Barrett-Jackson President Steve Davis marks 20 years with the company this year.

Steve and Craig Jackson in 2001.

In the late 1970s, a young man named Steve Davis began coming to Barrett-Jackson auctions, usually bringing with him a slew of Mustangs to roll across the block. From an early age, Steve was a Mustang guy, won over after seeing a Rally-Pac on the steering column of an early Mustang. As a kid, he’d save anything related to Mustangs or Shelbys. He’d find literature in Ford dealerships, and tear out articles and advertisements from magazines, preserving them in binders – which he still has after all these years.

Steve became a mainstay at the auctions, consigning as many as 40 cars at a time to cross the block and becoming a member of the extended Barrett-Jackson family, like so many others. When Brian Jackson passed away in 1995, Steve approached Craig Jackson – who took the reins of the company upon his brother’s death – to ask if he could help in any way. Indeed he could. Steve became a member of the Barrett-Jackson team in 1996.

On the auction block with his 1964 Ford Fairlane 500 Custom Hardtop, which brought the house down when it sold for $700,000 to benefit the Armed Forces Foundation at the 2011 Las Vegas Auction.

“I got to know Steve well even before Brian passed away, through the years of seeing each other at collector car events and at our Scottsdale auctions,” recalls Craig. “When Brian passed away, he came on board initially to help me out in the auction office while I was taking over the day-to-day business of running the company – and all the while he was still busy consigning his own cars. His role has evolved over the years into that of president of the company. He has become an integral part of our family.”

This year not only marks Barrett-Jackson’s 45th anniversary, but also marks the 20th year of having Steve Davis on the team – as well as the 45th wedding anniversary of Steve and his wife Janie, another member of the Barrett-Jackson family.

Steve and Janie Davis (center) with daughters Misty and Mindy.

“Steve has always been a perfect fit for Barrett-Jackson,” adds Craig. “He’s the dictionary definition of a car guy – just as likely to be found fitting a bumper on a car as he would be in his office, working diligently on the docket for each auction. He gets a lot of comments about his sunglasses, which he wears because of light sensitivity – but he’s always got his eye on the ball. Steve, Gary Bennett and I are all just passionate car guys at heart, and that’s what really has driven the success of Barrett-Jackson.”

Steve’s longtime love of Fords and Shelbys led to him serving as a special advisor to Carroll Shelby for the Carroll Shelby Foundation and Shelby American, Inc. That relationship was the impetus behind the production of 100 very special 2008 Barrett-Jackson Shelby GTs, all dressed in Barrett-Jackson’s signature red and black colors, and signed by Carroll Shelby. “As someone who has been personally involved with Shelby cars for the past three decades, I’m very proud to be a part of this limited-edition car,” Steve Davis said at the time of the car’s unveiling.

“For 45 years, Barrett-Jackson has been all about building relationships and touching lives through a shared passion for collector cars,” says Craig. “Steve Davis has unquestionably been an integral part of that for the past 20 years and hopefully many more to come.”

To learn more about Barrett-Jackson and the executive team, click HERE.