(Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Barrett-Jackson.)
By MacKenzie Brower | YourValley
Craig and Carolyn Jackson, executives of Barrett-Jackson auction company, are the honorary chairs for this year’s American Heart Association Heart Ball as they have grown their Driven Hearts campaign the last five years and pushed for awareness and prevention of heart disease.
Craig is the chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson while Carolyn is the vice president of brand strategy and chief philanthropy officer. Barrett-Jackson began as a charity car show in 1967 to benefit the Scottsdale library and community center.
The couple call Paradise Valley home.
Driven Hearts and Heart Ball
Craig has attended the Heart Ball for many years, starting with his mother.
“With my mom I was going to the Heart Ball, but then her dying of congestive heart failure, I’ve wanted to do something to honor her,” he said. “Carolyn took this up as her initiative. It runs in her dad’s side of the family, too. So, this is both sides in our family coming together to try to do something for heart disease.”
More motivation for the Jackson’s Driven Hearts campaign came when two contributors to Barrett-Jackson’s charity work, Greg Mauzy and Dave Ressler, passed away from heart attacks.
Just before his death, Ressler gifted Craig and his mother a 35th Anniversary Edition Corvette for the company’s anniversary, Craig explained.
“And I told him, I’ll never sell that car. This means so much. I’ve never had somebody give us a car,” Craig said.
The car was bought from the auction in 2018 to benefit the American Heart Association. Mauzy’s wife bought the car and donated it back to Barrett-Jackson.
Throughout the year, the Corvette was bought and sold five or six times until it raised $1 million, according to Craig.
