Jason Church, COO

Born in Africa, in Harare Zimbabwe, our family then moved to South Africa. I was excited to get the opportunity to live in many places in South Africa, from the Karroo dessert to East London, then Cape Town and lastly Johannesburg. There is nothing like growing up in so many fantastic places to help one grow and explore. Here also I acquired my love to South African Rugby, traditional Braai’s (BBQ’s), and Biltong (African version of Jerky).

I then completed my studies at the University of Cape Town with a Bachelor of Business Science Majoring in Marketing. I was privileged to have the opportunity to join Procter & Gamble out of university, and in the next years did everything from managing the National Sales team, launching products in Pharmacy channel, creating new to the market stock monitoring systems, and mastered the P&G playbook.

It was in South Africa I meet my wife Jennifer, an American working in advertising with our company. We ended up getting married and then moved to the UK where I continued to work for P&G. Leading Global Key accounts for P&G’s Commercial Cleaning division and then moving on to the Tesco account. Here in the UK our first two children were born. At this time, 2007, the Family business across the pond asked me to join what was then the Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix and San Diego. We packed up and arrived just in time for the 2008 recession.

Since then, I have loved every minute of learning the car business. We welcomed our 3rd child in 2009. I have completed many roles in the dealership, bringing the P&G experience of marketing and data-based decision making to help us thrive in internet marketing, used and new car sales. This included growing our business with a new Volvo point in 2017. This store quickly grew to market leader in the state and a two-time Excellence Award winner. I was privileged enough to be voted on to the Retail Advisory Board for Volvo, and for the last 4 years have worked hard to represent the dealers and am currently President of the RAB.

Since Courtesy Volvo, we have continued to grow our Courtesy business, 2019 we added Courtesy CDR and Courtesy Jeep, 2020 Courtesy Kia, 2022 Polestar Scottsdale, 2023 Courtesy Nissan. We are proud to grow our business to reach the top 150 dealer groups of the US (2025 Automotive News). But more importantly driving our Courtesy Way culture with our fantastic staff that continue to deliver amazing service to our customers. I am proud to be part of the Courtesy family, celebrating the 70th anniversary in 2025. I look forward to the business continued growth, with more brands joining the Courtesy Automotive Group.

Dewayne Vaught, CFO

Jay Schmidtke, VP of Sales

Jay D. Schmidtke brings nearly three decades of automotive leadership experience to his role as Vice President of Operations at Courtesy Automotive Group. Born in Chicago and raised in Scottsdale since 1979, Jay’s connection to the Arizona automotive landscape runs deep—one of his earliest memories includes driving past the iconic Courtesy Arrow, a symbol that would later define a significant chapter in his career.

After graduating from Arizona State University in 1995, Jay began his automotive journey in 1996 as a sales consultant at ABC Nissan. With a relentless commitment to excellence and a passion for developing people, he quickly rose through the ranks to assistant manager and director of new and used vehicle sales. In 2002, Jay relocated to Orange County, California, where he joined AutoNation as a Finance Director, before returning to Arizona in 2005 to continue his advancement within the organization.

In 2008, Jay earned his first General Manager role—a milestone that solidified his reputation as a performance-driven leader with a talent for building high-performing teams and cultivating future leaders. His long-standing relationships and values-aligned leadership caught the attention of the Gruwell family, who recruited him to Courtesy Automotive Group to help drive the next phase of growth.

In 2021, Jay was appointed General Manager of Courtesy Chevrolet Phoenix by Dealer Principal Scott Gruwell. Under Jay’s leadership, the dealership achieved Chevrolet Dealer of the Year honors four years in a row—a testament to operational excellence, employee development, and customer-first performance. In recognition of his strategic contributions and track record of results, Jay was promoted to Vice President of Variable Operations, where he now leads the group’s multi-franchise expansion strategy with a vision to grow to at least 10 rooftops by 2030.

A strong advocate of internal promotion and culture-driven leadership, Jay continues to build the Courtesy legacy by empowering others, honoring the company’s family-based values, and executing with discipline, integrity, and long-term foresight.

David Neely, VP of Fixed Operations

David Neely brings more than 45 years of automotive experience to his role as Vice President of Fixed Operations at Courtesy Automotive. Starting his career in February 1978 as a lot attendant, David advanced through roles in shipping and receiving, parts, and service before becoming fixed operations director, corporate fixed ops director, and now VP of Fixed Operations.

In 1996, he made a key leap from Service Manager to Fixed Operations Director, overseeing 11 dealerships. Over his career, he has worked with eight dealer groups across Phoenix, Tucson, and Monterey. Since joining Courtesy Automotive in 2017, David has led all parts, service, body shop, collision repair, and maintenance facilities.

David has been married for 41 years and is the proud father of one son. His extensive experience and leadership continue to strengthen Courtesy Automotive’s fixed operations.