Meet the Staff of Hanksters, Homer City , PA, 724-471-2975

Gary Hankinson - Owner / Operator - PA. & FL.

My name is Gary Hankinson, aka "Hankster." I am the owner / operator of a Hot Rod and Classic Car dealership based in western Pennsylvania "Hanksters Hot Rods LLC".

I've been building, restoring and selling Hot Rods, Muscle Cars, and Classic Cars for over 30 years. In January of 2015 we opened up a second location in Daytona Beach Florida, We usually keep an average of 65 cars at each location. I spend time at both locations and help run the day to day operations for both dealerships. I also travel all over the United States purchasing Classic Cars and shipping them back to our facilities. We then service, recondition, market, sell and ship them all over the world.

Lauren Hankinson - Partner / Multimedia Production PA.

- lauren.hanksters@gmail.com

Hi I'm Lauren Hankinson the second generation Hankinson here at Hanksters. I've been around cars, racing and all things automotive practically since birth. Being around the business all my life, I started working summers here at my dad's business when I was a teenager detailing cars in the shop. Now that I'm out of college I work here full time as the Multimedia Production & Marketing Manager, this also includes growing the Social Media of the company. My job is to upload every car to our website along with a detailed video I create so customers can see each and every detail of the car without actually being here at the showroom. I also create our newsletters and send them out to our mailing list to notify subscribers that a new car is now on our site. Being a second generation in the business and having the opportunity to work alongside my dad is truly an awesome experience.

John Oaks - Partner / General Manager - PA.

724-471-2974 - John@Hanksters.com

My name is John Oaks. I have been the general manager with the company since 2000. I do all of the sales and purchasing documentation, including titling, registration, etc. whenever selling or purchasing a classic car. I am a Notary Public as well. I work closely with our customers to make sure the purchasing process goes smoothly. Once a vehicle has been purchased, I assist in locating a shipping company to transport the customer’s vehicle to them. After the vehicle has been purchased, I continue to work with the customer, as well as the shipping company, to make sure the vehicle they just purchased arrives to them in a safe and timely manner.

Steve Uher - Sales - PA.

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Bob Geer - Master Mechanic - PA.

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My name is Bob Geer, I'm the Master Mechanic here at Hanksters Hot Rods in Pa. I've been wrenching on everything from race cars to diesel trucks for close to 20 years. I really enjoy working on the muscle cars from the 60’s and 70’s. The best part of my job is that I get to test drive every one of the cars several times.

Steve Wachob - Mechanic - PA.

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Hi I'm Steve Wachob. I joined the Hanksters team back in the fall of 2020. I've had a passion for cars ever since I was a little kid. I built a race car in high school and I've just always loved wrenching on cars. I attended Wyotech after I graduated high school to refine my skills as a mechanic and body man. After that I spent about 10 years in the oilfield before leaving to follow my passion of working with muscle cars from the 60's and 70's.

Jason Hippchen - Recon / Detail - PA.

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Hello my name is Jason Hippchen, I have been working on cars and anything car related since I was a kid. I am a huge Mopar fan, I grew up around them it's just in my DNA. During High School I went to ICTC for three years for Automotive to further my experience. I scored advanced in my NOCTI test there and I received The Principal Star Award twice for my academics and hard work. I love being here at Hanksters Hot Rods and take pride in my work. In my spare time I enjoy working on my dirt bike, hunting and fishing.

James Brewer - Detail - PA.

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John Wise - Automotive Restoration Specialist - PA.

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Hi I'm John Wise and I am an Automotive Restoration Specialist. I have over 30 years of experience ranging from fabrication to bodywork/paint. I started out sweeping floors in a body shop when I was about 11 years old. I painted my first car at the age of 13. I've worked at auto body, restoration and custom shops over the years. I worked for Harley Davidson Motor Co. for 15 years. 11 of the 15 years I worked in the Harley Davidson paint shop. I like to treat every vehicle I work on here at Hanksters with the care I would if it were my own car.

Victor Preston - Body Shop - PA.

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Rich Tirak - Partner / General Manager- FL.

386-944-9223 - Richt.Hanksters@gmail.com

My name is Rich Tirak. I joined the team at Hanksters Hot Rods in 2017. I have been around cars or in the automotive business in some capacity for the last 20 plus years of my life. I started at the age of 16 at my first dealership stocking shelves in the parts department. At the age of 18 I accepted a position with that dealership as the shipping and receiving / inventory control manager and eventually moving up to assistant parts manager. At that time in 1997 we had a 4 million dollar parts inventory, we were the fourth largest GM parts distributor in the country and distributed parts locally with 22 delivery trucks as well as shipping parts across the entire country. In 2001 I purchased my first of two Snap-On Tool Franchises which I owned and operated for 12 years selling professional automotive tools and equipment to and servicing automotive dealerships, independent automotive repair shops, body shops and restoration shops among others. At that same time I also owned a 3 bay independent automotive repair facility for 7 years. Most recently I worked at a larger independent used car dealership where I was hands on in all aspects of dealership operation including sales, service, finance and marketing. I believe we have something very unique at Hanksters Hot Rods of Daytona. I am very excited for this opportunity and to be part of an awesome team. Please stop in to either one of our locations to view our extensive collection of classic cars and to meet our team in person!

Devin McCarty - Multimedia Production - FL.

386-944-9129 - devin.hanksters@gmail.com

Hello, my name is Devin McCarty. I have lived in the sunny state of Florida all of my life. I Graduated from Seabreeze High School and Daytona State College. I started working at Hanksters Hot Rods in 2018 as their photographer and assistant to the General Manager. I handle everything media and office related. It is a wonderful experience being around these vehicles and putting them on the website for people to fall in love with!

Barb Phelps - Office Assistant - FL.

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Hi my name is Barbara Phelps. I joined the team at Hanksters Daytona Beach April 2021. I have worked in auto parts for over 35 years. Growing up my dad taught me a valuable lesson. If you are going to drive them you learn to manage the upkeep. Working here when customers come in I will say to them there will be a story or memory that each car can bring back to you. Whether you had one, or a family member had one. That is what makes Hanksters special by taking that trip down memory lane. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to take the trip daily.

Ken Sogan - Buyer - FL.

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I joined the team at Hanksters Daytona Beach during the summer of 2020 as the classic car buyer for the Southeastern US. I have been in the automobile business for nearly 30 years as a wholesale buyer for new as well as used car dealerships. This experience helps me in purchasing cars that meet the highest standards for Hanksters. A nearly lifelong resident , I grew up surfing the waves of Daytona Beach and my childhood home was a mile from our showroom. I am Excited to be a part of a first class , family oriented operation.

Brandon Mizell - Master Mechanic - FL.

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My name is Brandon Mizell. I have been in the automotive field for over 30 years. I grew up working at my fathers salvage yard in Muscatine Iowa, fixing and building muscle cars and race cars. I am a Master Mechanic in Automotive and Diesel, with a degree in Engineering. I have been a detailer, sales person, manager, business owner and race car driver. I have built muscle cars, low riders, car audio sound systems, motorcycles and race cars. I have entered all my builds in car shows and competitions with trophy results for being detail oriented. I am very versatile and happy to bring my experience to Hanksters Hot Rods. I am glad to help in satisfying customers with the best muscle cars in the USA!

Scott Smith - Master Mechanic - FL.

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My name is Scott Smith. I am a 45 year old Muscle and Classic Car Enthusiast with a passion for each car I work on. I have a strong school and work background with over 20 years of experience. I ran the City of South Plainfields Road Department in New Jersey for the past 15 years. I found my dream job here at Hanksters Daytona in the spring of 2021.

Don Porter - Service Department - FL.

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Hi. My name is Don Porter. I joined the team at Hanksters Hot Rods in July of 2018. I was born in Northern Illinois. I grew up in a full service gas station and have spent my entire life in the automotive industry. I retired 2 years ago from the auto parts business after spending 20 years in that part of the automotive industry. My love for classic muscle cars makes this the best job ever!

Rick Carucci - Gift Shop Sales - FL.

386-944-9219 - rick.hanksters@gmail.com

My name is Rick Carucci. I started with Hanksters Hot Rods in June of 2019. Over the years I have held various Sales, Management and Marketing jobs in the retail industry. I am very grateful to be able to have the opportunity to work with such a great team and for a great company!