.......AUTO CONNECTIONS
OF BELLEVUE STAFF
.......Scroll down to find
out more about the Auto Connections of Bellevue Staff.
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Stu Cordova
- Owner, Sales
I was born in Seattle and grew up in Bellevue. After
graduating from Bellevue High School in 1971, I went
to work for my Dad who owned one of the first grocery
stores on the Eastside. I also began restoring and selling
old cars, a hobby that helped pay for college. I eventually
received my Bachelors degree in Counseling and Education
from Western WA. University and went on to work as a
counselor for troubled kids, helping to bridge communication
between school, home, and the community. After 15 years
as a counselor, my youthful hobby of selling cars led
me to a part-time sales position at a small dealership,
and out of social work. After only a couple years of
selling cars, I realized that in order to conduct business
the way I wanted - which was to sell cars with honesty
and integrity - I needed to start my own company. I'm
now proud to say that this year, 2015, marks my 18th
year as owner of Auto Connections in Bellevue. |
 Keith
Dinsmore - Wholesale
and Retail Sales
Having 40 plus years of experience in the Auto
Industry in many different roles and capacities, I
believe I have a very broad knowledge of our business.
I spent over 20 years either selling or managing new
car franchises and have seen just about everything
in terms of how dealerships approach selling cars
and how they view and treat their customers and what
I can confidently say is that Auto Connections of
Bellevue is at the very top of the list for the quality
of vehicles and the integrity of how we do business.
I love knowing that every car that we have for sale
has been thoroughly vetted for both structural and
mechanical integrity and is ready to be enjoyed for
the long term. Cars are more than just a way to make
a living to me. I am a true enthusiast and take great
pride in representing unique, desirable and reliable
cars and trucks at a very high value. I realize that
cars can be anything from a passion and personality
extension to a highly counted on appliance and I work
hard to find the right vehicle for those extremes
and everything in between! I have grown up and raised
my four boys right here in the Puget Sound area and
am very proud to represent Auto Connections of Bellevue
for the last 9 years. This is a business that you
can truly count on doing things the right way.
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 Kurt
Geibel - Sales
A native of Seattle, I've
lived in and around the city my entire life, except
for a few college years in Santa Rosa, California.
I consider myself an entrepreneur, and I love the
art of making deals. My true passions in life-in no
particular order-are skiing and snowboarding, selling,
boating, more selling, playing with my daughter, and
closing deals. Whether its cars, boats, motorcycles,
or houses, I'm either buying or selling, and somehow
I keep a roof over my head. It used to be about how
much money I could make, but now it's about my quality
of life. Working at Auto Connections, and for Stu,
gives me that quality, and I hope to pass that on
to my customers. The reason I sell cars at Auto Connections
is because I want to change the stereotype of the
used car business. Everyone thinks it's a place where
you're going to be misled and mistreated, and end
up with a lemon. But our company offers its customers
more, because our business plan is simple: we treat
people with respect and honesty, we deliver a reliable
product, and we stand behind that product.
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 Chris
Smyth – Retail Sales
I've spent the last 25 years
in the auto industry in many different roles. I've always
enjoyed being around nice cars and helping clients acquire
these cars while bypassing the traditional high pressure
purchasing process. As the newest member of Auto Connections
of Bellevue family, I really enjoy the friendly, low pressure
environment that Stu has created here over the years.
As a lifelong resident of the Bellevue area, I'm looking
forward to being a part of their continued success for
many years to come. My interests are golfing, skiing and
live music. |
 Frank
Vena - Wholesale
and Retail Sales
I was born and raised in the Mt. Baker area, moved
to Mercer Island as a teenager and graduated from Mercer
Island High in 1972. I attended Gonzaga & Seattle
U. where I played baseball and worked towards earning
a degree in education. At the age of 22, I was offered
a contract to play baseball for the Philadelphia farm
system but since I was engaged to be married at the
time I decided it was best to start working and settle
into my life vocation instead. My father was in the
auto industry, loved it and was very successful, so
I called him and said "Dad I think I want to sell
cars too”. He responded "No you don't",
but I showed an early promise and used my persuasive
skills to "sell" him on the idea. He asked
me to be patient, made a few phone calls and eventually
helped me land my first job. That was 35 years ago and
I’ve been in the car business ever since. I spent
the first 25 years working for new car dealerships as
a sales rep. and in management. During that time, I
discovered that I had an aptitude for appraising and
buying pre-owned cars for inventory and eventually gravitated
towards that aspect of the business. I meet Stu Cordova
(founder of Auto Connections) through business and in
2003 he mentioned he was expanding his dealership -
adding a buyer - and asked if I would be interested.
I jumped at the opportunity and I’m happy to say
that the past 10 years have been absolutely the best
and most enjoyable for me so far. Stu sets the tone,
allowing us the freedom to conduct business in a professional,
relaxed, low pressure atmosphere and I consider my association
with all the members of the Auto Connections “family”
to be one of the greatest blessings of my life. My wife
Rebecca and I live in Newport Hills, she’s a Special
Ed teacher at the International School and we love to
golf, swim, play tennis and enjoy spending lots of family
time with our 6 children - three of whom are also in
the auto industry! |
 Mark
Walesby - Sales
I’ve been in the car business about 13 years –
all at Auto Connections of Bellevue. I simply love people
and cars! It’s great working at Auto Connections,
as it allows me the ability to provide people with a
quality product at a fair price. I’m able to treat
people how I like to be treated – fairly, honestly
and with integrity. My leisure time is spent golfing,
fishing, and skiing and I’m proud to say that I’m
active in my church and I’ve been married to the
same great lady for over 32 years! |
 Jason
Chen - Sales
I was born and raised in Taiwan. At the age of 14 I
left my home country to pursue my education in Canada
as a foreign exchange student. Later, at the age of
16, I completed my high school and college education
in the United States. Leaving my family in Taiwan, I
became my own guardian. The life experience of taking
care of myself from early age taught me a lot about
life. I would describe myself as a self – motivated
individual. Auto Connections of Bellevue allows my self-motivation
to thrive – as I believe it is a key element of
success. Among my love for cars, I enjoy biking, basketball,
trading timepieces, and traveling. I am honored to speak
both English and Chinese. |
 Eric
Polderman - Wholesale and Retail Sales
I was born and raised in Amsterdam
and have lived in the US for over 20 years. After
college, I started my career in the retail auto business
and spent 10 years working for large dealerships as
a salesperson, then as a finance manager and eventually
working my way up to sales manager. I was given the
opportunity to become more independent, (something
I always wanted), when Auto Connections offered me
a position 10 years ago and I'm happy to report that
I have never looked back. I now have the ability to
sell cars the way I want to, for a quality organization
and work with some of the best people in the business!
When I'm not working I love to travel, a hobby I learned
at an early age from my parents as my father was an
engineer for KLM Airlines and we were able to enjoy
all the flight benefits that came with his position.
I've traveled and lived in several places, including
the US, Indonesia and Bangladesh. I love to Cruise
and have enjoyed several European, Transatlantic,
Panama Canal, Caribbean and Alaska trips. When I am
at home I like taking road trips to Walla Walla wine
country , spending time with my Yorkies as well as
playing golf, soccer, running and of course partaking
in happy hour as much as time allows!
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 Rondi
Horrobin
The car business is in my blood. I’m
the 3rd generation of an automotive family, as my
grandfather, dad and brother all started dealerships
in Washington. During high school I worked in the
office at Horrobin Ford in Tri-Cities, then in 1973
my family moved to Bellevue and I began my college
career in business at the University of Washington.
Following college, I held sales and management positions
at new car dealerships in Seattle and Bellevue before
opening “The Car Company” in 2001. My experience
includes finance and insurance, appraisals and reconditioning
as well as new and used sales. Now working for Stu
at Auto Connections, I’m able to spend more time
with my clients, taking care of all their automotive
needs. Many of my clients have been customers since
I first started in business and they know I’ll
work hard to get them what they want. I like what
I do and that helps too! Civic and community are important
to me - I’ve been involved in Bellevue Rotary
for 14 years and have been on the board of directors
for the YMCA Eastside. In my spare time you’ll
find me outside golfing, biking, or skiing depending
on the season.
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 Brad
Noe - Finance Manager
I’ve lived in the Seattle area my whole life
- with the exception of the years I spent attending
the University of Portland playing baseball and eventually
graduating with a degree in Communications Management.
After school, I came home to start a career in insurance
but later switched to the auto business and I’ve
found it to be a very rewarding and exciting industry!
Although I’m new to the Auto Connections family
I am already impressed with the friendly, low key atmosphere
that makes customers feel comfortable in an industry
where that isn’t always the case and I look forward
to contributing any way I can to help people have a
positive experience when they visit our dealership.
On a personal note, I am a proud parent of a 20 year
old daughter and a 17 year old son and my hobbies are
sports and music. I play in a completive men’s
baseball league and I am also the lead singer in a 1980’s
rock and roll cover band!
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 Simon
Crinks – Retail Sales
While my roots are in California,
I’ve been living in the Seattle area for over 22
years. My passion for cars was handed down from my father,
who raced in England when he was younger and was an
avid car buff all his life. I’ve personally owned
close to 50 different vehicles, so the car business
seems like a natural place for me to be. I started about
10 years ago, at age 32, and I absolutely love every
aspect of it! I think I’ve worked at just about
every position the industry has to offer - which has
really helped me gain an wonderful insider “insight”
and allows me to keep my customers as informed as possible
throughout the entire buying process. At Auto Connections,
Stu really cares about his customers which, in turn,
permits me to take care of mine the way I’ve always
wanted to – with integrity and transparency. Most
of the cars I sell are “specialty” cars –
ones I personally love - and I insist they meet the
same high standards that I would expect when I was a
consumer. Sometimes I feel like I’ve been doing
this all my life and it’s truly a pleasure to work
in an environment where it’s a priority that customers
are given straight answers and made to feel as comfortable
as possible. In fact I never get tired of hearing a
customer pleasantly say at the end of a sale that “This
was NOT what I expected!”
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 Heidi
L. Webster – Retail Sales
I’ve spent my entire life in
the automotive industry. Beginning my career with General
Motors Institute in Michigan and working as a cooperative
student with Chevrolet Motor Division. Upon graduating,
I spent the next five years working as a factory service
and sales consultant with Chevrolet in Seattle, Salt
Lake
City, and San Diego.
After five years, I left Chevrolet to enter the fascinating
world of advertising. I implemented regional and national
advertising campaigns for Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Honda
dealers throughout the Midwest and in Southern California.
In 1987, I began my career as an automotive purchasing
consultant in Los Angeles. This position also took me
to Denver and back to Seattle in 1992, where I’ve
been assisting individuals and companies with the purchase
and/or lease of new and used vehicles.
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 Rusty
- Official Greeter
I came from a shelter in Idaho where I was scheduled
to go to W.S.U. for research when Stu adopted me. I've
been working at Auto Connections for seven years now
and my job is to greet everyone that comes in. Unlike
some auto dealerships, Auto Connections is an honest
business, and I'm a symbol of that because dogs don't
lie. In fact, I couldn't work here as the greeter if
I didn't believe in our business philosophy. I'd just
stay at home instead. It's important to me that customers
feel relaxed, and I'm looking forward to greeting you
when you visit. When I'm not working, I like to work
out, walk in the morning, and jog in the afternoon.
I also love to chase squirrels, and chew on stuffed
teddy bears. Of course I love to chase cars, too! |
Customer Testimonial:
"I'd like to let you know that my boyfriend and
I are the ones that bought the blue 2004 WRX and we are
just so unbelievably happy with your store and your service!
You were able to work around our busy life and were more
than patient with everything! I would like to say that
Mike was the best car salesman that I have ever met! He
did everything that he could for us, well exceeding our
expectations. He met our every need perfectly and was
very considerate. Mike got us an amazing interest rate
and delivered the car to us. I've never heard of service
this good! This is my boyfriends dream car and you all
at Auto Connections helped him finally get his dream car!
Thank you all so much, we will most definitely recommend
you and come back when we need more cars!"
Sincerely, Tommy and Krystin |
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