Introduction from the Editor of RealSource

I reside in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with my Boston Terrier puppy, Princess Peach (AKA P.P.), and three 90’s Hondas that I’ve owned forever. I’m considering the new F-150 for my next vehicle, as I once had a ‘17 SuperCrew 2.7L EcoBoost with the sport appearance package, 3.73 e-locker, and Husky Liners that I adored. This time around, I really want a regular cab 5-liter F-150, but I also have my eye on the new Acura Integra Type-S because of my boy-racer past.

Life Growing Up Around the Car Lot

Growing up, I would work at my family’s used car dealership, on weekends and while on summer break, with my mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather. In the early 90’s, at 3 years old, my dad would set up my playpen in the showroom where I would watch the world around me. I learned every job and task working at the car lot: from vacuuming the floors and locking car doors at night, to sales and finance. I went to auctions. I even had my PA vehicle salespersons license at age 14 so I could discuss price legally. Before digital cameras became popular, I would take Polaroids of our inventory to scan into our computer server and upload to the Internet. I’ve been an automotive web editor, to some degree, all of my life.

The first car my dad let me buy, of all cars, was a 1987 Yugo GV. I know you’re probably like, “this guy has the WORST taste in vehicles”, but hear me out. When an older gentleman stopped in to sell his old Yugo, my dad thought it would be a good lesson for me. Pop graciously allowed me to use the $300 I made over the summer busking at our family’s water ice stand to buy the derelict Yugo. I detailed the Yugo inside and out, took a few Polaroids, and uploaded them (for free, mind you) to one of the big third-party auto classified websites. Within a week, I received an inquiry l from someone (a Yugo collector if you believe that) up in Maine asking if it was still available and for more information. I explained its condition and flaws, and he made the trip that weekend to see the car. He didn’t buy it, for reasons unknown, but that allowed time to “teach myself” how to drive a standard transmission. I overheated the asbestos clutch several times, snapped the original alternator belt, and sold it to someone desperate for cheap transportation with full disclosure of its reputation and sketchy past. 

My lessons and learnings from the Yugo ownership experience taught me the power of the Internet, storytelling, and photography at a very young age. I was 14 when I briefly owned that Yugo, registered in the dealership’s name, but it’s a story I still tell to this day because it has related to just about everything that I’ve done in my career.

Ford Business Development Centers

After completing my BS at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, I went right back to the dealership world where I helped build business development centers for three prominent Metro-Philly Ford dealers. In the BDC’s (or Internet departments as we called them) I helped customers with the information they requested before visiting and was responsible for selling the appointment. Unique vehicle descriptions were always needed for used car inventory and, for me, writing them was second nature because I grew up watching Pop write his 3-line newspaper ads on Sundays for the week’s classifieds. When I was promoted to Manager, I helped select the third party lead sources to feature our inventory and generate the greatest return with the least spend.

The Switch to Automotive E-commerce

As much as I loved automotive retail, given my family’s multi-generational involvement in the industry, I needed to change careers for a better work/life balance. My brother, James, worked for a company in the automotive e-commerce space that was looking for interns. I was hired and started at the bottom in a new territory. I was promoted from intern, to coordinator, to specialist, helping with content on their website, marketing campaigns, PR, discovery of vehicle model seasonality, improving call center processes, and judging their car shows. I’m a bit of a “Jack-of-all-trades” but I’m a master of many. Especially automotive and web related!

RealTruck and RealSource

Conclusion

In the months to come, we will be sure to update you with more expert staff spotlights and new content types as we grow RealSource into the household name that everyone is familiar with in the automotive space. We will still continue to publish and improve our How-tos, Buyer’s Guides, and our mix of Lifestyle, Community, and Research Guides. Stay tuned for more to come, and thank you for reading RealSource!