If there ever was a sign that Jack Neshe is tailor-made for the auction business, it’s this.

When he was working at a franchised dealership in the Boston area during the 1980s, his day off each week was Friday. With a day free from the car business, what did he do during his time off?

He checked out the local auction just for fun.

Interestingly enough, it was this very place — Concord Auto Auction, now known as ADESA Boston — that brought Neshe into the auction business in 1990, and he’s called it home ever since.

And now — more than 23 years after entering auction life — Neshe will serve as president of the international group representing more than 300 auctions from Alabama to Australia.

Part of the festivities tonight at the National Auto Auction Association Convention will be the Passing of the Presidential Title and Gavel to Neshe, NAAA’s 2014 president.

Neshe says it’s working with dealers and customers and the day-to-day life of the auction that he loves the most about the business. But it was the initial excitement of attending sale day that led him to jump right into the industry.

Neshe met Tom Caruso, then the general manager of Concord AA and now the chief executive officer of ADESA, through a mutual friend. The auction was looking for a mechanic shop manager, and Neshe fit the bill.

He then joined the staff at Concord on New Year’s Day 1990.

“I saw the excitement, so when the opportunity arose, it was something I couldn’t pass up,” Neshe said.

The auction was purchased by ADESA two years later and has been known as ADESA Boston ever since.

After working as the mechanic shop manager for a few years, Neshe went on to serve in a variety of roles for the auction, including operations manager and auction manager. He has been the general manger of ADESA Boston since 2007.

In more than two decades of auction leadership, Neshe counts working with dealers and customers as the most rewarding part of the business. He appreciates how the remarketing business is such a close-knit group.

“It’s amazing how many people start out being dealers and customers, and they end up being friends,” he said.

As one might expect, even when Neshe is not at the auction, he still likes being around cars.

In fact, he has a classic car collection that includes a 1963 Ford Falcon convertible and a 1973 Chevrolet Corvette convertible. He’s also a fan of Harley-Davidsons, and enjoys attending classic car shows.

His companion at these shows and motorcycle runs is often his high-school sweetheart and wife of 27 years, Cindy.

Speaking of family, Neshe’s brother Richard and their parents, John and Joan, live across the street from him in the Boston suburbs. And it’s the same house in which Neshe grew up, as Richard bought the house from his parents. Stephen, Neshe’s other brother, lives just 10 minutes away.

Neshe says that the community is very important to him — and perhaps that’s why he has been so involved in lending a hand to the greater Boston area.

For the past 13 years, Neshe has been instrumental in the annual ADESA Boston Classic Car and Motorcycle Run, which has raised half-a-million dollars for charities over the years. Cindy has also been by his side at this event as well, offering support and helping with fundraising.

Its beneficiaries have included such causes as Boston Children’s Hospital, Northern New England Down Syndrome Congress, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Autism Speaks.

This spring’s event raised money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. It included more than 80 motorcycles and 60 classic cars on a 30-mile Massachusetts trek.

Interestingly enough, the idea for the run came from a 2001 conversation between Caruso and Neshe — two Boston natives looking to help their beloved city.

“One day I was talking motorcycles; Tommy was talking classic cars, and the idea just clicked,” Neshe said in a 2012 story about the event. “Today, this event, and the amount we’ve been able to donate to a variety of children’s charities, have both grown substantially throughout the years.”

Serving the auction industry at large is also something very important to Neshe. He said working with 2012 NAAA president Paul Lips and 2011 president Charlotte Pyle over the past two years in the association’s top leadership rung has “been a great experience.” Specifically, in his term as president, Neshe hopes to continue building and expanding upon what they have started when it comes to auction standards training.

He said NAAA is committed to this training when it comes to online condition reports — which, of course, can help foster confidence among dealers to buy via online auctions.

He would also like to increase awareness among dealers about NAAA being a resource for them, too — not just an auction resource.

Additionally, Neshe wants to keep the ball rolling with NAAA’s involvement in Washington, D.C. Specifically, he wants the momentum that started with the NAAA Day on the Hill to continue.

It’s important, he says, for the association to “stay in tune with what’s introduced” by legislators that could impact the auction industry.

Keeping tabs on such issues is nothing new to Neshe. He became involved in NAAA leadership nine years ago and serves on the Legislative Committee and chairs the Political Action Committee. Neshe is also on the Membership Committee, and has been involved with leadership of NAAA’s Eastern Chapter.

And now, he’s stepping into his biggest role yet.

Joe Overby can be reached at joverby@autoremarketing.com. Continue the conversation with Auto Remarketing on both LinkedIn and Twitter.