My Turn: A conversation about life and work
The Star-Ledger - April 17, 2008
The Star-Ledger Archive COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2008
Date: 2008/04/17 Thursday Page: 065 Section: BUSINESS Edition: FINAL Size: 1298 words
Max Spann Sr. | Although real estate is auctioneer's business, cows are his calling
By SAM ALI STAR-LEDGER STAFF
A lot of people think Jersey cows are homegrown New Jersey natives.
But a chat with Max Spann Sr., the 80-year-old chairman of Max Spann Real Estate and Auction, quickly clears up that misconception. Truth is, these golden-brown cows, with their large, deer-like eyes, hail from the Isle of Jersey, a small British island in the English Channel, off the coast of France.
Once the largest Jersey cattle importer and auctioneer in the world, the Spann family was synonymous with prize-winning cows. But in 1978, Spann decided to apply his livestock auctioneering skills to the real estate world.
Today, his son, Max Spann Jr., is continuing that legacy as president of the Clinton-based auction house that oversees real estate auctions in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
Spann Sr. sat down with The Star-Ledger's Sam Ali recently to talk about cattle auctions, real estate auctions and his true love: the gentle Jersey cow.