TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - In 1979, Florida State University College of Business graduate Bob Moore (BUS ’72) answered a blind job ad in his local newspaper’s classifieds and, as they say, the rest is history.

The employer turned out to be JM Family Enterprises, which Moore had never heard of, and he was hired as assistant controller in the vehicle processing production arm of Southeast Toyota Distributors (SET). The owner of the business was automotive legend Jim Moran. For Moore, now retired as a vice president of SET, joining the company was one of the best decisions he’d ever made.

Moore decided to honor the late Moran – the man he and so many others affectionately called “The Boss”—and commemorate what would have been his 100th birthday on Aug. 8. He and his wife, Vicky, recently pledged $100,000 to the college’s Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship. 

“That man did more for me than I can ever describe,” said Moore, a Jim Moran Institute Fellow. “I never saw a kinder, more humble or more generous human being. He provided benefits to all of us at JM Family Enterprises that most other companies don’t do. He made a difference in so many lives – from his associates, to students, to entrepreneurs, to at-risk kids and numerous others. This is Vicky’s and my way of saying ‘Thank you, Boss.’”

The Moores’ gift creates the Robert A. and Vicky G. Moore Fund designed to support the Jim Moran Institute’s Alumnus Program and encourage graduates of the Jacksonville operation’s Small Business Executive Program to stay connected with each other and the Jim Moran Institute. One way of accomplishing that goal is through an annual alumni event and the installation of an alumni wall, which will display names of past participants and incorporate a timeline of Moran’s life.

In 1995, Moran and his wife, Jan Moran, and JM Family Enterprises established the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at the College of Business to cultivate, train and inspire entrepreneurial leaders through executive education, applied training, public recognition and leading-edge research. Since then, further enhancements to the Jim Moran Institute and its outreach have been made possible by Jan Moran and The Jim Moran Foundation.

Before joining JM Family Enterprises, Moore spent the early part of his career in finance. Vicky, also a 1972 graduate who earned her degree from the FSU College of Education, taught in Jacksonville schools.

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Moore has been a leader in business and community development in his hometown, and is a former member of the boards of directors for the University of North Florida School of Business, the Jacksonville Zoo, the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. In addition to serving as a Jim Moran Fellow, he is a 20-year member of the board of directors of the Youth Automotive Training Center for at-risk kids, founded in 1984 by Jim Moran.  

“We are grateful to Bob and Vicky Moore for their gift that allows us to further carry out our mission of ensuring executives in Jacksonville receive the most cutting-edge continuing education,” said Michael Campbell, director of North Florida Operations for the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship. “We are thrilled to be the recipient of this very generous gift that honors our founder, Jim Moran.”

--By Barbara Ash

About the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship
The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship cultivates, trains and inspires entrepreneurial leaders through world-class executive education, applied training, public recognition and leading-edge research. Jim Moran was an automotive pioneer and an entrepreneur at heart, who at the age of 7, sold soda pop at sandlot baseball games in Chicago. With a career that spanned more than six decades, he built an amazing chronicle of achievements in the automobile industry. His vision for the Jim Moran Institute was to provide opportunities that would help others become more successful business owners. A 1995 contribution from Jim and Jan Moran and JM Family Enterprises established the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at the Florida State University College of Business. Since 2011, further enhancements to the Jim Moran Institute and its outreach have been made possible by Jan Moran and The Jim Moran Foundation.