By George Castro
I was born in Washington Heights and went to Bronx Community College to study automotive technology and engineering. I now live with my 6 Year old son and family in the Kingsbridge Heights area of the Bronx.
Besides living in a community that I love, I also have a job I love working as an Assistant Store Manager for Tesla. This job has been a dream come true for me. It’s exciting to teach customers about cutting-edge electric vehicles, and it’s gratifying to be part of a team that’s improving the environment. This is especially important to me because I want my Geovanni to grow up breathing cleaner air.
The only issue is that the store I manage is in New Jersey. I commute on average 30 – 60 miles every day. I’m thankful to have this job, but I wish my commute was shorter so I could spend more time with my family.
This could easily happen if Tesla was able to open more stores in New York City. Right now, Tesla is limited to only five sales licenses for the entire state, so there are just two stores in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Tesla wants to grow both in the city and in upstate New York, and is supporting a bill in the state legislature that would allow for fifteen new stores.
If this bill passes, not only would I be able to work closer to home, but other Bronx residents would be able to get new jobs working for Tesla. Tesla would also invest in our community and build more electric vehicle charging infrastructure here.
As a father who’s seen how Tesla is changing the world for the better, as an employee who wants my neighbors to have the opportunity to get a great job like mine, and as a native Bronxite who wants what’s best for my borough, I believe Tesla should be able to expand. State leaders should pass the necessary bill quickly, before this year’s legislative session ends on June 21st.
George Castro resides in Kingsbridge Heights and is an Associate Store Manager with Tesla.
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