Macy Klipfel was a little concerned about what would happen to her neighborhood when Jason Willis moved in next door.

“I wondered if as a result of his last name, Jason would be an entitled, pompous, spoiled person who would be difficult to live next to and have no time for us ‘common folk.’ Boy, was I wrong,” said Klipfel, vice president of human resources for General Growth Properties Inc.

Just to make sure they were still neighbors, the Business Record checked in with Klipfel after she sent a letter of support for Willis as a Forty Under 40 honoree.

“Yes, thankfully,” she said.

No doubt about it, the Willis name is well-known in Greater Des Moines, possibly as much for the family’s philanthropy as for its success selling automobiles.

Jason Willis is carrying on the tradition on both counts.

He didn’t start out to be a car salesman. Willis’ first desire was to be a pediatrician, and he went to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., as a pre-med student. While there, he decided that maybe he should stick with the automobile business.

Willis said his parents set the example for community involvement, especially in organizations related to children and health care.

“We really stay focused on children’s health organizations, the caring for children and making it a little safer for them,” he said.

“We” includes Willis’ wife, Lori.

“She does a lot of work in the background. … We’re always working on a project somewhere; we’re always helping each other out,” he said.

Still, you can’t ignore that car connection. Willis’ parents met at Betts Cadillac. His grandfather kicked the whole thing into gear on the East Coast.

When Willis was doing study-abroad trips in Australia, he wound up working for a then-25-year-old car salesman who operated dealerships for several lines of automobiles, including Volvos.

Whatever the background, Willis makes a great neighbor, “the first to mow or snow blow for anyone who he feels may need the assistance,” Klipfel said.

Reasons he’s a forty:

• He founded the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s “Moes for Joes” event that has raised $65,000 since 2010.
• He’s a member of the founding committee of Crush Colon Cancer of Iowa, which has raised $125,000 since 2009.
• He serves as an auctioneer for a variety of Greater Des Moines fundraising events, including the American Heart Association’s Heart Ball and the Blank’s Children Hospital Festival of Trees & Lights.
• “With a demanding career, along with his charitable work, he is still one of the most hands-on, involved parents I know,” neighbor Marcy Klipfel.