Nick Markosian

Nick Markosian of Markosian Auto

Who is Nick Markosian,

that crazy car salesman on tv?

The Man behind the Commercials

By Sona Schmidt-Harris

You may have seen him in one of his memorable commercials. On television, he fits the profile of the shameless used car salesman, but in person Nick Markosian is much more subdued. Tanned and handsome, he is neatly dressed and speaks confidently without any of the fanfare he exhibits in his commercials. It isn’t from nowhere that Markosian’s comfort in front of the camera came. As a boy, he was in commercials that were filmed in what was then Osmond Studios. It seems he has always wanted to put it out there. When he was in high school, Markosian managed to break his leg several times, so to pass the time while he was down, he learned to play the saxophone very well. So much so, that he was offered a full-ride scholarship in music to the University of Utah. But ever restless, he spent only a year in college.

“For whatever reason, I wanted to

grow up real fast. I don’t know why, but I just had that propensity — that proclivity to grow up fast and have my own business and move forward,” he said. “I owned four rental houses by the time I was 22.” However, Markosian has some regrets. “I would have liked to have gone to school and gotten better at music,” he said. “Life’s a long time. I don’t think I would have necessarily sacrificed much by enjoying that period of my life a little bit more and not being so gung-ho.” Markosian has been gung-ho about cars since he was a young teenager and subscribed to auto magazines. In addition to his natural curiosity, his great uncle was Rick Warner, who was one of the largest dealers in the area. “I always admired and liked him,” Markosian said.

Drawn to the used car model, he opened Markosian Auto. “I kind of modeled my business after the customer that was walking in the door,” he said. “And we were always out here, west, you know, catering to more blue-collar customers that walk in the door with credit problems.” Markosian wanted to help his target customer obtain the car they wanted. “How can I make it easier for them? How can I get them into a better car?” he asked. “How can I make the buying experience better for them?” His business model worked, and today Markosian has locations in Taylorsville, Draper, Tooele and Ogden.

Though successful today, he faced near financial ruin 15 years ago. “You know, I think anybody can recover from anything if they have perseverance, and I felt like that was the only option I had,” Markosian said. “There were many, many times when I was highly discouraged and thought, ‘Well maybe it’s time to throw in the towel,’ but I just kept coming back to work. I kept the doors open and kept trying to make my business better, and it wasn’t very long until we were one of the top dealers.”

He has this advice to others facing financial troubles: “Be honest. What got you here? I know what got me into my financial difficulties,” Markosian said. “I was reckless and overspent and just didn’t pay attention, and it got me into a really ugly situation. So, I think the number one thing is to be honest with what got you there in the first place, so you can fix it.”

He added, “Realize that elephants are to be eaten one bite at a time. And if you just look at the long picture, if you persevere, you’re going to be fine.” Though Markosian is currently swimming in success, he has not forgotten others. “We have started a program where we sell cars to formerly homeless kids who are getting back on their feet”, he said. “The county has a program to help get them housed, get them jobs — teach them about basic finances, and my role in that is to sell them a good running car for a thousand dollars out the door. I don’t want to give it to them because I want them to have skin in the game and have to work towards something, but I do want to give them a subsidized, really good deal on these cars, and I’m really proud that we’re able to do that. We also give away a minivan every year to a family in need. We’ve done that for about 15 years.” Say what you will about his commercials; Nick Markosian is a class act.

A BAR NAMED SUE

Full bar, food, pool tables, pingpong. 3928 S Highland Dr, SLC + 8136 S State St, Midvale

BEERHIVE PUB

Main Street just got a whole lot cooler! A big, gorgeous bar, hundreds of great beers and good company. 128 S Main St., SLC

BIG WILLIES

Good pub food, sports bar and pool tables. 1717 S Main St, SLC

BODEGA

Home of SLC’s best kept secret. 331 S Main Street BOHEMIAN BREWERY

Czechs know: Amazing food. Amazing beer. 94 E 7200 S

CHAKRA LOUNGE

Tapas, exceptional cocktails, DJ. 364 S State, SLC COTTON BOTTOM INN

Classic aprés ski, famous garlic burgers. 2820 E 6200 S, Holladay

DESERT EDGE PUB

Great food and atmosphere for a night out. Trolley Square

FIDDLER’S ELBOW

Watch the Utes and drink a stein in Sugar House. 1063 E 2100 S

GRACIE’S

Service, drinks, food and ambience—all top notch. 326 S West Temple, SLC

GREEN PIG PUB

Great place to watch the game and have a pint. 31 E 400 S, SLC

HOG WALLOW

Offering spirits & bar food, live music. 3200 E Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd, Cottonwood Heights

KEYS ON MAIN

Live dueling piano bar in the heart of downtown. 242 S Main

LEGENDS SPORTS GRILL

Perfect spot to watch the Jazz and enjoy a burger and a brew. 677 S 200 W

LUCKY 13

Excellent food and a friendly atmosphere. 135 W 1300 S

PIPER DOWN

SLC’s Most Amazing Rooftop Patio. 1492 S State St, SLC

POPLAR STREET PUB

Good food, great selection of local beers. 242 S 200 W PROPER BREWING CO.

Craft beer and a full bar. Food available next door at Proper Burger Co. 857 S Main St., SLC

RED ROCK BREWING CO.

Utah’s most awarded brew pub: taste why. 254 S 200 W + 1640 W Redstone Center Dr, Park City

SQUATTER’S

Where great dining and beer was born in Salt Lake City. 147 W Broadway (300 S)

THE BAYOU

A must see ‘Beervana’, 100s of beers. 645 S State St., SLC

TWIST

Renovated 19-century boiler room with a patio for clever small plates, pub classics & craft beer. 32 S Exchange Pl, SLC

UINTA BREWERY

A small pub attached to Utah’s biggest brewery. 1722 Fremont Dr. (2375 W)

WASATCH BREW PUB

Superb food and beer. 2110 Highland Dr, SLC + 250 Main Street Park City

WHISKEY STREET

High West and a great vibe classic feel. 323 South Main St.

Celebrating America’s Craft Breweries with over 300 Brands

October

Visit any of the nearby canyons for a hike or a drive and enjoy the changing leaves and color. Logan Canyon and the Alpine Loop always put on a spectacular show.

October

Gardner Village Witches. Scavenger hunts throughout the village are free and lots of witches will be on display. Other activities include Witchapalooza, Witches Night Out, and a Witch 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon run. Visit gardnervillage.com for a complete list of activities.

October 15

Strut Your Mutt at Liberty Park! Sponsored by Best Friends Animal Society, this is a walk and fundraiser to save homeless pets. It will be held from 9am to 12pm. Pre-registration can be found at support.bestfriends.org. The fund raising portion is ongoing through October.

October 15

6th Annual Ogden Hispianic Festival. Held at Ogden Union Station, 2501 Wall Avenue from 2pm to 7pm. This is a celebration and promotion of Ogden’s Hispanic heritage along with an art and literature show. This year’s theme is “Civic Engagement & Culture, the Path to Education and Success.” The event is free and open to the public.

October 15

Castle Valley Gourd Festival. This annual festival, started in 2001, is to celebrate the beauty and versatility of hard shelled gourds and gourd art in Castle Valley at the Castle Valley Community Lot. All kinds of gourds will be on display with gourd artists showing their work. Activities will be available for kids and adults. Admission is free.

October 22

Pumpkin Festival at The Gateway. From 6pm to 9pm this pumpkin festival will have all kinds of hand-carved and painted pumpkins decorated by local artists on display. There will also be pumpkin painting stations, scary photo-ops, games, zombies and more. The Gateway is located at 400 W 200 S.

October 29

Antelope Island Bison Roundup. This event is hosted each year at Antelope Island State Park and helps ensure the continued health of the island’s bison herds. Join the watch party and exposition at White Rock Bay and watch horseback riders move around 700 bison in the corrals. Crafts, games, food, and activities will also be available. The event begins at 10am

3RD ANNUAL!

A SPOOK ALLEY FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! October 13-29

M/W/Th: 6:30-8 pm; $7 F/Sat: 6:30-8:30 pm; $9 C h i l d r e n 2 & u n d e r f r e e