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Our Staff

WANDA LEWARK, COFOUNDER

   

Wanda is a Co-Founder and has been an active part of the business since its inception in 1970. Her automotive career began in 1962 at a Ford dealer in Alexandria. She offers a lifetime of automotive knowledge to benefit our customers. Wanda was honored, by her peers, for her experience and diligence in the automotive business by being elected as Virginia State President of the V.I.A.D.A. - Virginia Independent Auto Dealers Assocoation for the year 2000. She has also received the following honors/awards:

V.I.A.D.A.: Virginia State Quality Dealer for 2001-2002

N.I.A.D.A.: National Quality Dealer for 2002-2003 (shown with past recipients in picture above)

DMV: Distinguished Service Award in 2002

Virginia General Assembly House Joint Resolution #702: Special Commendation in 2003

Wanda is also a very proud mother, grandmother and great grandmother. (shown with daughter and granddaughter in picture above)

FRANK LEWARK, COFOUNDER


  

Frank is the founder of Auto Buying Service. He is a recognized expert in the field of auto sales and finance with experience that spans nearly four decades. He was the featured guest for a live national cable TV interview - instructing consumers on how to purchase used vehicles.

Frank has done other radio and TV interviews including being part of a special by Fox TV on internet auto sales. He has conducted "How To Buy A Used Car" workshops for universities and civic organizations.

Frank's favorite pastime is flying kites on the beach in Ocean City. He also loves spending time with his great grandson, Graham.

BETSY BRIGGS, GM & VEHICLE ACQUISITION SPECIALIST

  

Being the only child of the owners, Frank and Wanda, Betsy has been in the business nearly all her life. She was 6 when they started the company and has been involved quite literally from the bottom up. Her first jobs involved cleaning the office area and opening mail for Wanda.

From there she moved into light administrative work, answering phones, collections and typing up deal paperwork (yes back then we typed everything). She's been in sales, locating, vehicle financing and inventory purchasing and preparation. Today she is our GM and handles all the marketing, internet vehicle presentation and is heavily involved in vehicle acquisition and preparation.

(shown above with her husband, Tim and their grandson, Graham)

MIKE GREEN, SALES MANAGER

We want to welcome our newest team member, Mike Green. Mike has been hearing our ad on Christian radio for many years and was impressed with our emphasis on honesty, integrity and fair prices in a family atmosphere. This is the type of dealership he has worked with in the past (30 years with ONE dealership!) so he knew this would be a good fit.

Mike brings many special skills to Auto Buying Service - first and foremost are his strengths in customer service. His experience is broad and covers new and used cars (particularly management), but he has worked in nearly every department of the dealership. We are glad he chose to join the ABS family.

                                  

Mike has been married to his wife, Linda, for 37 years and they live locally in Fairfax. He is the father of 4 children (including 2 adopted children), and 1 grandson. He loves spending time with his family whenever possible. Mike also enjoys serving at his local church, Sovereign Grace Church, in Fairfax. He recently helped the church begin a program called "Mercy Ministry" which helps people in need in many ways. Mike enjoys gardening, visiting local and national parks, and tinkering with antique Lionel and American Flyer trains. (Ask him about his Christmas train layout each year).

P.S. Mike asks for your prayers for his 21 year old son, Jeffrey, who is currently serving our country in Afghanistan with the 3/6 Marines. He is on the front lines in very dangerous, harsh, and primitive conditions.

STEVE HART, CUSTOMER RELATIONS SPECIALIST
Steve came to Auto Buying Service in 2008, not long after retiring from a 28 year career in the auto sales industry. Steve was ranked as one of the top 10 salespersons in North America in 1985 by Volvo.

                          

He volunteered at the American Cancer Society for 25 years and served as President of the Northern Virginia Board and was a board member of the Virginia Division. He was also named the American Cancer Society volunteer of the year.

Steve spent 20 years volunteering his time as the Easter Bunny at Arlington Hospital. He has a wonderful family consisting of wife, 3 children and 2 grand children? so far. He says? "The world is full of friends, you just haven't met all of them yet!"

Steve is a vital part of our team. We greatly appreciate his efforts, particularly in customer service. He is great with people and knows his stuff! Thanks Steve! We appreciate you!

PHILIP KLECKNER, LEAD APPRAISER/ BUYER

 

"Say hello to a good buy" was one of the standard slogans developed by my in-house advertising agency at Phil Kleckner's Used Cars.  I opened and operated the lot for 15 years in my home town of New Rochelle, NY. Among other ads, I created 30 spot TV commercials that were aired in New York City. I was interviewed by the New York Times for a story about independent used car dealers, which was published on the front page of the business section with a large photo of me in front of the dealership.

 

                                      


I have always loved the car business. My first purchase was a two-car deal from my friend's father; I sold them for a good profit. I continued to earn money buying and selling individual cars until I was able to open my own used car lot. I earned my reputation by providing excellent customer service and became known as an honest owner/operator who always tried to satisfy the customer. Thus, I gained countless referral business.

 

As a youth I enjoyed playing hockey and baseball. As a young adult, I liked fast cars, motorcycles, boats, water and snow skiing. I attended the University of Tampa, The New School for Social Research, NYU, and Columbia University. While living and attending school in New York, I drove a Yellow Taxi Cab and worked with at-risk youths for the federal job core program located at Federal Plaza in New York City. At the age of 21, I was hired under a special General Motor's Training program, "The Buick Caravan," to sell new Buick's.

 

As a Buick salesman, I received many awards for excellent sales and customer service, including the Sales Masters Award six times. My performance placed me among the top in the USA. When I was 24, I became a manager of a Buick dealership and was an important part of the team that created one of the most successful dealerships for GM at the time in the US. The standard used was by units sold, customer satisfaction, and market share.  I also have held a number of other managerial positions in high-line foreign and domestic new and used car dealerships.  In 1993, while operating my own dealership in NC, my wife had an opportunity to serve in the Clinton Administration; and we relocated to Arlington, VA, where I still reside.

 

I have a 21 year old son, Max who is an honor student at NOVA. I am a history buff and have served on the board of directors of a number of non-profit historical associations, which lead to an important role in the Thomas Paine exhibit at the Freedom Forum's NEWSEUM.

 

A beautiful car still gets me as excited today as it did 50 years ago, "P.K."