From PR to Cars

You could say that Peter Taraborelli ’10 is a jack-of-many-trades, and even that title might not cover all the careers he’s tested out. From radio to journalism to firefighting, and now running a car restoration business, his skills are wide-ranging.

A first generation college student, Taraborelli started out at Millersville as a physics major but switched to communications after a revealing conversation with now-retired communications professor Dr. Bill Dorman. “I talked with all the department heads to ask why I should join their programs. When I talked with Dr. Dorman and asked him to pitch me on why I should join the communication and theatre department, he said, ‘You’re interviewing me like a journalist. That’s why you should join.’”

Dorman was on to something. Taraborelli’s inquisitive nature lent itself nicely to journalism and all things communication. He took a job with the communications and marketing department under Janet Kacskos, emerita director of communications, who helped him hone his nose for news by writing newsletters and press releases on behalf of the University.

Following graduation, Taraborelli landed a job as a board operator and promotions assistant at WLAN and WROZ, AM and FM radio stations in Lancaster. That job led him to work on TV as a reporter at Blue Ridge 11, covering both inspiring and difficult stories. Reporters often arrive at the scene of an accident alongside first responders.

One day on the job, while running to the scene of a fatal accident, he said to himself, “That’s someone’s family member … maybe this job isn’t for me. It’s a tough gig. So, I started thinking about what was next. It’s one of the reasons I also became a volunteer firefighter. I was the one holding the mic, bugging the guys while they were trying to help. I finally wanted to be on the other side, helping.”

Taraborelli recalled a contact he’d made at the North Museum of Nature and Science in Lancaster while covering a news story and reached out to her. He found out she’d switched jobs, and she let him know that her new gig at Stoner Inc., a manufacturer based in Quarryville, had an opening in the industrial and automotive division for a public relations professional – a job that Taraborelli landed. In his role as the communications manager for the company’s industrial and automotive brands, he learned a lot about cars. A lot. “I wasn’t even interested in cars until I started working at Stoner,” he says.

Taraborelli used his multimedia skills to stage photo and video shoots of the products for promotion at Stoner. While searching for content and places to shoot, he learned that the company’s owner, Robert Ecklin Jr., also owns Horsepower Enterprises, an automotive restoration business in Lancaster city that features a Buick showroom that hasn’t been changed since 1946 and dozens of classic cars – and tons of content opportunities. “The work I did in broadcasting taught me the art of storytelling,” he says. “The work that I do now allows me to complete those stories and helps them to come full circle.”

Taraborelli used the shop for content for five years, establishing a relationship with the employees and car owners. Then, the General Manager position opened at the shop in 2020. “The employees encouraged me to apply, and the owner loved my vision for where the business could go, so I was given the chance to move over there!”

These days, he splits his time between his office at Stoner Inc. in Quarryville and the vintage showroom in downtown Lancaster city. Thanks to his line of work, Taraborelli’s interest in cars now extends to restoration. “I’m even working on my own partial restoration now,” he shares. “I’m working on saving my grandfather’s 1991 Cadillac.”

In his dual roles, Taraborelli shares that both jobs have something in common with all of the other jobs he’s had: There are stories to tell. “The biggest thing for me is being able to save and restore these cars and the stories with them,” he shares. “I’ve gotten the chance to talk to a lot of different customers, from crazy rich people to guys who have to save and can only do so much a month to fix up their old Camaro. I’m here to promote and save this hobby that makes things last.”

Taraborelli says that some of his favorite pieces and cars have unique stories behind them. “We had a Vietnam-era soldier who restored his original Camaro,” he shares. “He’d lost his wife from illness but still wanted to honor all the time spent together in that car – the car they drove on their honeymoon and brought their daughter home from the hospital in – and the memories they had in it together, so we restored it. We’ve also restored a 1966 Lotus for the son of a fighter pilot. His father, who purchased the car in England, survived World War II, the Vietnam War and the Korean War.”

Central to all his experiences, Taraborelli says, was the education he received from Millersville University. “I never knew about all the areas where I could go with my degree from Millersville,” he shares. “There are some days that I miss the hustle and bustle of the newsroom, but then I remember that the things I get to work on today still get to be here for years to come. In broadcasting, with the exception of a series piece, everything is usually done after it airs, and the next day you start all over. I went from broadcasting to PR and marketing, to being in charge of this car shop with all of these guys. Each experience built on itself.”

A father of one now, Taraborelli was asked if he’s trying to get his daughter involved in the car restoration process. “I’m more concerned with her becoming a Marauder someday,” he quips.

Want to see some of Taraborelli’s work? Check out his video on the Vietnam soldier and his Camaro here and the 1966 Lotus that was restored for the son of a fighter pilot here.