Meet the KONI North America Team!

KONI is second to none in product quality , product knowledge and customer service. Meet the team behind the curtain who makes it all happen!
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Mason O'Hara - Technical Sales Representative

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"What's up Mason?"

Any special certifications or degrees, even if they don't relate specifically to your role at KONI?
Mason: Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Thomas More College.

As a child what was your favorite car? Is it still?
Mason: As a kid the Lamborghini Diablo VT roadster was the Holy Grail. Today I find myself more longing for a classic Cadillac.

What values drive you? 
Mason: Friendship, Trustworthiness, Honesty, Dependability, Learning

How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
Mason: Riding ATV’s/Dirt Bikes, Wakesurfing, Fishing.

What’s your favorite sports team and or player? 
Mason: University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball.

What is your favorite car movie… or movie car? 
Mason: Smokey and The Bandit

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Lee Grimes - Automotive Product Manager for KONI North America

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"Hey, Lee..."

Do you belong to any clubs or organizations?
Lee:  
I am a member of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) for almost 40 years, since I was a teenager and grew up in an SCCA family. I am active in SCCA Club Racing, Autocross and Road Rally programs. I am a member of national clubs for cars that I have owned including BMWs and Corvairs.

What is your favorite car or cars that you own of have owned?   
Lee:  For the last 25 years I’ve been fond of Honda CRXs and owned many for street and motorsports driving.  I like the CRX’s sharp handling and efficiency as you can get big performance from a small package plus they are still basic enough that I can do all of my own maintenance, upgrades, and racing preparation.  Also, Chevrolet Corvairs are a recurring theme as my family had them when I was young, I had one as my first car as a teenager, the first racecar I built, and now a Corvair convertible resto-mod project.

What values drive you?
Lee: With a strong background in Journalism and public speaking in high school and college, effective written and spoken communications and relaying accurate information have always been very important to me. Building from my early work experiences, I enjoy identifying a customer’s needs and  providing a positive solution and customer service experience.

What is your favorite type of food?
Lee: 
I like a range of foods with strong flavors like Cajun, Mexican, blackened and smoked meats, etc. In recent years I have begun enjoying sushi, which is very texture based but often with wasabi for strong flavor.

What was your first experience with KONI?
Lee: I was a KONI customer on several cars long before I began working for KONI in 1996.  In the late 1980s.  I had KONIs on my ’86 Dodge Omni GLH Turbo street, autocross, and road rally car and later put them on a ’68 Chevrolet Corvair racecar that I built. Of course everything I own now has KONIs.

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Allen Briere - Automotive Accounts Manager

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"Aloha Allen!"

Do you belong to any groups or clubs?
Allen: I have been an SCCA member driving in competitive road racing since 2017.

What is your favorite car or cars that you own or have owned?
Allen: It has to be my first Volkswagen which was a 1981 Volkswagen Scirocco S, It was all VW from there! 

How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
Allen: Traveling. I enjoy just hopping in the car for long drives to discover new places. During the racing season of course I enjoy taking the wheel whenever I can. 

What’s your favorite place to vacation?
Allen: The Caribbean and Gulf side of Florida.

What is your first experience with KONI?
Allen: back in high school I drove a 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit with KONI Sports on it. The car was like driving a Go- Kart just on rails. Since then I have always used KONI on my cars. 25 years of using KONI products!