The story behind the name

Leaving Ireland

I was 13 years old when my family packed up and left Ireland for the United States. No roadmap, no connections — just my parents' belief that there was more on the other side of the Atlantic. That leap shaped everything that came after. I learned early that comfort is the enemy of growth, and that starting over doesn't mean starting from zero.

Buffalo, New York became home. It's a city that earns your respect — winters that test your character, people who tell you exactly what they think, and a blue-collar spirit that doesn't tolerate shortcuts. I fit right in.

Learning to Sell

My entry into automotive sales wasn't glamorous — I started as a lot boy at my father's dealership. Washing cars, moving inventory, watching how deals got made from the outside. That front-row seat turned into a career. I worked my way up through the ranks — general sales manager, finance director, and eventually Director of Growth at West Herr Automotive Group, one of the largest dealer groups in the country.

"The best salespeople I've ever met weren't the loudest ones in the room. They were the ones who listened better than anyone else."

Over three decades I learned that selling isn't about pressure — it's about trust. That insight eventually became the foundation for everything I'd build and write.

Building Companies

In the early 2000s, I co-founded US Arts Software, building web applications before most people knew what a web application was. We sold in 2010. Then came Auction Simplified — automotive auction software built by people who actually understood dealerships. We grew it, refined it, and in 2021 sold it to Traxero, which later became part of Autura.

I'm now VP of Sales at Autura, a unified towing management and marketplace platform changing how the industry operates. At the 2023 Baltimore Tow Show I put it plainly:

"Through software, innovation and knowhow, we can future-proof the towing industry."

The irony of going from selling cars to selling the software that moves them isn't lost on me.

Career

Family First

Everything else is built on top of the most important thing: my family. My wife Mary and I have been married for 33 years. We have three sons — Noel, Alex, and Kevin Jr. (Kevin 2.0) — and have fostered five children. If you want to understand what real leadership looks like, watch a parent navigating a household at 7am.

The FamLeigh section of this site is where I write about that part of life. The messy, imperfect, deeply meaningful part that the LinkedIn bio never captures.

Giving Back

I've been a Big Brother through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Buffalo for years. The program changed my perspective on mentorship more than anything I've read in a business book. I also support Kids Escaping Drugs, Child and Family Services, and Cradle Beach — organizations doing real work in Western New York.

Sobriety

I don't hide this. Alcohol was a crutch I leaned on for a long time. Putting it down was one of the hardest and most clarifying things I've ever done. I wrote about it in Badass and Sober, and I keep writing about it because I know I'm not the only one who needed to hear that sobriety isn't the end of a good time — it's the beginning of a better one.

Writing

I've published five books and counting. The topics range from automotive sales playbooks to sober living guides, a simplified business manual for auto auctions, and even a young adult fiction novel. Writing turned out to be the clearest way to think through what I've learned — and a way to give it away.

This site is an extension of that. No paywalls, no lead magnets. Just writing that I hope is useful to someone.

Faith

My Catholic faith has been a constant thread through all of it — the wins, the losses, the years I wasn't paying attention to it. I run prayersto.com as a quiet corner of the internet for people who are looking for that.