40 Under 40: Vince McNeal
Vince McNeal got his first job in the business of selling cars at an age most folks are just getting familiar with driving them. And his passion for the automobile dates back to childhood.
Now 36, McNeal is the executive sales director at ADESA, a company he has called home for more than a decade.
“My career progression through the industry has allowed me to see and take a broader view of the business as a whole. I started working for a neighbor who owned a car dealership when I was 16, and I put myself through college by working at that dealership,” McNeal said.
“I’ve held various positions at ADESA for 11 years now, at both the auction level and in a corporate setting. In that time, I’ve built and maintained relationships with people at all levels and in all areas of the industry, and I value those relationships much more than any success I’ve had,” he said.
McNeal loved cars from an early age, even before he got a job in the business.
“My love for automobiles drew me to the auction business, starting when I was just a kid. My mom used to point out rare or unique cars as we would drive down the road, and she would ask me to name the make and model,” he said. “I worked at a dealership as a teen and while I was in college, and I’ve been with ADESA since shortly after graduation.
“I enjoy playing a role, however small, in the overall lifecycle of a vehicle, and I enjoy working with so many other people who love cars the way I do.”
One of the folks McNeal works with is Jim Hallett, the chief executive officer of ADESA parent company KAR Auction Services.
“I really admire people who have come from modest backgrounds and built something. Jim Hallett comes to mind. He had the perseverance to create something from nothing,” McNeal said. “He had the vision and the passion to build a company and to build a team. To me, he’s a pretty impressive fellow, certainly somebody I look up to.”
Vince McNeal, 36, is the executive sales director at ADESA.