Tweet or Complete: America’s Car Museum 2014 Nicola Bulgari Award Winner Is McKeel Hagerty

Tweet: America’s Car Museum 2014 Nicola Bulgari Award Winner McKeel Hagerty, Honor recognizes individuals dedicated to preserving America’s automotive heritage

Complete: TACOMA, Wash. (June 9, 2014) – LeMay – America’s Car Museum (ACM) presented its “Nicola Bulgari Award” to McKeel Hagerty, president and CEO of Hagerty, which offers insurance and valuation tools for classic vehicles. The ceremony was conducted Saturday evening at the Wheels & Heels Annual Gala celebrating the second-year anniversary of the Tacoma, Wash.-based museum.

The award, named after jewelry magnate and classic car collector Nicola Bulgari, is annually given to individuals who make outstanding contributions to preserve America’s automotive heritage through education, car restoration and collecting classic cars. Past recipients include Dr. Frederick Simeone, founder of the Simeone automotive Museum, and Edward Welburn, vice president of global design for General Motors.

“McKeel has been one of the most progressive and innovative leaders in the automotive industry,” said David Madeira, president and CEO of ACM, the largest automobile museum in North America. “He has demonstrated a deep commitment to the preservation of America’s car history, founding the Historic Vehicle Association and supporting educational institutions and shop programs that are dedicated to the future of classic cars.”

Hagerty took over the family business in 1995 and has grown the company from 30 employees to more than 500. He created the Collectors Foundation, which has awarded $2.75 million in scholarships and grants to prepare young adults for careers in automotive preservation and restoration. It was renamed the Hagerty Education Program after partnering with America’s Car Museum in January 2014, and Hagerty has committed another $1.75 million to support collector vehicle education.

“I have been fortunate to build much of my life around my love of cars,” said Hagerty, who serves on ACM’s board of directors. “They embody so much: freedom, beauty, technology and culture.However, personal transportation will look very different to future generations as autonomous cars and other technologies take the automobile from an object of desire to a mobility appliance. We must be more disciplined in protecting our automotive treasures so they can be celebrated and enjoyed by future generations.”

ACM, a four-level, 165,000 sq. ft. attraction in the Pacific Northwest, hosted more than 300 Museum supporters at the anniversary gala on June 7. Titled “CARnivale!,” the Rio-themed gala/dinner, which included live music and auctions, raised more than $425,000 to benefit the Museum.

About LeMay – America’s Car Museum (www.lemaymuseum.org)

LeMay – America’s Car Museum, which opened June 2, 2012 in downtown Tacoma, Wash., explores how the automobile has fulfilled a distinctive role at the core of the American experience and shaped our society. The spacious Museum with rotating exhibits is designed to be the centerpiece for automotive history as well as an educational center and library. The campus, located adjacent to the Tacoma Dome, also contains a 3.5-acre show field, theatre, caf�, banquet hall and meeting facilities. To get information on Museum hours, becoming an ACM member, volunteer opportunities or to make a donation, visit www.lemaymuseum.org.