Executive Biographies

Nellie Jackson - August 7, 1919 – February 10, 2010.

Executive Director

Matriarch of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, Nellie Jackson served as Executive Director. Her passion for automobiles and business acumen were a driving force behind Barrett-Jackson's evolution into the world's leading collector car auction company. Along with her husband, Russ, and Tom Barrett, Nellie co-founded Barrett-Jackson and held an executive position with the company since the doors opened in 1971.

Born in the automotive town of Pontiac, Mich., Nellie's first office job was in the cost accounting department at Fisher Body, a division of General Motors. Her affinity with classic autos began when she and Russ purchased a 1934 V-12 Cadillac Opera Coupe from a junkyard they passed while on vacation. The car moved with them from Pontiac to Scottsdale, where they became very active in the Classic Car Club of America. Nellie served as treasurer and was later elected as the first female Regional Director of the club.

Nellie and Russ met Tom Barrett in September of 1960. They became family friends and in 1971 held the inaugural auction, which later became known as the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction.

During the mid-1960s, Nellie's everyday car was a 1937 Cadillac V-16 limousine, the first of many collector cars she owned and drove daily. She received the prestigious Meguiar's Treasure of the Collector Car Hobby Award at the Hollywood Kodak Theatre in June 2004.

Craig Jackson

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer

As Chairman and CEO of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, Craig Jackson has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most respected car collector and restoration experts.  Since his first day with Barrett-Jackson, Craig has developed the expertise that has helped propel Barrett-Jackson’s evolution into the world’s leading collector car auction and automotive lifestyle event. 

During his tenure, Jackson has taken the original Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale to three unforgettable and popular destinations in Palm Beach, Las Vegas and Orange County.  He is responsible for managing all aspects of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company’s multi-media empire that serves the collector car industry.

Born and raised into the automotive lifestyle, Jackson has grown to be an integral part of the car collecting industry for nearly 40 years.  Following in his father’s footsteps, Jackson has shared his family’s passion and devotion to the automobile market.  After his father Russ, and business partner Tom Barrett, founded the company in 1971, which included an automotive repair shop, Jackson climbed the corporate ladder.  The result has been numerous Best of Show and First Place trophies, as well as an extensive education on classic car restoration. 

Jackson assumed the leadership position in 1997, after the untimely death of his brother, Brian.  Since then, he has constantly worked to grow the company.  Not only has he helped Barrett-Jackson garner a reputation as being one of the best collector car auctions events in the world, he has also molded the Barrett-Jackson auction week into an entertainment lifestyle event filled with  hundreds of exotic and unique automobiles from across the globe.

Through his impeccable attention to detail and with a reputation as a “rare visionary” in the car collector market, Jackson has been able to provide first-class information about the automotive business.  Jackson not only serves as an advisor to many notable collectors and celebrities, most of whom attend Barrett-Jackson’s events each year, but has also garnered international attention.

Through Jackson’s role as CEO, Barrett-Jackson events has been covered by notable media outlets, such as Forbes, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, NBC Nightly News, Motor Trend and AutoWeek.  He has also appeared as an automotive expert and correspondent on Bloomberg Television, CNN and SPEED.

Jackson’s strong commitment to philanthropy has resulted in raising over $34 million since Barrett-Jackson’s first car auction, with $6.2 million generated in 2010 alone.  He has received numerous awards for his contributions, which include the Innovation Techanthropic Award, presented to him by The Arizona Technology Council and NPower and the prestigious Men of Character award by the Phoenix Theatre in October of 2007.  Jackson’s generosity has also earned the company numerous accolades including the Sterling Award for Small Business from the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce, which honors excellence, innovation and local stewardship within the business community.  In 2009, Craig launched the Barrett-Jackson Cancer Research Fund in Memory of Russ and Brian Jackson.

Jackson has been named twice to Motor Trend’s Top 50 Power List in the automotive industry.  He has also captured the coveted Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Business Services category in the Arizona/Orange County region.  This award is presented annually to business leaders whose integrity, hard work and perseverance create and sustain successful, growing enterprises.        

In September 2007 Jackson sold a significant minority share of the company to Portland-based private equity firm, Endeavour Capital.  The partnership allows Barrett-Jackson to pursue even greater business opportunities and with new capital for continued growth. 

Craig Jackson’s dedication to the success and traditions of his family-owned company illustrates true loyalty to family values, hobbyists and the collector car enthusiasts around the globe that have made Barrett-Jackson a world-class automotive lifestyle event.

Steve Davis

President

Steve Davis is the President at Barrett-Jackson and serves as the driving force behind the company's tremendous success in attracting the industry's most desirable collector car inventory and retaining the industry's largest and most loyal customer base. Steve's responsibilities include overseeing and managing all operations and departments related to auction sales. In this role, Steve regularly interacts with the company's customers, both consignors/sellers and bidders/buyers, to ensure that the "Barrett-Jackson experience" is always first-rate. Steve first came to know Barrett-Jackson as a customer himself in the late 1970's (and has been a member of the senior management team at Barrett-Jackson since 1996.) As the owner of Valley Oak Auto in California, Steve has long been one of the top purchasers and sellers of noteworthy collector cars in the country.

Steve attended California State University in Fresno, completed additional coursework in Management and is a graduate of the T.C.P.O.A. Law Enforcement Academy.

As a lifelong collector car enthusiast, Steve has served as one of the founding directors as well as President and General Manager for the Visalia Motorsports Festival in California, which was one of the largest and most unique motorsports festivals in the world. He remains an influential member of the collector car industry, serving as a special advisor to Carroll Shelby for both Carroll Shelby Children's Foundation charity and Shelby American, Inc. His many personal accolades include being the recipient of the California State Senate Recognition award for "promoting the appreciation of classic automobiles through the Valley Oak Auto Collector Car Auction and Exposition." Steve was also the recipient of the "Legislative Excellence Award" from the National Specialty Car Dealer Association for his successful work in originating and prompting the 1997 grass-roots petition drive to exempt 1973 and older autos from stringent new smog restrictions in California. This effort became known as SB 42, and if it had not passed, the collector car business as we know it could have been eliminated in California.

A leading collector car industry expert, Steve is frequently quoted in leading publications including the New York Times, USA Today, AutoWeek and MotorTrend. He is also a contributor to a multitude of automotive publications, with emphasis on market trends and the overall status of the collector car hobby.

Patrick Van Den Bossche

Chief Operating Officer

Patrick van den Bossche is the Chief Operating Officer for Barrett-Jackson, the premiere leader in providing products and services to classic and collector car owners, astute collectors and automotive enthusiasts around the world. His responsibilities include day to day company operations, company finances and strategic business development.

He has more than 20 years of experience as a senior executive by managing fast growth, start-up and next-growth companies. Offering a rare blend of creative, operational and strategic strengths, Patrick has achieved significant results in growing sales, profits and strategic management. His capabilities are highlighted by his accomplishments as President of SPI, where he led the company from sales of less than $2 million annual revenues to over $200 million with managed net profits.

Patrick's exceptional track record has resulted in creating significant value for the companies and their shareholders. He has significant experience with acquisitions, mergers, corporate capitalization and Public Offering. He is known for his wide range of abilities to promote and manage growth and his problem solving capabilities.

He is an occasional lecturer who has spoken at Penn State University and at various stock growth conferences. Patrick graduated from the State of California Polytechnic University of Pomona. His credentials include Six Sigma certified, and LEED™ and Toyota Production System training. His Board of Director experience includes SPI, Modtech, TurnKey, MBI, DD Ventures, Ecolite International and NotMYKid non-profit organization.

Patrick is a member of the Young Presidents' Organization, the Arizona Dutch Club and is active with the St. Theresa Catholic School Dad's Club.

Gary Bennett

Vice President of Consignment

Gary Bennett is the Vice President of Consignment at Barrett-Jackson. He has been a participant as both buyer and seller in all Barrett-Jackson auctions since his introduction to Russ and Nellie Jackson at their inaugural event in 1971. Gary joined the company in 2002, and he puts his many years of collector car expertise to work as the Automotive Director/Senior Automotive Specialist in the day-to-day operations of the Consignment department, as well as assisting in securing sponsorship agreements with both Chrysler and Ford.

Involved in the automotive industry throughout his professional career, Gary has worked in many different aspects of the industry - including the restoration, aftermarket, and design fields. He started out as a founding general partner for BSW International, which is currently one of the largest architectural firms in the United States with clients such as Wal-Mart and Texaco. In 1989, Gary sold his interest in BSW International and began pursuing his automotive passion on a full-time basis. He started Bennett Investor Auto Auction, which specialized in classic and special-interest cars, and also established Auto Connection - a highline automobile dealership with annual sales in excess of $10M per year.

Broadening his automotive horizon, Gary began his adventure with Lister North America - a European company - and became the President of Lister North America, a Jaguar/Corvette aftermarket tuner company specializing in performance upgrades for those two marks. Simultaneously, he was the President of Lister Restoration, a premier restoration company which specialized in muscle cars, European sports cars and Shelby Cobras, which served distinguished clients such as Roger Penske, Prince Abdul Azziz of Saudi Arabia and Nubo Sawama of Japan. In addition, Gary also acted as the President of Coach Connection - an upscale motorcoach accessory company.

Among his many design accomplishments, Gary designed and was awarded two separate patents for the conversion of Chrysler and Ford minivans to be utilized as motorcycle carriers. He subsequently sold the patent and all rights for the benefit of manufacturing handicap-accessible vans. Aside from his love of automobiles, Gary also established a passion for motorcycling, and designed and built custom V-8 motorcycles which utilized the engine as the stress-bearing member in place of an actual frame.

Throughout his long and varied automotive career, Gary became an avid racecar driver, and has won many awards racing vintage NASCAR, Trans-Am and open wheel racecars at racetracks throughout the United States.

Gary is quoted often in noteworthy publications such as the New York Times, and has had various automotive-related accomplishments which have been featured in Motor Trend, Autoweek, Corvette Fever and other similar magazines.

Phil Neri

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

As Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Barrett-Jackson, Phil Neri manages the company's sponsorship and business development programs as well as the company's marketing and merchandising endeavors. In addition, he is responsible for sponsorship and vendor activities during the company's events in Scottsdale, Palm Beach, Orange County and Las Vegas.

Retained by Barrett-Jackson in 2006 as Director of Sponsorships and Business Development, Phil has been instrumental in the company's evolution into one of the most celebrated automotive lifestyle events in the world. He has helped develop strategic partnerships with automotive giants Ford and General Motors, as well as key relationships with top-notch brands like Meguiars and Shelby Automobiles; these have been imperative to Barrett-Jackson's success.

Prior to joining Barrett-Jackson, Phil was Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Home Fragrance Holdings, the largest private label candle manufacturer in the United States. His guidance and innovation at HFH led to the revitalization of the company's sales and marketing program. Phil is credited with identifying new markets and expansion opportunities for HFH and spearheading a premium licensing agreement with a leading crystal/china company.

Phil also served as Senior Vice President of Sales for The Dial Corporation, a leading manufacturer of consumer products. He was responsible for all Dial Corp. products targeting grocery, drug, military and convenience store channels throughout the United States. An 18-year veteran of the company, Phil held numerous sales and management positions, implemented a Sales Force Automation project and oversaw the design of a third party service organization.

Phil gained additional experience as marketing executive for a real estate development firm in Scottsdale, where he developed a key partnership with a major cable provider and created the company's Web site.

He earned a B.S. in Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a MBA from Arizona State University through the Executive MBA program. He is a member of the Phoenix Thunderbirds organization and has been active in the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America.