Audra Fordin
Great Bear Auto Shop, Owner; Women Auto Know, CEO and Owner
Bio: Audra has made it her mission to take the fear out of auto repair. A certified mechanic, fourth-generation auto shop owner and a pioneer in the automotive industry, she founded Women Auto Know in 2009 to do just that.
She has been featured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, ABC News, New York Daily News, Despierta America, NY1, Huffington Post and many others. She has formed partnerships with leaders in the industry, government, and education and serves on many advisory committees and expert panels.
She’s also determined to break gender barriers within the automotive industry itself. “The auto repair culture is in many ways still stuck in the 1960s and is in need of a complete overhaul,” Audra says. “The reason women are not in auto repair has to do with upbringing, not ability.” She’s working to change that. There is also a lingering reputation of dishonesty in the auto repair industry, which Audra is working to heal. “No one wants to go into a profession with the stereotype that he or she is a thief. The industry can turn that around by investing in programs like Women Auto Know.” Learn about it more her: https://www.womenautoknow.com/
She speaks with passion, compassion, fairness and the ultimate goal of bringing a woman’s perspective to the game of automotive repair.
Richard Turek
Sports & Classic Automotive Corp., Owner
Bio: Richie has been in the automotive repair business for over 20 years. His business, Sports and Classic, is the combination of four of New York City’s oldest and most prestigious automotive repair and restoration facilities, merged and located in a brand new, state-of-the-art, 25,000 square-foot workshop on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Ralph Czeisler
Emil’s All Tire, Owner
Bio: Ralph is the 2nd Generation owner of Emil’s All Tire, which has been serving the Brooklyn area since 1979. Emil’s All Tire is one of the largest tire dealerships serving all of Brooklyn, and Ralph and his shop appear frequently in magazines like Modern Tire Dealer.
A family owned and operated business, Emil’s All Tire is also a member of the Better Business Bureau and Automotive Service Association. All of their auto repair and maintenance is performed by ASE Certified Technicians.
Philip Demersky
Audi of Manhattan, Director of Fixed Operations
Bio: Phil is currently the Fixed Operations Director at Audi Manhattan, which is a part of the Open Road Auto Group, a family of new car dealerships that serves NY, NJ and CT. He’s enjoyed a long career on the dealership side, working for companies like Teddy Volkswagen, the Prestige Group, Jack Daniels Motors and BMW of Manhattan. Revered by his peers as a guy who “gets the job done”, he’s a football fan and father of two.
Paul Stern
LIFTNOW, Owner
Bio: Paul is the Founder of LIFTNOW, the New York Tristate’s largest distributor of automotive equipment. Before opening LIFTNOW, he worked as a distributor for another company; before that, he owned and operated his own Auto Repair Shop in Queens. Paul enjoys classic cars and Japanese food.
Paul Stern Jr.
LIFTNOW, Marketing and Business Development
Bio: Paul joined LIFTNOW in 2017 after graduating from NYU’s Stern School of Business. Before working for LIFTNOW, he’s consulted international companies during college. When he’s working with LIFTNOW or consulting, Paul loves to travel, work out, and collect antiques and collectibles.