Barron Meade

A Detroit area native, and long-time auto industry insider, Barron was born and raised in the automotive industry. He has invested in and operated award-winning auto dealerships including Meade Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Meade Lexus of Southfield/Lakeside, Toyota of Bristol and Summerville Ford. The Meade family opened one of the very first Lexus dealerships in the country. Recently, Barron’s industry credibility and civic involvement, culminated in his appointment as President of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association and Chairman of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), one of the most attended and prestigious auto shows in the world, and one of the largest media events in North America. In gratitude for his years of outstanding service, Barron was named Chairman Emeritus of the NAIAS.

Barron founded Next Up Consulting, LLC in 2012 to stay engaged, invest and advise some of the industry’s most forward thinking companies. Next Up has worked with several tech start-ups like 3 Birds Marketing, Mobiliti, Unison, Speed Shift Media, Gavel/Whips and CarNow. He has helped industry icons like JD Power, Jackson Dawson, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus stay one step ahead. He is an entrepreneur and advisor to the automotive industry and considered a subject matter expert (SME) in digital, social, retail operations and customer experience for the auto industry.

Barron received his BSBA in Finance from the University of Denver. Additionally, Barron is a graduate of the NADA Dealer Candidate Academy, Disney Management Institute and Four Seasons Hospitality. He now resides in Miami Beach, Fl with his 18 year old son Andrew.