Women's group salutes Pat Moran

Women should "reach out for leadership positions in the automotive industry... and not fear the challenge of succeeding in what was once a man's world."

So says Pat Moran, president and CEO of JM Family Enterprises, as she accepts the "Spirit of Leadership" award from the Women's Automotive Association International at the 2000 NADA convention.

Ms. Moran is the daughter of legendary auto dealer Jim Moran, founder of the largest private Toyota distributorship in the world.

During her 10-year reign as CEO, Ms. Moran established the largest-volume Lexus dealership, JM Lexus, of Margate, FL, as well as over-seeing Southeast Toyota Distributors and the finance and insurance organizations World Omni and JM&A for all brands of retail outlets.

JM Family Enterprises revenues tripled from 1989 to 1999 to nearly $7 billion. JM Family's headquarters campus is in Deerfield Beach, FL.

Ms. Moran declares, "The most important duty that we as support staff have is to be constantly listening to what our dealers in the field have to say and to act on that input."

Association Executive Director Lorraine Schultz notes that this year also marks election of the first woman chairman of a national dealer trade association, Barbara K. Vidmar, of Pueblo, CO, who is the new chairwoman of the American Import Auto Dealers Association.