, Inc.
Mike Jackson is widely regarded as one of our generation’s most influential and effective leaders in the automotive industry. Since joining AutoNation as CEO in 1999, then assuming the role of chairman in 2002, he has been responsible for literally transforming the automotive retail industry.
Under his guidance, AutoNation not only reinforced its position as America’s largest automotive retailer, the company also set milestones that stand as testimony to his vision of the company as a standard bearer for a more customer-focused, transparent contemporary business model.
- AutoNation is the only retailer in history to have sold more than 8 million vehicles
- The company is the only automotive retailer to be a member of the S&P 500
- It has been named America’s Most Admired Automotive Retailer by Fortune Magazine
- It is a member of the Fortune 500, ranking in the top 150 companies
- Annual revenue for 2009 reached approximately $12.46 billion across 212 stores in 15 states
- The company sells more than 400,000 vehicles and services more than 5 million each year
- The number of associates under the guidence of Mr. Jackson total approximately 17,000
Before joining AutoNation, Mr. Jackson was already a revered figure in the automotive world, having served as president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, an $8 billion-a-year business that oversaw the German automaker’s U.S. sales operation and 311 franchised dealerships. In that role, he helped create the vision and direction that led to the luxury vehicle band’s rejuvenation in the U.S.
He came to that position after having served as the Managing Partner of Euro Motorcars of Bethesda, Maryland, an operator of 11 new vehicle franchises. He also has served as chairman of the Mercedes-Benz National Dealer Council. Fittingly, it was at Mercedes-Benz dealership that Mr. Jackson began his automotive career, starting as a technician for a dealership in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, when he was just out of college.
In 2003 he was bestowed the Industry Leader of the Year award from the Automotive Hall of Fame
.. In 2009, Mr. Jackson was named one of the “Fifty Visionary Dealers” of all time by Automotive News. He was named Automotive Hall of Fame Industry Leader of the Year for 2003. Closer to home, Mr. Jackson was honored in 2006 with the Excalibur Award, which is given annually to South Florida business Leader of the Year by the Sun-Sentinel newspaper. It was also in 2006 that South Florida’s CEO Magazine named Mr. Jackson CEO of the Year.And he is also the first recipient of the Sports Illustrated All-Star Dealer Award. Add to that his recognition as six-time member of the Automotive News “Dream Team” of automotive executives and his four-time placement in Advertising Age's “Marketing 100,” and it’s clear that he has earned the respect of those in position to judge genuine automotive excellence. Mike Jackson has also received an honorary doctorate from the Livingstone College. In 2010 he was inducted into the Wayne Huizenga School of Business Entrepreneur Hall of Fame and in the same year AutoNation received “The Good to Great Award” by the Miami Chamber. He is active in a number of local civic and philanthropic interests, and he serves today as the chair of The Museum of Art of Fort Lauderdale.
In addition to these honors, he is widely sought after as a speaker and media personality for his thoughts on the auto industry in specific and the broader economy in general. Of particular interest is the bold position he has taken as an advocate for the creation of a more effective energy policy, his recommendation that we consider a national tax on gasoline to fund research and curb excessive consumption, as well as his stance as a champion of fuel-efficient vehicles, hybrids and electric cars. He has spoken recently to the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, the William J. Clinton School of Public Policy, the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, the North American International Powertrain Conference, and the NADA OESA conference. Mr. Jackson is also a contributor to CNBC and Bloomberg T.V. Mike Jackson has joined the social media community. Mike shares his expertise and engages in discussions as @CEOMikeJackson on Twitter and on Facebook.
In 2011, additional recognition of his expertise in strategic economics and applied management came in the form of an appointment to the Board of Directors to the Federal Reserve Bank
Miami Branch of the of Atlanta as well as being named “Business Leader of the Year” by Florida Atlantic University
and Entrepreneur of the Year” award by Ernst & Young
. Fortune Magazine
editors named Mr. Jackson as one of the most influential fifty "Business Persons" of the year, highlighting the superior internal fundamentals and growth of the company he runs, as well as his influence over the U.S. auto industry as a whole.