Staff

Jeff has a strong commitment to our community with involvement in many organizations as well as being our State Senator and was a former Mayor for the city. He is a lifetime resident of Emporia and is currently on the Emporia State University Foundation Board. Jeff also was named the TIME Magazine Kansas Dealer of the Year Award recipient for 2010.

Steve has lived in Emporia all his life.  There is nothing better then small town living.  Where people know each other and want to help each other.  Steve has been in the car business for over 15 years.  "It is a lot of fun giving people keys to their new vehicle" 

As an alumni of both Emporia High School and Emporia State University, I care a great deal about this community. I have been a husband to Bridget Wilson for 26 years and a father to Emma and Jay Wilson for 23 years. I am proud to be a part of the Longbine Auto Plaza family, where I have served since 2013.

Charles has been a long time resident of the Emporia area his whole life. Charles has also been in sales in the Emporia area for the last 13 years. Charles looks forward to meeting new people and making sure that all of your needs have been met.

I was born and raised in Emporia, KS. I started working at Longbine Autoplaza in 2007 while in High School for our detail department. From there I moved to our sales staff team in 2018; where I enjoy helping our customers with their vehicle needs and wants. Within six months I moved up to Used Car Manager. I take pride in our customer service and enjoy seeing our customers come back for all their Automotive needs.

Chris is a new resident to the Emporia area but has a lifetime of residence in Kansas. Growing up in the Mulvane KS area before leaving for the United States Navy. After his time in the US Navy he attended Butler County Community College and then became apart of the Automotive industry in January of 2000! Chris has been in sales, sales managment, service advisorory, and service manager in the Wichita area. Chris has now accepted the position of Parts and Service director of Longbine Auto Plaza! Chris is looking forward to meeting all our current and future service customers!! Stop by and see Chris today!!!

James Sparks has been with Longbine Auto Plaza since December 2006. He is a lifetime resident of Emporia having been born and raised here. James has a wealth of knowledge about vehicles, new and used and would be happy to help you with your next car or truck purchase. Se habla espanol?

Chris Thomsen is a lifetime resident of the Emporia area and is the proud father or four sons. He has been a familiar face in our area in his previous endeavors and is anxious to earn your automotive business. Chris invites all of his family, friends, past customers and you, to come by and visit about your automotive needs!

Billy Renfro has been with Longbine Autoplaza since December of 2018.  He is a lifetime resident of Emporia and wants to help you with your next vehicle purchase.  Billy takes pride in helping customers find the perfect vehicle that meets all their wants and needs without the high pressure of a typical salesman.

Justin has lived in Emporia area all his life. He is married with 3 kids and is involved in their school activities and the great outdoors. Justin has been in sales for 8 years in the Emporia area. Justin will work hard to get the right vehicle for you, your friends, or your family at the right price. So put your trust in Justin and head on out to Longbine Auto to take advantage of all his services.

Jake Carlson is a lifetime Kansas resident, not originally from Emporia, but from the surrounding area growing up in Burlingame, Kansas. He has been with the dealership since 2019, with 5 years of experience in the car industry prior to joining the team. He has a vast expanse of knowledge on everything there in GM and is always on top of the latest details of the automotive world. If you're looking for someone who will implore any question you have, with an educated, descriptive, intuitive, and down to Earth answer, look no further! Come on down and ask for Jake Carlson and get the best car buying experience you will find in Southeast Kansas!

Alex has lived in Emporia his whole life. He has been part of the sales team since 2020, but has worked 3 years previously within the company. Alex is happy to help with any of your automotive needs and prides himself on making your car buying experience friendly and easy. Call or email to set up an appointment with him today!

Destin is a Kansas native born in McPherson. He moved to Emporia around 2011 and has been selling cars for the last several years. He is an avid sports fan and would love to help you with your next vehicle purchase! Go Chiefs!

Lori was born in Topeka, KS and attended Topeka West High School. She moved to Emporia in 1982 to attend ESU. Lori joined the Longbine Auto Plaza team in 1985. Lori is our cashier, phone operator, and recently added Service Department Scheduler to her list. Lori enjoys talking to our customers on a daily basis, and goes the extra mile to make your visit a pleasant one. She has over 30 years of customer dedication!