Meet the Gee Automotive Team

Ryan serves as CEO for the Gee Automotive companies and is Dealer Principal for all of its new vehicle franchises. Ryan has many years of retail automotive experience, including leading the organization for over 20 years. Prior to his duties as President and then CEO, Ryan has served in numerous dealership positions including, sales, sales management, finance and insurance manager, service advisor, General Sales Manager and General Manager. Ryan has led the company's significant growth by focusing on the development of our team members and creating an unmatched purchase and service experience with our customers. Ryan also places a strong emphasis on the organization being a strong civic partner in the places we do business. Ryan personally serves on several boards including: the Greater Spokane Incorporated Board of Trustees, Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) Pacific U.S. regional board, past board chair of YPO Seattle Chapter, and the Community Cancer Fund, where he serves as Board President. Ryan has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame, a Masters of Business Administration from Gonzaga University, and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School. Ryan also completed the NADA Dealer Academy. Ryan currently lives in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and is married with two daughters.

George Gee is the founder of Gee Automotive. George began in the automotive industry in 1977 and launched the company in 1983. George wanted to start a company which truly felt like a place where "families serve families". For over 40 years we have operated the business using a few guiding principles that George has practiced every day. He believes that "happy team members make happy customers". The leadership team has taken that principle to heart and continues to work to build a business in which team members feel a part of a large "family", where their skills and efforts advance the mission of the company each day and those skills and efforts are not taken for granted. George has instilled in the organization that we come to work each day with a focus to continually meet and exceed customer expectations. This starts with each employee understanding and believing in the vision and mission of the company. Our hope is that Gee continues to be a place where each team member is able to reach for and obtain their personal and professional goals while providing the highest level of service to our valued customers.

Jeff is the president of Gee Automotive and provides leadership and oversight for all Gee Automotive new vehicle franchises and five ancillary businesses. Jeff has over 20 years of progressive automotive experience including five years in the marketing and field sales divisions of General Motors. Jeff joined Gee Automotive in 2007 and has been President since 2009. Jeff has direct experience in most of the key job functions of the dealership including as a sales consultant, service writer, new and used car manager, F&I manager and operations manager. Jeff has been a key driver of Gee's growth with a focus on building teams and systems that provide outstanding and consistent customer experiences and business outcomes. Jeff works closely with store management to further the vision and strategy of the company while supporting the unique needs of each dealership with organizational resources. Jeff earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Gonzaga University, a Masters of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and is a graduate of the NADA Dealer Academy. Jeff is a long time resident of the Seattle area where he currently lives with his wife and four children. When he's not at work, Jeff enjoys time with his family and loves to explore the great Northwest by trail, skis or boat.

Erica has served as the CFO for Gee Automotive Companies since the acquisition of the Tonkin Family of Dealerships in May 2017. She started her automotive career in 1990 and has worked in all departments. After completing a BS in Finance and Management at the University of Oregon, she found that she had a passion for the processes and people in the dealerships and decided to make it her career. She prides herself in collaborating with dealership management on implementing best practices to achieve financial results. She earned her Masters of Financial Analysis at Portland State University while working at Ron Tonkin Honda and was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in the Summer of 2009. Married with a young son, the family enjoys the outdoors and exploring the great Northwest in their Jeep. Erica works in our Corporate Accounting Office in Milwaukie.

Sean is a northwest native and began his automotive career out of college with Dave Smith’s in Idaho. During that time, Sean held multiple positions including Sales Representative, Finance Manager, Sales Manager, and GM. When Dave Smith’s was acquired by RFJ, Sean was heavily involved with their growth teams and served as VP of Operations. There Sean was responsible for working with RFJ dealerships across the country to improve customer service, employee engagement, and operational performance. Sean joined Gee Automotive in December 2018 as the Platform Director (East). With his commitment to Gee Automotive’s core values, and making a difference in the community, he has quickly become a valuable addition to the team.

As of February 2019, Chad was promoted to the position of Platform Director (West). Prior to that he served as the General Manager of both Ron Tonkin Toyota and Ron Tonkin Mazda. As a Texas native, Chad graduated from the University of Texas-Arlington with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1992, he immediately started working in the automotive industry as a finance manager for a large Texas-based dealer group. In 2007, Chad began his career with the Company as the General Manager of the Chevrolet store “out 122nd way.” Now with over 25 years of managerial experience, Chad stays busy by serving on the Dealer Council for CUDL as well as actively participating in both NADA and OADA. When Chad gets free time, he enjoys it by spending time with his family, traveling, golfing, running, and cheering on the Dallas Cowboys.

Robert joined Gee Automotive as the Vice President of Corporate Development in 2019. Before joining Gee, he led Corporate Development and Investor Relations for Avid Technology; a publicly-held provider of technology solutions to the media industry. Robert began his career as an investment banker with Canaccord Adams in Boston and Cowen & Company in New York, where he advised client companies on capital raising and M&A activities. He received his Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Economics from Wesleyan University. Robert lives in Portland with his wife, Katie, and their young son, William. Together, they enjoy exploring the city of Portland and all that it has to offer.

Laura Coon is the Director of People Operations for Gee Automotive. She oversees Human Resources, Talent Management and Recruiting, Employee Engagement, and Payroll and Benefits for the 2000+ member Gee Team. Laura’s role is to collaboratively set, and execute on, the long-term vision for all HR/People functions, consistently improving effectiveness and helping achieve Gee’s overall business goals. Laura’s greatest reward is helping employees develop and grow into leaders in the organization. Laura joined Gee Automotive with their acquisition of the Ron Tonkin Dealerships in 2017, after serving as Tonkin’s Human Resources Director for 20+ years. Laura has over 30 years experience in the automotive industry and in the Human Resources field. She holds both SHRM-SCP and SPHR Advanced HR Certifications. Laura also spent eleven years with Chrysler Regional Sales and Service Management in the Pacific Northwest and New England regions. Laura graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) and loves watching the Trojans. She and her husband, Ed, have two daughters who played collegiate sports at Arizona State and the University of Oregon; so she always roots for the Pac12. Along with travel, she enjoys skiing and trying new restaurants.