Meet the team

The team of professionals here at Roberts Automotive is here to help you drive safe and reliable cars that last a long time. However, we know that excellent auto service is more than just about repairing cars. We treat our customers with courtesy and respect and pride ourselves on listening to your concerns. If trust, honesty, and personal service are important to you, you have found the right place. How can we help you?

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PJ Roberts

Email: pj@roberts-automotive.com

I have always had a love of cars and motor racing. My dad had been in the business forever, but wanted his kids to go to college. So, after high school, I went off to Indiana University of Pennsylvania and obtained a BA in Physics. After spending 2 years as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army, I returned to the business in 1975 mostly because of an interest in racing open wheel cars. Trouble was, while I was away, dad got tired of working on cars and opened a small engine business. Since both of us loved racing, we did some research and found that Volkswagen Bug engines had big potential in midget racing. Believe it or not that is basically how the Volkswagen repair business got started. My degree gave me a deep understanding of the mechanical principles in automotive technology, which was a big help in diagnosing and repairing passenger vehicles as well as racing open wheel sprint and midget cars on dirt and asphalt tracks. Dad handled the fabrication and engine building work while I developed the cylinder heads and drove the car. After 10 years of racing around the northeast, I opened the present business on Columbia Ave in 1989, which meant operating 2 locations. In 1997 I closed the Manor Ridge Drive location. Due to its location and low ceilings it wasn't suitable for expansion. After over 30 years of working on Volkswagen and Audi vehicles, the excitement is still there, the cars more challenging than ever, but our customers haven't changed. They are the greatest, and we appreciate the opportunity to help them own safe and reliable vehicles.

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Christine Karlow

Email: christine@roberts-automotive.com

If you do business with us, you will hear from Christine. She is the "how are we doing?" part of the business, and loves to get your feedback. Having a degree in psychology, she can also deal with your fears relative to car repairs. She has found a new passion in swing dancing, and likes to relax by playing tennis, running, or reading. In her spare time she volunteers at the Columbia Pregnancy Center where she counsels mothers to be.

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Jim Manbeck

Jim has been working in the automotive field for most of his life. Like PJ, he also learned from his father, who had 40 years of automotive experience. He lives and breathes all things mechanical and electrical. Along with 30 years of experience repairing imports, Jim also has experience as a service manager, service writer, parts manager, and shop foreman. To many friends Jim is known as Captain Gadget. His interests include computers, restoring Fiats (of which he has three), traveling, and testing his culinary skills. He has owned 103 cars and a couple of motorcycles since he was sixteen years old.

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Ken Thomas

Email: service.writer@roberts-automotive.com

Having been in the business over 20 years, our service advisor, Ken Thomas, brings a wealth of experience to his job. His knowledge, experience and friendliness is your assurance that you are dealing with someone you can trust and who knows your car. Ken's a father of 2 and grandfather of 2, likes relaxing at his cabin in New York, and has been busy lately engineering and constructing a bridge over a creek at his getaway.

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Dustin Huffman

Upon graduating from Antonelli Institute in Philadelphia, Dustin started his working career in the photography field. After 8 years in the business, he realized he could no longer ignore his love for mechanics. After working on cars and motorcycles as a hobby he got a job in Baltimore restoring Italian motor scooters and then moved on to automobiles over 9 years ago.
On weekends and after work, you will find him working on his own hot rods, hanging out with his fellow car club members, The Rusty Dozen, and spending time with his wife Samantha and daughter Anabelle.

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Lucy

Email: lucy@roberts-automotive.com

One of our most trusted employees. Runs the HR department. Thirty five pounds of tiger meat stretched over a steel frame. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound (handy when stealing groceries from car trunks). Ability to leap from moving vehicles. This girl can do it all.