Meet the Staff of Hanksters
Gary Hankinson - Owner / Operator - PA. & FL.
724-471-2975 - Gary@Hanksters.com
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".
Lauren Hankinson - Partner / Multimedia Production PA.
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.
Bob Geer - Master Mechanic - PA.
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.
Hi I'm Steve Wachob and I'm a buyer for Hanksters Hot Rods. I joined the Hanksters team back in the fall of 2020 where I started out as a body technician, I then moved into the buyer position February of 2021. 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.
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.
John Wise - Automotive Restoration Specialist - PA.
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.
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
Ken Sogan - Buyer - FL.
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.
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!
Don Porter - Service Department - FL.
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