From the Publisher

Priceless Advice from Peers

Business community owes Jim Moran a debt of gratitude

In the 1930s, a great entrepreneur was taking his first steps in a remarkable journey to success. He sold sodas at baseball games and eventually saved enough money to buy a Sinclair gas station — for $360.

Jim Moran was in the right place at the right time. The auto industry was taking off, and Moran worked hard in making his business the highestvolume seller of gasoline in Chicago.

Moran, meanwhile, had a lot of gas in his tank. He went on to establish the world’s largest Hudson Ford dealership. His success in the car business led Toyota to approach him in 1968, and Moran brought about Southeast Toyota.

Today, Moran’s highly successful JM Family Enterprises employs more than 5,000 people and is one of the largest and most diversified companies in the auto industry. Its principal operations are vehicle distribution and processing, finance and insurance, and retail vehicle sales. Its interests also include home improvement specialty franchises.

The Chicago-born Moran has been a great friend to Tallahassee. He and his wife Jan donated $100 million, the largest gift in Florida State University’s history, to establish the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship. Flourishing in a building in downtown Tallahassee, the institute furnishes today’s budding entrepreneurs with valuable lessons as they start their own journeys to success.

I have had the privilege of being a founding member of the Tallahassee CEO Peer2Peer Group, which is an extension of the Jim Moran Institute. An initial group of 10 entrepreneurs was assembled based on characteristics of their businesses, such as annual sales and number of employees.

Now, admission to the groups — several now exist in Tallahassee — is by invitation. Confidentiality agreements are signed, and regular attendance is expected. The group gets together monthly for a 90-minute lunch meeting guided by a facilitator from the Jim Moran Institute.

The members, representing businesses of a similar size, relate well to one another’s challenges. At each meeting, a couple of members raise a hand and describe a difficulty or concern they are experiencing. Other members then speak to how they handled a similar situation at their business. The hand-raisers can then apply those experiences as they see fit to their own circumstances.

I am in my third decade as a member of the CEO Peer2Peer Group. It is one of the best investments of time I have ever made. The lessons I have learned from others have been invaluable.

Thanks to Jan and Jim Moran, I am a better entrepreneur, leader and publisher. They have made a great difference in my life and that of FSU, Tallahassee and the state of Florida.

Be well,

Brian Rowland

browland@rowlandpublishing.com

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PINNACLE RECAP

Ninth annual Pinnacle Awards event recognizes 12 remarkable women in business

Friends, family, co-workers and sponsors gathered in October at the The Dunlap Champions Club at The Florida State University for the ninth annual Pinnacle Awards ceremony, held to celebrate honorees for their outstanding professional accomplishments and their contributions to community. After two years of virtual and hybrid events, the welcome return to a fully in-person banquet made it possible for attendees to greet old friends and make new connections. To read the recap and view the full program, visit 850BusinessMagazine.com/pinnacle-awards-2022-recap.

CUSTOM SOFTWARE PROJECT SOLVES INVENTORY CONTROL ISSUES

FOR SOUTHERN VACATION RENTALS

Southern Vacation Rentals, a family-owned business in Destin, wanted to better manage and track their linen inventory while making the entire process run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Enter the Bit-Wizards Software Engineering team. The partnership proved to be fruitful, elevating Southern Vacation Rentals’ operational control and adding to Bit-Wizard’s robust portfolio.

850BusinessMagazine.com/bit-wizards-helps-southern-vacation-rentals

NORTHWEST FLORIDA ECONOMIC SUMMIT RECAP

Building on the success of the Milcon and Air Force Contracting Summits held by the U.S. Defense Leadership Forum (DLF) in recent years, the Northwest Florida Leadership Forum presented its first Northwest Florida Economic Summit in October at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center. 850BusinessMagazine.com/northwest-florida-economic-summit

EXCLUSIVE LOCAL HEROES HONORED

The Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce directed a communitywide celebration honoring the 75th anniversary of the Air Force. The event, held in September, recognized the significant historical contributions to national defense made by Eglin, Duke and Hurlburt Field personnel. 850BusinessMagazine.com/ local-heroes-honored

SETTING IT STRAIGHT

A story that appeared in 850 Business Magazine’s Innovation & Technology issue for 2022 contained errors. Dr. Brett Edington’s name was misspelled. Bob Holton, not Dr. Alan Marshall, worked on synthesizing paclitaxel (taxol). Marshall was named to the Florida Academy of Inventors in 2016 for his work in mass spectrometry.

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