Long before JM Family Enterprises, Inc. was recognized as a world leader in the automotive business, Jim Moran had already made a significant impact in the industry and in the South Florida community. With a career that spanned more than six decades, Jim was truly an automotive pioneer. Before his passing on April 24, 2007, Jim's lifetime achievements were recognized by his 1996 Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Award and his 2005 induction into the Automotive Hall of Fame, the single greatest honor in the international motor vehicle industry.
Born on August 8, 1918, Jim's career started as a young man who had very little money, but he made up for it with a lot of hard work and a strong desire to succeed. In 1939, after saving every penny he could, he put together $360 to purchase a Sinclair gas station that soon became the largest volume outlet in Chicago. After serving his country in World War II, Jim returned to Chicago and sold his first car - a used 1936 Ford Coupe - for $275 that he had reconditioned himself. A whole new world opened up for him that day.