Who We Are.....

Alexis Jacobs

Alexis' ability to work with others, both customers and employees, accounts for the tremendous success the auction has had. Her style of empowering managers and rewarding individual initiative and responsibility have helped advance the principles her father established years ago.

Perhaps, Alexis' greatest accomplishment is having had the persistence and perseverance to take a small "Mom & Pop" operation, build upon its strengths, and move it forward into the 21st century. This accomplishment reflects a lifetime of effort which has been personally and professionally satisfying and confirms the business philosophy which she shared with her late father -- that service and fairness is everything in business.

Alexis has demonstrated a strong commitment to the various trade associations within the automotive industry. She has been a supporter of both New and Used Car Dealer associations, and has been actively involved in the National Auto Auction Association(NAAA). Her involvement with the NAAA spans forty years, and shows strong support for the associations' efforts to enhance member services and legislative initiatives that benefit the automotive industry. Alexis' service to the NAAA included five years as chair of the Legislative Committee and culminated with her election as President of the Association in 1996.

Being a strong believer that an individual should give back to the community, Alexis is also actively involved in a number of local civic and charitable organizations. She is an active participant in Charity Newsies functions, a member of the Ohio State University Foundation Board, and a past member of the Board of Directors of the Salesian Boys and Girls Club, having also chaired its fundraising committee. Alexis personally sponsors two athletic scholarships for The Ohio State University (one each for men and women), and has been involved in the Dave Thomas Adoption Foundation's Wendy's 3 Tour Challenge.

The efforts of Alexis have not gone unnoticed. Alexis was the recipient of the Columbus Automobile Dealers Association's 1996 Automotive Achievement Award, and in 1998 was inducted to the National Independent Automobile Dealers Associations' "Ring of Honor". The auction has also received its share of recognition, being a finalist for the 1995 Ernst & Young, Inc. Magazine Central Ohio "Entrepreneur of the Year" award, and has been ranked as one of the top 500 Women Owned Businesses by Working Woman Magazine, in both 1999 and 2000.

Keith Whann

Keith’s involvement with Columbus Fair started over 23 years ago! He began as outside counsel for the auction and as CFAA has grown over the years, so have Keith’s responsibilities with the auction.  In 2005, as part of Alexis’ vision of the future, Keith was made the CEO and General Counsel.  And, in developing her succession plan, welcomed Keith and Denny as partners.

Keith, the founder of the law firm Whann & Associates LLC, located in Dublin, Ohio, has become a leading national authority on motor vehicle and consumer protection issues. He has conducted hundreds of seminars across the country and appeared as a featured speaker on a wide variety of topics affecting the industry. He has spoken at conventions and meetings for over 50 national and state motor vehicle industry related trade associations and regulatory agencies dealing with complex automobile industry issues. Many of Keith's presentations have been filmed and broadcast on the NIADA.TV and Automotive Consumer Television Networks, including the 2005 and 2006 National Dealer Compliance and Profitability Expos which Keith developed and moderated and took place ‘out in the lanes’ here at the auction.   His Q&A program, Ask the Car Counselor, continues to be a dealer and consumer favorite and is featured on the CBS News powered DFWvehicles.com and the Used Car Dealer Magazine. He has also developed numerous training and compliance programs for the motor vehicle industry. He has developed a series of tools and resource materials to assist motor vehicle dealers with business, legal and compliance matters which may be found on his website, KeithWhann.com.

Keith has authored numerous articles which have been published in trade journals including Used Car Dealer Magazine, World of Special Finance Magazine, Ward's Dealer Business and Used Car News, to name a few. His monthly columns discussing compliance issues and providing legal updates to the industry appear in publications across the country.For Keith’s efforts and contributions to the industry, he was inducted into the National Independent Auto Dealer’s Associations’ “Ring of Honor” in 2002 and in 2003, was the recipient of the Columbus Auto Dealers Association’s Automotive Achievement Award.

In addition to his role as CEO and General Counsel for Columbus Fair, and as The Car Counselor to the motor vehicle industry, Keith serves as General Counsel for the NIADA (a position he has held since 1996), and is the Compliance Officer for Finance Express.

Denny Heller

Denny Heller is a veteran in the automotive industry, beginning his automotive career in 1972. Prior to joining the staff of Columbus Fair Auto Auction in 1992, Denny spent 17 years as General Manager of a large, single point Ford Dealership. In 1996, Denny was promoted to General Sales Manager, in 2005 he was again promoted to Vice President of Sales and Operations, and now COO, the position he currently holds.

Denny oversees the sales and all functions of the auction. His many years of experience on the retail side of this business enable him to better understand the needs of the auction as customers. Knowing the vital role the auction plays in the average dealer's life, Denny stresses to his staff on a daily basis the importance of not only meeting, but also exceeding the customers' needs.

The focus of Denny and his staff are not just on the auctioning of cars, however, today it also includes reconditioning and body shop services. While the challenges of promoting a growing business in a rapidly changing industry can become complex, Denny keeps things simple. Attracting new business, while at the same time delivering first-class service to existing customers... that's what it's all about.