after totaling more than 150,000 first-quarter global sales.
“There’s a tremendous pull for the Cruze right now,” said Tom Mock, spokesman for the Lordstown plant. “And the people here are proud to build the Chevrolet Cruze.”
He said there’s a possibility the dealership could sell it as a new car, have it autographed by Jeff Gordon and then auctioned, or stage a scavenger-hunt publicity event.
Santilli also has extended an offer to Valley residents willing to make the same commute he did. If someone from the Valley drives to Wilmington and purchases a car from his dealership, they’ll also get two tickets to a NASCAR race of their choice.