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About Us » People

Leadership

John Paul Strong

Owner

John Paul has propelled Strong Automotive’s tremendous growth since 2004, now with 150+ employees and 400+ dealer clients. Recognized as CEO of the Year and a Top 40 Under 40 by the Birmingham Business Journal, he has earned numerous career accolades. John Paul is an accomplished author, with 1,500+ blog posts and three editions of the Next Day Traffic book. In addition to his role at Strong, he owns Hunter Ford in Indiana and holds degrees from the University of Montevallo and Harvard Business School.

Josh Bradish

Partner

Josh Bradish is a founding member of XtreamService and brings to the table more than 20 years of retail experience with Hendrick Automotive Group.

Michael Sundquist

Chief Marketing Officer

With 17 years of experience between the Hendrick and Safford automotive groups, Michael combines digital marketing expertise with hands-on dealership acumen.

Sean McGovern

Chief Financial Officer

Sean McGovern leverages 20 years of experience in the financial field to lead the agency’s fiscal strategy.

Bill Marefka

Chief Research Officer

Bill Marefka brings over 30 years of automotive experience to Strong. In his role as Chief Research Officer, he provides knowledge, experience, and insight into the development of Strong programs.

Jason Waters

Vice President of Sales

With 20 years of automotive industry experience, Jason Waters oversees sales and customer relations for the agency’s dealer clients.

Liz Elder

Vice President/Media Director

With 30 years in the business, Liz Elder leads Strong’s media buying and planning division, negotiating the most value for clients’ budgets.

Stan Long

Vice President

Beginning his career at Hendrick Honda, Stan Long has worked in automotive ever since, bringing in-depth industry knowledge and strategic oversight to the agency.

Anne Rambow

Vice President/National Accounts

Anne Rambow brings over 20 years of OEM experience in digital, direct mail, and CRM to the Strong team.

Megan Cesnick

Agency Administrative Director

Megan Cesnick leverages more than a decade of experience at Strong Automotive to lead agency administration and internal operations.

Holly Blalock

Art Director

Holly Blalock brings over a decade of advertising creative experience to the team, creating graphics that spur customers to action.

Katie Myers

Director of Organic Marketing

Katie Myers combines a passion for organic digital marketing with years of experience in multiple marketing director roles.

Avery Arthur

Director of Paid Ads

By maximizing Strong’s Google Premier partnership, Avery Arthur drives digital advertising results for our dealers.

Gene Gill

Creative Director

Gene Gill has spent over 20 years as a creative in the automotive advertising industry serving both Tier 2 and Tier 3 clients.

Ivan Wright

Director of Technology

With nearly two decades of developer experience, Ivan Wright leads the agency’s technology strategy to achieve maximum efficiency and information security.