Matt Saxe

Owner, Matt Saxe Chevrolet Buick Inc.

Age: 44
Parish: Our Lady of the Prairie, Belle Plaine
Spouse: Melissa
Volunteer activities: Knights of Columbus Council No. 1503, Our Lady of the Prairie finance council, parish council, Parish Life Center capital campaign member.
Education: Northwood University, Midland, Michigan, 1995

Q: What does leading with faith mean to you?

A: We have so much noise in this world. People live their lives reacting to every text, social media post or video so that we’ve forgotten how to integrate the teachings of the Church into our everyday lives. Keeping the teachings of the faith and the sacraments visible in what I do on a daily basis is a better path than reacting to the whims of the world, and I strive to set that example in my organization.

Q: How do you concretely apply your faith and Catholic values at work?

A: We strive to bear witness to our Lord, whether that is through visible signs like having a crucifix on the wall in our showroom or putting up the “Keep Christ in Christmas” sign in December, and through the organizations that we support in a public manner. In a world, especially Minnesota, where so much attention is focused on alternative social agendas, we simply like to be a symbol that it’s OK to identify with Christ.

Q: Describe a time when applying your faith at work really made a difference.

A: Seeing the hand of God in what we do is much more clear when we actually live by our faith. I often remember during the 18-month process of trying to purchase a car dealership that I was at one point having little success despite having worked many opportunities. It was right about then that a group of old friends from college wanted me to join them for a few days in Las Vegas. I knew at that point that I was getting frustrated by my lack of progress on purchasing a business and needed a break, but I decided to stay back, keep going to Mass every day and continue searching for opportunities. Of course the phone is ringing the day my friends arrive telling me there is still time to get on a plane, but then another call came and it was news that the seller of a dealership in Minnesota which I had previously offered on wanted to
re-negotiate. I spent the next few days intensely working out a deal on a car dealership that now has my name on it.

Q: Who or what has been most inspirational to you in bringing your faith to the marketplace?

A: Several years ago in Wisconsin, while driving home after another late night in the car business, I stumbled across Relevant Radio. After listening for a few months I decided that advertising there would be a great opportunity to spread the word and promote the dealership that I worked at. I’ll never forget that first meeting that I had with the two Relevant Radio representatives; they were very cautious as to why a car dealership wanted to advertise on Catholic radio and had more than a few questions!

Q: In what specific ways have you experienced God’s presence in your workplace?

A: To me this is one of those things that follows the old saying of “you’ll know it when you see it.” In our industry, the number of possible negative outcomes to any given situation seem limitless since we deal with individuals using their own resources to make what is one of the larger purchases in life for most of them. This creates a lot of emotion. I often see people that end up in our building who need help that I know no one else is going to give them, which is the first reminder that it’s probably our Lord who put them in my path.

Q: What advice do you have for others who want to lead with faith?

A: To simply realize that it will require not always taking the easy route or doing what might be best for you personally. Often times this means doing things for customers or employees who may never appreciate or even realize what you’ve done for them, but you do it because it’s much easier to see the big picture when you try to look at things through the eyes of Christ. It’s also much easier to apologize and move forward with people when I’ve made mistakes because I know that forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation is there for me, too.