Who We Are
Cartrast is run by people who wanted to eliminate the dread that many consumers experience when in the market for a new vehicle. Our goal is for people to fully enjoy car shopping rather than approaching the process with the enthusiasm of a dental visit. Here are the individuals who help make that happen:
Satish, President
Satish started Cartrast at the beginning of 2019, figuring that there had to be a better way to go car shopping. He is dedicated to ensuring customers have a top-notch experience with Cartrast. After graduating from Cal, he was a website designer working with small businesses as well as a freelance writer for publications such as The Truth About Cars and Truck Trend.
David, Vice President, Operations
David, our VP of Operations, oversees all of Cartrast’s facilities, business development, and human resources. He began his career with Enterprise in Portland after graduating from Wayne State University. David knows all the ins and outs of vehicle fleet management and recently joined the company to significantly extend the Cartrast experience to more shoppers.
Jennifer, Vice President, Finance
Jennifer manages Cartrast’s capital formation, capital allocation, accounting, bookkeeping, credit-related matters, and investment management activities. Prior to Cartrast Jennifer worked as an accountant for a Fortune 500 company. She has received a B.S. degree in Economics from Cal State Fullerton and is designated as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
Sarah, Director, Marketing
As the Director of Marketing at Cartrast, Sarah is responsible for developing and implementing the company’s marketing strategy and branding efforts throughout the United States. With a background in digital marketing and public relations, Sarah has worked with many household names and run campaigns on their behalf. She is a graduate of Gonzaga.
Sameer, Director, IT
Sameer joined Cartrast in 2021 as our IT Director, responsible for supporting our enterprise applications, enterprise data, CRM, ERP, customer support system, infrastructure, communications, and information security program. Sameer has a master’s degree in computer science from Florida State and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Iowa State.
Yasmina, Director, Human Resources
Yasmina is responsible for global talent acquisition, leadership development, diversity and inclusion, organizational design and cultural development, employee education and development, compensation and benefits, HR operations and technology, employee relations, and security. She holds a B.A. and an M.B.A. from San Jose State University.
Sai, Business Development Manager
As Cartrast needed to accommodate a growing number of customers, Sai came on board to handle client operations. He ensures there are vehicles across all our locations to readily sample. Outside of Cartrast, he can usually be found sampling as many different cars as he can (the Indian market has plenty of variety) or going for long road trips.
Lisa, General Manager, West Region
Lisa is the person responsible for all Cartrast operations in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Washington. As a zone manager for an OEM in a past role, she knows what car shoppers are looking for and works to ensure they have as exciting an experience as possible. She is a graduate of the University of Miami where she received a business degree.
Julio, Operations Manager, Silicon Valley
Julio brings 10-plus years of auto-industry experience to Cartrast, after three years as vice president of sales and marketing at a local fleet management company. Julio now guides and directs the Cartrast Silicon Valley support and consulting staff, serving almost 200 people every weekend along with supporting the marketing efforts of nearby dealerships.
Adriana, Operations Manager, East Bay
Hailing from Sacramento, Adriana joined Cartrast in 2021 and has been involved in all aspects of the retail automotive industry, having extensive experience with most major franchises. An alumnus of Sonoma State University, she has resided in Northern California her entire life and strives to make the Cartrast experience as relaxing for customers as possible.
Ernesto, Operations Manager, Orange County
Ernesto has 10 years of consulting and retail automotive experience, with expertise in improving profitability for new-vehicle franchise dealerships. Being in Orange County for the last 20 years, Ernesto has witnessed its growth and knows the best vehicles for people new to the area. As a fixture at our flagship location, Don sets the tone for the Cartrast experience.
RJ, Operations Manager, San Diego
After being in various dealership positions throughout the San Diego area, RJ decided to take part in creating a new way for people to go car shopping. Though partial to pickups, RJ knows how important SUVs are to today’s families (being a father of four) and can personally assist them with the search for secure and reliable transportation.
Steve, Operations Manager, San Gabriel
As an LA native and car enthusiast, Steve is extraordinarily well-versed in the best vehicles for living in one of the most car-centric places in the country. He has worked for the fastest-growing dealership in California and has won many sales awards. As the manager of one of our most-trafficked locations, Steve ensures you can test drive without waiting for a long time.
Sofia, Operations Manager, Chandler
Sofia has been in automotive retail for over 10 years, having worked with different OEMs in providing cost controls, revenue growth, continuous process improvements and in-depth staff training to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction. With our Chandler location serving the greater Phoenix area, Sofia makes sure that customers are always satisfied with Cartrast.
Kevin, Operations Manager, Seattle
Kevin is a key part of Cartrast’s reach in the Seattle area, making sure our locations can accommodate customers anytime over the weekend, rain or shine. Prior to joining Cartrast, he was a marketing manager at a multi-franchise dealer. With his experience in the car business, Kevin knows what customers want from car shopping and ensures Cartrast can deliver.
Angela, Operations Manager, South Denver
A sales district manager for a manufacturer in a past life, Angela brings her knowledge of what car shoppers want to her role at Cartrast. An avid hiker during the weekdays, she can tell you the best trails to explore throughout Colorado. Her knowhow and passion for the car business is invaluable to Cartrast as well as customers in the Denver and Colorado Springs metro areas.
Tim, General Manager, Texas
Tim is our General Manager for Texas, one of the largest car shopping markets in the country. He is responsible for business operations, marketing, external affairs, human resources, growth, and customer experience for Texas. With over 20 years in the industry and as a graduate of UT Arlington, Tim makes a Cartrast appointment a fun time for all.
Maria, Operations Manager, Dallas
With Dallas being a popular new car market, Maria ensures shoppers constantly have access to evaluate the vehicles they’re considering. With more than 20 years’ experience selling vehicles in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, she is strongly connected to the local community. Maria also is an important figure in Cartrast’s involvement with educational programs.
Alex, Operations Manager, Fort Worth
Alex serves as the Operations Manager at the Cartrast Fort Worth location. With a background in customer experience, sales, operations, and finance with a large consumer retailer, he is well-suited to cater to the needs of the shoppers, dealers, and manufacturers that we work with, while regaling them with stories of getting large discounts on key items.
Megan, Operations Manager, Austin
Possessing in-depth knowledge of the unique selling opportunities throughout America, Megan has been in many technical sales roles, previously being a head sales engineer at a semiconductor firm. She has also taught new-product marketing and buyer-behavior courses at local colleges, and if you ask her, she’ll give you the rundown on the best time to buy a rice cooker.
Elena, Operations Manager, San Antonio
Having run an advertising fund for an OEM and dealer group partnership, Elena knows what manufacturers and customers are looking for, knowledge which she utilizes at the Cartrast San Antonio location. During her career, she has worked in all aspects of dealer operations with various manufacturers, experience which makes her an important part of our training program.
Dan, Operations Manager, North Houston
Though much of his past life has been in sales of medium- and heavy-duty commercial trucks, Dan is very aware how much cargo the usual family carts around, having 5 children at home. In addition, Dan has experience in the rental and leasing of vehicles and plays an important role in helping customers at the Spring location figure out whether they are getting good pricing.
Dante, Operations Manager, Houston
After being a zone manager for a car manufacturer, Dante was looking for his next challenge and decided it would be to expand Cartrast’s reach in Houston. He has been a General Manager at some well-known retailers and has developed lease programs for dealers in the past. He enjoys watching customers go through the Cartrast experience and is always open to feedback.
Ralph, General Manager, Midwest Region
Ralph serves as the GM for the Midwest region, responsible for operations, financial performance and customer service for Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Kansas. He has a background in the telecommunications industry and is someone who prizes collaboration across all the locations. A graduate of LSU, he is always searching for the best gumbo.
Amir, Operations Manager, Minnesota
Certified in Google Analytics and Google Ads, Amir is a large part of our Midwest presence and also consults with dealers on marketing strategies. Before coming to Cartrast, Amir worked on used car guides utilized by automotive stores across the country. When you meet him, be sure to check with him about what dealers think your trade-in is worth, as he’s always within 5%.
Carter, Operations Manager, Chicago
Having held different positions at many franchised stores in the Chicago area, Carter is very well aware of all the work that goes into selling a car. It was only natural that he take on a new task of helping people buy a car in the best way possible. He also has experience selling and implementing DMS systems, ensuring that there are no delays in between your test drives.
Dilara, Operations Manager, Northbrook
After programming computer software for a number of years, Dilara decided to follow her automotive fervor and join Cartrast. An avid compact sedan enthusiast, she has owned everything from a Hyundai Excel to a Renault Logan. She now helps budding new vehicle shoppers find their next wheels and have a fun time while doing so.
Brooklyn, Operations Manager, Detroit
Brooklyn’s ancestry screams the car business, with her family having worked on Detroit assembly lines, and Brooklyn herself spent 8 years in marketing at a Big Three automaker. An adjunct professor for sales development on the weekdays, she can provide you with sage advice if you need to develop a business of your own, especially if it’s in the automotive industry.
Ray, Operations Manager, Kansas City
Having been a teacher for over thirty years and a school board member for seven, Ray was a natural fit to prepare customers in the Kansas City area to go car shopping in a fun way. He makes Cartrast a wonderful place to work, ensuring that refreshments are always available to keep the staff going and creating methods that allow them to learn new skills.
Nick, Operations Manager, St. Louis
With a background in public accounting and having worked for an auditing firm, Nick has taken up an even more fulfilling role at Cartrast, through which he can guide car shoppers through one of the major financial decisions of their lives. He also teaches accounting seminars for businesses as well as colleges in the St. Louis area and is a big proponent of financial literacy.
Rodrigo, General Manager, Southeast Region
Rodrigo is our main man in the Southeast region, overseeing our presence in the major metros of Florida, the Carolinas, and Georgia. Having worked in a high-level position at a major dealership services provider in the region, Rodrigo applies that knowledge to bolstering Cartrast’s significance to car shoppers. He is a graduate of Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
Paulina, Operations Manager, Miami
A recent transplant to the Miami area, Paulina is in charge of making sure people have an enjoyable car shopping experience. After 20 years of managing call centers, she is delighted to again interact in person with customers making the second-largest investment of their lives. Hang around her while you visit, and you will get a rundown of the best phone call greetings.
Catalina, Operations Manager, Delray
Catalina has “retired” to Cartrast after being a General Sales Manager for a new-car franchised dealership group in one of the snowiest places in the country. With over 30 years of experience in the car retailing business, Catalina is ecstatic to provide our customers the ins and outs of what to look for when buying or financing a new vehicle. She is also a big fan of sports sedans.
Randy, Operations Manager, Tampa
Randy has lived and worked in numerous places across the globe, ranging from China to Denmark, making him well-attuned to the needs of different kinds of car shoppers. He has been a sales trainer for a number of years, which helps the staff at our Tampa location be at their best when helping visitors seamlessly find the right vehicle that can serve their requirements.
Mustafa, Operations Manager, Orlando
An avid visitor to Disneyworld on the weekdays, Mustafa probably joined Cartrast Orlando to give herself a reason to avoid the weekend crowds. Having been on a dealer advisory council and a local dealers’ association, Dick knows what dealerships need when retailing new vehicles and what customers need when buying or leasing them, along with the best way to put on a show.
Mark, Operations Manager, North Atlanta
Mark comes to Cartrast after 20 years in the event management industry, having produced well-known pageants along with concerts at stadium venues. With this experience Mark ensures that all visitors to our sole location in Georgia can cycle through all the vehicles they’re interested in without any delays while having plenty of enjoyment in the process.
Susan, Operations Manager, Charlotte
After 20 years in banking, managing many local bank branches along the way, Susan wanted a welcome change of pace along with the opportunity to advise consumers on their second-largest investment. Having been on the other side of the table when approving new vehicle loans, she can make sure you get the best bang for your buck with your financing.
Nicole, General Manager, East Region
Nicole focuses on developing Cartrast’s presence in New England, New York, Delaware Valley, and Washington D.C. metro areas. She is an alumnus of Purdue University and loves snowy weather. Having been a zone sales manager for many different manufacturers, Nicole is attuned to the standards that automakers and consumers have when shopping for a new vehicle.
Amy, Operations Manager, New England
Before heading up our New England location, Amy has worked in many parts of the retail automotive industry including as a consultant for a major dealership services provider. She has also been a controller for a dealer group and pays very high attention to details. Furthermore, Amy is a Certified Fraud Examiner, something which has helped her a lot in her dealer roles.
Vaibhav, Operations Manager, New Jersey
A very avid car enthusiast, Vaibhav has owned over 60 cars since high school, with 6 in his driveway at the moment. Vaibhav joined Cartrast for the opportunity to evaluate as many vehicles as he could without having to visit multiple dealers. He used to work in building safety and security as well as as a vehicle tech, a skill which comes in handy when diagnosing any “check engine” lights.
Abby, Operations Manager, Westchester
Having started in the car business as a sales assistant after working on a farm, Abby was quickly promoted to sales consultant, and then a general manager all within seven years. She is known for working smart and carries that aptitude with her to Cartrast. Abby is originally from southwestern Minnesota and enjoys plenty of games of tennis on the weekdays.
Raymond, Operations Manager, Delaware Valley
Throughout his career, Raymond has been an operations manager for two sizable dealer groups, increasing their profitability by a significant amount through an extended focus on digital marketing and balance sheet management. He is a proven leader who utilizes his knowledge in teaching staff how their individual processes can influence their daily energy.
Obi, Operations Manager, Maryland
Having begun his professional life as a computer programmer with a large retailer in Wisconsin, Obi started in the car business after creating specialized car rental software for a dealership group. With experience in running both IT teams and Human Resources, Obi is suited to dealing with customer and staff needs, whether troubleshooting a CRM or finding a lost toy.
Aditi, Operations Manager, Washington D.C.
Aditi started her career answering phones as a customer service representative for a retailer before becoming a sales trainer. After that, she worked in credit, auto insurance and hospitality, with her organizational skills and ability to learn quickly coming to the fore. At our Washington D.C. location, Dawn can usually be found giving sage advice to staff and customers alike.