Staff

Joe Steet Sr. has been working in the car business his entire life starting at age 11 reconditioning cars for his father and uncle's business, United Auto Sales! He lives locally in New Hartford, NY with his wife where they raised their two children, Joe Jr. and Carly, who also work in the family business! In the warmer weather, he loves riding his Harley Davidson with his wife, skiing at Gore Mountain in the winters, and spending time at his camp in Indian Lake in the summers with his family, especially his two grandchildren.

Steve Ponte Sr. has been working in the car business for over 30 years! He lives locally in Herkimer, NY with his wife, where they raised their four children. Steve's son, Steve Jr. also works in the family business! Steve is an avid golfer, having golfed at some of the world's best courses. He loves to spend time with his family, especially with his nine grandchildren, and taking their family trips to Lake George, Florida, and Disney!

Dave Abdou is the General Manager at Steet Ponte Ford and recently started working with us in early 2018! Dave is a veteran of the Automotive Industry, and lives locally in Whitesboro, NY with his wife and family. In his spare time, Dave enjoys golfing, running (you can catch him running the Boilermaker!) and spending time with family and friends. His favorite Ford is the Ford Explorer. 

Warren Jefford is the Sales Manager here at Steet Ponte Ford, who recently started working with us in late 2020! He comes to us with many years of experience in the Auto Industry, over 18 total with experience with a few different auto makes! Warren currently lives in New Hartford with his family, but originates from the U.K. in Manchester, England! His favorite Ford is the Ford Explorer, and in his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, and following his favorite Soccer team, Manchester United! 

Mel Allen is a Sales & Leasing Consultant at Steet Ponte Ford. You may recognize him from Vista Lanes in Whitesboro, which he used to own and bowl in regularly! Mel lives in Whitesboro with his wife, and loves to golf and watch movies in his spare time. His favorite Ford is the F-150!

Rich Josephs is a Sales & Leasing Consultant at Steet Ponte Ford! Rich lives in Oriskany with his wife and kids, who he loves spending time with! His favorite Ford is the Ford Fusion. He's also an avid sports fan, having played basketball when he was younger. He loves to watch football and baseball, and his favorite teams are the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees! 

Doug Valentine is a Sales & Leasing Consultant who recently started working with us at the end of 2017! He live locally in Whitesboro, NY, and in his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, working on cars, and playing video games. His favorite Ford is the Ford Mustang GT350!

Rich Zajac is a Sales & Leasing Consultant and a longtime employee of the Steet Ponte Auto Group! He lives in Whitesboro with his son and their dog. Rich is an avid Football and Baseball fan, and in his spare time, you'll catch him coaching both sports! His favorite Ford is the Ford Fusion.

Valerie Rinaldi is the Internet Sales Manager at Steet Ponte Ford! She started working with us in 2018 and is the person you will be speaking to when you send in an inquiry on a vehicle on our website! Valerie lives locally in Utica, NY, and in her spare time she likes to spend time with family and friends. She loves taking her son to the Utica College Hockey games and Utica FC Soccer Games! Valerie's favorite Ford is the Escape, which she also drives herself.

Bill Goodie is a Service Advisor at Steet Ponte Ford and is a longtime employee here, having worked here for over 10 years! Bill lives locally, right around the corner in Whitesboro. In his spare time, he loves riding his motorcycle in the nice weather. Bill's favorite Ford is the F-150!

Mike Kirk is the Warranty Administrator at Steet Ponte Ford! You may recognize him as he worked for us in the past as well. Mike lives locally in Rome, NY, and in his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends and being outdoors: camping, fishing, hunting, you name it! His favorite Ford is the Super Duty.

Tony Papaleo is our Parts Manager at Steet Ponte Ford and has been working at this store since 1992! Tony's favorite Ford is the classic Ford GT. He lives locally in Deerfield with his family, and in his spare time, you'll find him chasing his toddler around!​ 

George Casale is our Parts Delivery Driver at Steet Ponte Ford who started working with us in late 2019! George lives locally in New Hartford with his wife. In his spare time, he loves spending time with his family, hunting, and harvesting pumpkins in the fall season! His favorite Ford is the Ford Escape.

Adam Smith is a Parts Consultant at Steet Ponte Ford who started working with us in late 2018 after having worked for one of our sister stores for a little over a year! He lives locally in Utica, NY, and his favorite Ford is the Ford F-150! In his spare time, he enjoys fishing and spending time with family and friends.