SPRINGFIELD, Mich. — When you ask a car guy, why he collects cars, the answer is generally because of a dedication to a certain brand or a memory that the car triggers.
For Jeff Begg, it was the love of engineering. Growing up in Michigan with the “Big Three” car manufacturers close by, there was always a car event or race in the area. Begg had many memories of fixing cars to race them later that night or just cruising. It was all this automotive activity that triggered his love of engineering and led to his creating what is now known as the JAB Collection.
Begg went to college for engineering and then went to work for Parker Hannifin as an engineer in the company’s hydraulics division. In 1976, he left and started his own business in the basement of his dad’s veterinary clinic.
His first product was a basic wooden battery box for Clark Forklifts. Begg loved British motorcycles. He would say, “Anyone can have an Indian, but a British bike is special.”
He saw them as engineering marvels and in-turn honored his love of British and unique bikes by naming his companies after them. Marshall Excelsior Company, was the name of his first company, after Excelsior Henderson motorcycles. The company grew forcing him to move out of the basement into a Quonset building next to the in Marshall, Mich.
Pictures, video and an inventory list of the JAB Collection are available from www.vanderbrinkauctions.com, or by calling 605-201-7005. Everything will be sold on June 15.
Begg began producing propane fittings and valves. The Quonset building was a good starting point, but wasn’t the best or prettiest location. Begg was often at odds with the city of Marshall, which owned the building. They saw it as an eyesore and wanted it gone.
Eventually, the city evicted him and in exchange sold him a lot in a nearby industrial park for $1.
In 1999, he built a new building for his business on that same lot.
Begg wasn’t one to draw attention to himself, but through some unusual twists he became known as John Begg, which was his younger brother’s name, in the propane world. He would be at trade shows and his girlfriend would call him Jeff and nobody would know who that was.
Not only did he get a kick out that, he was able to keep some anonymity. It wasn’t till he sold the business in 2017, that he told his brother about the charade.
As the business grew, he acquired more product lines and businesses to better serve his customers. If you ever used a propane tank, one of his fittings, valves or regulators was probably on it. He acquired part of Lincoln Brass Works and named this company after another British Motorcycle — Matchless Valve Company.
Begg was extremely competitive and wanted always to be on the cutting edge. He found out a competing business in town had developed a machine to make similar fittings cheaper. Not backing down or settling for second place, he grabbed one of his engineers and marched into their plant and started taking notes until they were shown the door by security.
If you met Begg on the street, you’d have never known he was a hugely successful business man. Most of the time, he was in tattered or stained clothes driving an old Cadillac. He constantly surrounded himself with books and education.
His mind was going 50 different directions all the time. He had a daughter, Megan, and to be better at “girl time,” he would read gossip mags and learn what she liked. If she liked a particular film, he would learn about it and take her to see it. She was the love of his life and enjoyed spending time with her.
It was crazy, this rough around the edges man would bring her the perfect dress and know everything about it. He was excited to learn he was going to be a grandpa, but sadly died a month before the birth.
Begg lost his wife, Barbara, in 2003. She was an enthusiastic eBay buyer, so he had to close out her affairs. Little did he know that process would start a new love — the thrill of being the “winning bidder.”