We asked our honorees: What would people be surprised to know about you?
"It is the privilege I had to save someone's life after getting a phone call to be a stem cell donor for a leukemia patient. A few years after the successful cell transplant took place, I was able to meet him and his family in Irvine, Calif. Fast-forward to this day we remain close friends." — Carlos Vallejo
"There's two events I do every year: I go to Las Vegas in the summer to go to [Electric] Daisy Carnival, a huge EDM festival that goes from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Every winter I always fly out to New York to go to the Met to watch an opera." — Karmala Sutton
"I'm an avid golfer. It's how I relax." — Shelby Reed
"I collect Funko Pops. My office has ... over 100 of these Funko Pops. Whenever people come into the office, they look and are shocked, to say the least, but impressed, too, in a way because they are super cool little figurines." — Joey Mastrodonato
"I took three months off from the car business — which was absolutely the most terrifying thing I've ever done — in 2019 to be on season 7 of 'MasterChef Junior' because my son is a chef. ...He made it all the way to the semifinals. Me and my daughter were all part of the season finale episode, and he was a participant, and it was a life-changing time in L.A." — Erikka Tiffani Wells
2021 Automotive News 40 Under 40: This year’s standouts have been through back-to-back challenges of a pandemic and now a global inventory shortage. From reviving failing stores to devising programs for remote sales or service, they’re making a difference across their dealership groups. 
"I bought and flipped my first car when I was in the fifth grade. I submitted to this essay contest for the funniest thing that's ever happened to you. ... I won $500, so I went to the auction with my dad. We bought a '94 Ford Probe for $1,000. We each put in $500 and cleaned it up and sold it for $2,500. It was off to the races from there." — Patrick Daly
"I've been working to get my private pilot's license in my spare time." — Brian Finegan
"My claim to fame on the Internet is that I am so sick and tired of seeing so many people fight and argue over politics and everything else that I just put dad jokes out there on Facebook all the time now. My goal is to fill the world full of dad jokes and punny jokes all day long." — Matt Raymond
"My family and I sailed from New Hampshire to the Bahamas and lived on our sailboat for a year when I was a kid. It had a huge influence on my work ethic and gifted me with a problem-solving mindset that has served me well in my career." — Emily Dube Gray
"When I was born, the doctors told my parents I would never walk." — Melvin Cooper
"I played college baseball. I worked on Capitol Hill as an intern for a little bit." — Andrew Riffee
"I'm an avid sports fan. [I] especially like to root for the Dallas Cowboys and the Hendrick Motorsports drivers in NASCAR." — Jenny Mann
"I... was introduced to the automotive industry while in my college journalism career path." — Laissa Sanchez
"I'm a first-degree black belt." — Colton Ray
"I enjoy working on cars as much as I enjoy selling them. It's mostly race cars, but also on a weekly basis if one of my techs need help, I'll do that. I probably spend half my day back in the service department." — Nick Anderson
"I'm one of nine children." — Mitchell Harris
"I was actually a music performance major. ... I'm like a jukebox. I'll break out in song at times. The technicians think it's hilarious." — Lindsey Trett
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