Louis Cello
Born in St. Louis, Mo. in 1965, Louis Cella graduated from St. Louis Country Day School in 1983. He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Washington and Lee University in 1987. He earned a law degree in 1990 from the University of Arkansas School of Law. In 1989, he began working in his family’s businesses, Southwestern Enterprises, Inc. and Oaklawn.
Over the years, he has held many positions within the companies as well as in the St. Louis community, including: Chairman of the Board/President of Oaklawn and Southwestern Enterprises, Inc.; Chairman of the Board/Director of The Muny (St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre); Chairman of the Board/Director of Arkansas Cancer Research Center, now known as the Winthrop Rockefeller Cancer Institute; Director of Myeloma Institute; Management Committee, Equibase Company; Director of Thoroughbred Racing Association; Director of Thoroughbred Racing and Protective Bureau; Director of National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame; Member and Steward of The Jockey Club; Director of Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation; and Director of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
Cella is the fourth generation of his family to head Oaklawn Jockey Club, Inc., which was founded in 1904. Cella was inducted into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame in early 2022, and was named the 2020 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sportsman of the Year for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was able to safely continue live racing while most of the country’s racing industry shut down. Cella was also named Arkansas Press Association 2019 Headliner of the Year.
His contributions to Arkansas Tourism can be seen in his management of Oaklawn, one of the largest tourism attractions in the state with more than three million visitors each year. In addition to the annual direct taxes of more than $40 million to the state, city and county, the creation of the Oaklawn Foundation in 2006, an independent foundation benefiting health and education programs in the community, has given more than $14 million since its inception. Oaklawn has evolved into a true destination resort. Guests visit Oaklawn from throughout the United States to experience the best Thoroughbred horse racing in North America, and to enjoy a Forbes recommended hotel, first-class entertainment, gaming, Astral Spa, Arkansas’ only Forbes 4 star spa, and numerous restaurants and bars.
Cella’s hobbies include fishing, golf and hunting. He and his wife Rochelle live in Ladue, Mo. and have two grown children and two granddaughters.