He has read the reports about the faltering economy, seen the news about the American auto industry and heard the criticism that has some saying GM stands for "Government Motors."
Nothing, however, can undercut the wave of optimism John Gianino rides to work every day. For 30 years, he has been in the car business. He can still remember the first Cadillac he sold — a cameo white El Dorado Biarritz — when he worked at Bay Cadillac in downtown Tampa, which sat on the current site of the Tampa Convention Center.
Now he sells out of Ed Morse Cadillac on Causeway Boulevard. Sometimes eyes roll at parties when he tells folks he's a car salesman. Sometimes people express genuine concern given General Motors' well-publicized restructuring.
Yet through all the changes and all the models and all the years, Gianino's positive outlook remains constant. He doesn't know any other way.
"This business is a mind-set," said Gianino, 62. "You've got to believe. You can't do it if you don't believe in the product and believe you can be of service to the customer.
"If you don't believe, you're just defeating yourself from the get-go."
Gianino, who drives a Cadillac STS, calls his outlook "good food" and he apparently never misses a meal. Occasionally, customers arrive with their guard up, but he reassures with an avuncular attitude and a straight-talking style.
He talks to them about the "trust factor," always an issue with car salesmen. He touts the value of a luxury vehicle when some clearly want to curb expenses. He highlights all the positives in GM's decision to streamline to four brands, including Cadillac.
He says there's noting really new about the business' latest dynamics.
"It's always changing," Gianino said. "Customers always have different needs, different wants, different desires.
"There are so many variables in this business, but more challenges are just more opportunities to be successful. We're coming around the curve and starting to see things change."
Gianino is relatively new to the sales floor in Brandon after spending several years at the Ed Morse location in Tampa. The move has him closer to home, closer to his wife and two children and closer to an area he believes holds a lot of promise. It's worth noting that Ed Morse in Brandon debuts a new showroom this week as part of an $8 million renovation that began in 2007.
As the economy soured, the dealership could have pulled the plug on the construction, but it believes it can succeed as East Hillsborough's only luxury auto dealer.
So does Gianino.
"It's an infectious business," Gianino said. "There's an old saying: 'What makes a deal? When two people agree and you're happy with them and they're happy with you.' That's a great feeling. That's a natural high."
As we've watched our kids play in the Brandon Cowboys organization, Gianino and I have had many a conversation about the ups and downs of our nation's economic fortunes. He never wavers from the values he grew up with: work hard, stay positive, keep believing.
In these trying times, we look for magic men who can make the stock market rise, businesses flourish and jobs appear out of thin air.
But perhaps we should search for people like Gianino, who lead by example and simply refuse to let go of the promise of better days. If he can furnish hope as a car salesman, why can't we?
After all, his business isn't the only one going through changes.
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