Click on one of the people below to find out more information.
Dealer Principals
- Joe Steet & Steve Ponte
- Dealer Principals
- 315-736-3381 ext. 229
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 with his wife where they raised their two children, Joe Jr. and Carly, who also work in the family business! 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!
Steve Ponte Sr. has been working in the car business for over 30 years! He lives in Herkimer 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 grandchildren, and taking their family trips to Florida and Disney!
Sales Department
- Dave Abdou
- General Manager
- DAbdou@steet-ponteford.com
- (315) 736-3381 ext. 229
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.
- Steven Cater
- Sales Manager
- scater@steet-ponteford.com
- 315-736-3381 ext. 224 Fax: 315-736-8271
Steve Cater is a longtime employee of Steet Ponte Ford, you may recognize his last name as his family owned Cater Lincoln Mercury! Steve has 25 years of experience in the car business, and has been working with us for the past 10 years! He lives in Whitesboro with his wife and two children. In his spare time, he loves snowmobiling in the winter, and spending time with his family. His favorite Ford is the Mustang GT!
- Warren Jefford
- Sales Manager
- WJefford@steet-ponteford.com
- (315) 736-3381
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
- Sales & Leasing Consultant
- mallen@steet-ponteford.com
- 315-736-3381 ext. 246
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!
- Phil Higgins
- Sales Consultant
- phiggins@steet-ponteford.com
- 315-736-3381 ext. 226
Phil Higgins is a Sales & Leasing Consultant at Steet Ponte Ford and is a longtime employee of our store! He lives in Oriskany with his wife, and his favorite Ford is the F-150! Phil is a huge sports fan and loves to watch all kinds of sports. He's a huge New York fan, and his favorite teams include: The New York Giants, New York Yankees, and New York Knicks!
- Tony Hinojosa
- Sales Consultant
- thinojosa@steet-ponteford.com
- 315-736-3381 ext. 240
- Tony Hinojosa is a Sales & Leasing Consultant at Steet Ponte Ford! Tony is a longtime employee here; his favorite Ford is the Ford Escape. You'll probably see him driving around town in his own Ford Escape! Tony lives in Whitesboro, and in his spare time, he loves to play pool and volleyball!
- Rich Josephs
- Sales & Leasing Consultant
- rjosephs@steet-ponteford.com
- 315-736-3381 ext. 256
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!
- Steve Purdon
- Sales Consultant
- spurdon@steet-ponteford.com
- 315-736-3381 ext. 239
Steve Purdon is a Sales & Leasing Consultant at Steet Ponte Ford and longtime employee here! Steve lives locally in Whitesboro, and his favorite Ford is the F-150. Steve is our truck expert, so if you're looking for an F-150 or above, he's the man you'll talk to! In his spare time, he loves to work on projects around the house, carpentry, and landscaping.
- Doug Valentine
- Sales & Leasing Consultant
- dvalentine@steet-ponteford.com
- (315) 736-3381
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
- Sales & Leasing Consultant
- rzajac@steet-ponteford.com
- 315-736-3381 ext. 237
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.
Finance Department
- Rich Ernst
- Financial Services Manager
- rernst@steet-ponteford.com
- 315-736-3381 ext. 228
Rich Ernst is one of the Finance Managers at Steet Ponte Ford and has been in the industry for over 15 years, having worked with us since 2006! Rich lives in Marcy with his wife and their two dogs. Rich loves to take advantage of the Upstate New York seasons by snowmobiling in the winters, and boating and fishing in the summers! His favorite Ford is the Ford Raptor.
Internet Department
- Valerie Rinaldi
- Internet Sales Manager
- internetvalerier@gmail.com
- (315) 736-3381 ext. 250
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.
Service Department
- Chelsea Lanaux
- Assistant Service Manager
- (315) 736-3381
Chelsea Lanaux is a Service Advisor and Assistant Service Manager at Steet Ponte Ford who started working with us in late 2019! She has many years of experience in the Automotive Service industry, and we are happy to have her on board with us! Chelsea lives locally in Utica, NY, and in her spare time, she enjoys live music and going to concerts! Her favorite Ford is the Ford Ranger.
- William Goodie
- Service Advisor
- wgoodie@steet-ponteford.com
- 315-736-3381 ext. 235
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
- Warranty Administrator
- mkirk@steet-ponteford.com
- (315) 736-3381
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.
Parts Department
- Tony Papaleo
- Parts Manager
- 315-736-3381 ext. 232
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
- Parts Delivery Driver
- gcasale@steet-ponteford.com
- (315) 736-3381
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
- Parts Consultant
- (315) 736-3381
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.