Around 29 years old, Luke Lunkenheimer headed to prison. Nearly a decade of addiction and wrong choices ended with a bank robbery charge and prison sentence.
Ten years later, Lunkenheimer, owner of multiple successful car dealerships in New York, doesn’t shy away from his past. He looks to share his story to inspire others and fulfill a promise he made at his lowest point.
“I remember back being in prison and saying, ‘Man whoever’s up there, if you just let me get out of here alive, let me get back to a productive life where I can have some freedom, I can enjoy a fast car again, I can just try to have another shot at this, I promise I will do whatever in my capability to help somebody else, even if it’s just one person,’” Lunkenheimer said.
Lunkenheimer will be a featured speaker during NIADA Accelerate 2023 Convention and Expo at the Wynn in Las Vegas. Lunkenheimer will present “From Felon to Fortune – How a broke drug addict became a million dollar dealer and realized the American dream,” at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday in the Castillon.
“I wanted to participate in this, and I knew that my story and the success that I had experienced would do something for somebody,” Lunkenheimer said. “It’s my lineage being a car guy. My granddad was a car dealer, daddy was a car dealer and friends were car dealers. It’s in my blood. If there’s one thing I know about car people, I know there’s opportunities every single day to compromise moral compass for financial gain. I don’t plan on coming to Las Vegas to preach. I plan on showing my peers in the industry that you can absolutely do things the right way. You can absolutely maintain your commitments.”
Lunkenheimer’s session will be one of more than 20 sessions Wednesday during the largest convention and expo for the independent dealer. Read Lunkenheimer’s story in the June issue of UCD.
To see a full list of events, download the NIADA app.
