Meet Our Staff

Dealer Principals


Joe Steet Sr.

Joe Steet Sr.

Dealer Principal

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, NY with his wife where they raised their two children, Joe Jr. and Carly, who also work in the family business! In the warmer weather, 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, especially his two grandchildren.

Steve Ponte Sr.

Steve Ponte Sr.

Dealer Principal

Steve Ponte Sr. has been working in the car business for over 30 years! He lives locally in Herkimer, NY 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 nine grandchildren, and taking their family trips to Lake George, Florida, and Disney!

Sales


Steve Cater

Steve Cater

General Manager

Steve Cater is a longtime employee of Steet Ponte Lincoln, you may recognize his last name as his family owned Cater Lincoln Mercury! Steve has over 33 years of experience in the car business, and has been working with us for over 18 years, having been promoted to the GM position in mid-2024! He lives locally 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 Lincoln is the new Lincoln Continental!

Phil Higgins

Phil Higgins

Sales Manager

Phil Higgins is a Sales Manager at Steet Ponte Lincoln and is a longtime employee of our store! He was promoted to this position in mid-2024 having had many years of experience as a Sales & Leasing Consultant. He lives in Oriskany with his wife, and his favorite Lincoln is the Lincoln Navigator! 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!

Warren Jefford

Warren Jefford

Sales Manager

Warren Jefford is the Sales Manager here at Steet Ponte Lincoln, 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 Lincoln is the Lincoln Nautilus, and in his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, and following his favorite Soccer team, Manchester United!

Dave Abdou

Dave Abdou

Sales & Leasing Consultant

Dave Abdou is a Sales & Leasing Consultant at Steet Ponte Lincoln who started working with us in early 2018, having retired from his General Manager position with us. 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, and spending time with his two grandchildren! His favorite Lincoln is the Lincoln Navigator.

Garrett Crane

Garrett Crane

Sales & Leasing Consultant

Garrett Crane is a Sales & Leasing Consultant who joined our team in early 2025! Garrett lives locally in Frankfort, NY, and in his spare time he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family and friends. His favorite Lincoln vehicle is the Lincoln Aviator.

Anthony Fanelli

Anthony Fanelli

Sales & Leasing Consultant

Anthony Fanelli is a Sales & Leasing Consultant who joined our team in mid-2024! He lives locally in New Hartford, NY, and in his spare time he enjoys golfing and spending time with his family and friends. His favorite Lincoln is the classic Lincoln MKZ!

Tony Hinojosa

Tony Hinojosa

Sales & Leasing Consultant

Tony Hinojosa is a Sales & Leasing Consultant at Steet Ponte Lincoln! Tony is a longtime employee here; his favorite Lincoln is the Lincoln MKZ. Tony lives in Whitesboro, and in his spare time, he loves to play pool and volleyball!

Rich Josephs

Rich Josephs

Sales & Leasing Consultant

Rich Josephs is a Sales & Leasing Consultant at Steet Ponte Lincoln! Rich lives in Oriskany with his wife and kids, who he loves spending time with! His favorite Lincoln is the Lincoln MKX. 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!

Chris Rusell

Chris Rusell

Sales & Leasing Consultant

Chris Russell is a Sales & Leasing Consultant at Steet Ponte Lincoln who joined our team in early 2026! Chris lives locally in Frankfort, NY, and in his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends! Chris' favorite Lincoln vehicle is the Lincoln Aviator.

AJ Schirripa

AJ Schirripa

Sales & Leasing Consultant

AJ Schirripa is a Sales & Leasing Consultant who joined our team in mid-2025! AJ lives locally in Whitesboro, NY and in his spare time he enjoys playing and watching sports, from golf to football, hockey and baseball! His favorite Lincoln is the Lincoln Aviator.

Doug Valentine

Doug Valentine

Sales & Leasing Consultant

Doug Valentine is a Sales & Leasing Consultant who 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 Lincoln is the Lincoln MKZ.

Rich Zajac

Rich Zajac

Sales & Leasing Consultant

Rich Zajac is a Sales & Leasing Consultant and a longtime employee of the Steet Ponte Auto Group! He lives locally 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 Lincoln is the Lincoln MKZ.

Internet


Valerie Rinaldi

Valerie Rinaldi

Sr. Business Development Representative

Valerie Rinaldi is the Sr. Business Development Representative at Steet Ponte Lincoln! She started working with us in early 2019 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 9 year old son to the Utica College Hockey games and Utica FC Soccer Games! Valerie's favorite Lincoln is the MKC.

Finance


Rich Ernst

Rich Ernst

Financial Services Manager

Rich Ernst is one of the Finance Managers at Steet Ponte Lincoln 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 Lincoln is the Lincoln MKZ.

Service


Tony Magee

Tony Magee

Service Manager

Tony Magee is our Service Manager at Steet Ponte Lincoln who started working with us in mid-2021! He lives locally in Whitesboro, NY and his favorite Lincoln is the Lincoln Corsair. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends.

George Lyon

George Lyon

Service Advisor

George Lyon is a Service Advisor at Steet Ponte Lincoln who started working with us in mid-2021! He lives locally in Herkimer, NY, and outside of work he enjoys gardening. His favorite Lincoln is the Lincoln Aviator.

Christian Armstrong

Christian Armstrong

Service Advisor

Christian Armstrong is a Service Advisor who joined the front end of the Service Department in early 2026, as he previously worked in our Reconditioning Department! Christian lives locally in Rome, NY, and in his spare time, he enjoys modifying cars. His favorite Lincoln vehicle is the Lincoln Aviator.

Bill Goodie

Bill Goodie

Service Advisor

Bill Goodie is a Service Advisor at Steet Ponte Lincoln and is a longtime employee here having worked here for over 10 years! Bill lives locally, right around the corner in Whitesboro, and his favorite Lincoln is the Lincoln MKC. In his spare time, he loves riding his motorcycle in the nice weather.

Brian Rhea

Brian Rhea

Warranty Administrator

Brian Rhea is the Warranty Administrator at Steet Ponte Lincoln who started working with us in mid-2021! He lives locally in Middleville, NY. His favorite Lincoln is the Lincoln Continental, and outside of work, he enjoys playing with his CSE machine.

Liz Uebelhoer

Liz Uebelhoer

Service Advisor

Liz Uebelhoer is a Service Advisor at Steet Ponte Lincoln who joined our team in late 2025! Liz lives locally in Chadwicks, NY, but originally hails from Buffalo, NY. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her Husky, as well as camping and reading! Her favorite Lincoln vehicle is the Lincoln Navigator.

Samantha Windover

Samantha Windover

Service Advisor

Samantha Windover is a Service Advisor who joined our team in late 2024! Samantha lives locally in Oriskany, NY, and in her spare time, she enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends. Her favorite Lincoln is the Lincoln Corsair!

Parts


Tony Papaleo

Tony Papaleo

Parts Manager

Tony Papaleo is our Parts Manager at Steet Ponte Lincoln and has been working at this store since 1992! Tony's favorite Lincoln is the classic Continental. He lives locally in Deerfield with his family, and in his spare time, you'll find him spending time with his teenager, family and friends!

Zachary Carpenter

Zachary Carpenter

Parts Consultant

Zachary Carpenter is a Parts Consultant at Steet Ponte Lincoln who started working with us in early 2023! He lives locally in Utica, NY and his favorite Lincoln vehicle is the Lincoln MKZ. Outside of work, Zachary enjoys fixing up cars and playing video games!

Brandon Marsh

Brandon Marsh

Parts Consultant

Brandon Marsh is a Parts Consultant at Steet Ponte Lincoln who joined our team in mid-2023! He lives locally in Floyd, NY, and in his spare time, he enjoys golfing. His favorite Lincoln is the Lincoln Nautilus.

Administrative