Craig Jackson and Jeff Gordon. Photo courtesy of Barrett-Jackson.

The Scottsdale-based company, which marked its 45th anniversary this past January with the annual Valley of the Sun auction at WestWorld of Scottsdale, has raised $88-plus million for local and national charities to date, including $3.4 million this year.

“When my father, Russ Jackson, and his friend, Tom Barrett, held their first auction 45 years ago, with a few select cars in a hotel parking lot in Scottsdale, they could not have envisioned the world event that it has become,” says Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Scottsdale-based Barrett-Jackson, which also produces annual car auctions in Palm Beach, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; and the newest at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut this June.

“We’re honored to be able to help raise funds supporting a variety of charities, including our veterans and active service members and their families, cancer research at TGen in Phoenix, Childhelp and numerous other causes throughout the community,” says Jackson, who has twice been named to Motor Trend’s Top 50 Power List in the car industry.

This year’s Scottsdale lifestyle event saw 1,469 cars sold for $102-plus million. Many record-breaking sales were recorded, including a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am Smokey and the Bandit Promo Car at $550,000 –– a record for any Trans Am sold anywhere.

Approximately 350,000 people came to town for the auction, including celebrities such as Jay Leno, Burt Reynolds, NASCAR greats Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, Mark Fields, president and CEO of Ford Motor Company, and three-time Grammy winners and multi-platinum artists, Zac Brown Band.

To note the milestone and honor the company for its many contributions to the city and the Valley, Scottsdale Mayor W. J. Lane declared Jan. 24−30, 2016, “Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction Week.”

“I’m proud to call Scottsdale home,” Jackson said at the time, “and was honored to receive Mayor Lane’s recognition for our contributions to the community.”