Ten Minutes With Tipton: Zeronox’s Vonn Christenson
10 Minutes with Tipton originated in January 2022 on the Education Page. Students in the After School Education and Safety (ASES) Program at Tipton Elementary School take time to Zoom with individuals in the community to ask them questions about their jobs, lives and strategies they can use in their own lives to help them become college and career ready.
Vonn Christenson, CEO of Zero Nox, Inc., and attorney at the Christenson Law Firm
What is your job title/ role in our community?
“That is more complicated than you realize. I am an attorney that works at the Christenson Law Firm, I am also a director on the board of the Bank of the Sierra, and I am the CEO of Zero Nox, Inc.”
Please tell us a bit about yourself — Your background, where you grew up, your family.
“I am a native to Porterville. I was born here, grew up here, my father was born here and my grandfather moved here after law school and he started working for an attorney here in town. My father then became an attorney and came to the family firm and then I married an attorney and came to work at the family firm. I initially attended Vandalia Elementary School, then finished at Westfield
Elementary School, then I attended Pioneer Middle School and then Monache High School. I always wanted to return to the area and was able to do so in 2012, so just over 10 years ago. In the interim years, I went to Brigham Young University for my undergraduate degree and then Harvard Law School for my graduate degree. Then, after law school I practiced law for seven years down in Orange County. In that time, I got married and then we moved back to Porterville. I have five boys ranging from three years old up to 11 years old.”
Can you tell us about your business and your role in it? What do you do on a daily basis?
“As an attorney, I am often preparing briefs, talking on the phone, and attending court. I do a lot of personal injury cases, a lot of auto accident cases and I have a lot of conversations with insurance companies.
As CEO at Zero Nox, frankly, I'm in a lot of meetings. I oversee our finances, our personnel, our strategy as a company. I talk a lot with our business partners as well as the leadership of our company and I help to inspire and guide their efforts, so that we can be successful as a company. I joke that I do more legal work as CEO than I do as an attorney because I am constantly negotiating and preparing contracts. I am constantly mediating issues and a lot of the skills I have as an attorney I use in my daily activities as CEO.”
What do you love about your job? What do you dislike about it?
“I love being an attorney, and being part of a startup company. Zeronox builds electric powertrain platforms. We electrify off-road vehicles … We take gas vehicles and make them run on electric batteries.
In both of my jobs, I love giving back to the community. I feel like I am able to help people in need particularly in my work as an attorney. This is a time when people are in crisis and need help and I've learned how to help them navigate that time in their life. As CEO, I love helping create a company that employs 40 people and generates millions of dollars in revenues that wouldn't have existed if the company had not been formed. I love creating something new and creating opportunities for others to be successful and thrive. Our motto at Zeronox is to ‘Empower communities through innovation.'”
Would you encourage others to pursue your career?
“I encourage anyone and everyone to get a legal education, regardless of if you want to be an attorney or not. I am a firm believer that law school will help you succeed in whatever you may choose to do. It teaches you to think analytically and communicate clearly, which are skills you need with just about any job.
One of the huge reasons I went to law school was because I wanted to get an education that would open as many doors as possible — not just in the law, but I have an interest in politics and business. I never knew I'd be starting an electric vehicles company, but I think my legal education helped me open that door. As far as opening your own company, I don't think that's for everyone. There's a lot of stress that is involved in doing so. There's a lot of people who rely on what we're doing, not just employees, we also have investors who have put their trust in us to use their money wisely. I love the challenge of that, but I recognize that that is not what everyone is made out to do. It's not just clocking in and clocking out. You're always available in case issues arise. If you love the excitement of new challenges every day, building something new, creating something new there is no better way to do that than creating your own business, but it is a risky thing to do.”
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
“My wife teases me that I am not able to stick to any one thing for more than three years and that's proven to be true. I've changed law firms every few years or added a new practice to my legal practice, or I start up a new company, or I join a board. I always started something new to keep me interested and engaged. With that being said, I see myself practicing law and running a business. I love this area, I love the Porterville area, and the San Joaquin Valley. I think it's a great place to raise a family and it's close to anything you might want: the mountains, the beach. I want to continue to give back to this community and continue to build it into the full potential I think it has.”
Anything else you would like to add? Maybe a past, or present project you are working on that you are proud of?
“It was an honor for Zeronox to be honored by the City of Porterville as one of their Businesses of the Year. It was not something we were anticipating. The city asked to come and visit us and we were worried that they wanted to come because we had violated a city ordinance, and then we found out that instead they were going to honor us as an outstanding business. That was one of our key goals was to give back to the community and it was nice to be recognized for that.”
Wendy enjoys spending time with her friends. Alexander enjoys playing video games. Both students are in the sixth grade at Tipton Elementary School and are in the After School Education and Safety (ASES) Program.
BY WENDY DAVILA & ALEXANDER MARROQUIN