James Martin Moran (August 8, 1918 – April 24, 2007) was an American car dealer and philanthropist whose net worth of $2.4 billion ranked him 390th on the Forbes 400 at the time of his death.

[4] Following high school, he saved his money and bought a Sinclair gas station in 1939 for $360; returning to Chicago after his war service, he added a used-car lot, then opened a Hudson dealership, Midtown Motors in 1946 which grew to be the largest in the U.S.

However, his disease went into remission and in 1968, he returned to the automotive field by opening a Pontiac dealership in Homestead, which he subsequently moved to Hollywood.

Moran concluded that although Toyotas weren't as stylish or comfortable as domestic vehicles, they were well-built, reasonably priced, and destined to change the automotive business.

Moran created other automotive businesses under the JM Family Enterprises (JMFE) umbrella, which is headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

In his lifetime, he owned more than 200, including models from Burger, Wellcraft Scarab, Hatteras, Sea Ray, Rybovich and multimillion-dollar motor yachts from Feadship.

[17] In 1983, he asked Feadship to design a boat large enough to be seaworthy for ocean cruising but elegant for entertaining business associates.

[24][25] In 1984, Moran founded the Youth Automotive Training Center (YATC), located in Deerfield Beach, Florida as a privately funded program that offers basic automotive repair training, GED and academic preparation, and life skills proficiency for at-risk young people.

[26] After open heart surgery saved his life in 1988, Moran donated $1 million to fund a cardiovascular intensive care unit at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale.

[27] The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship was established in 1995 at Florida State University through a $1.8 million gift.

A significant portion of the gift will continue to fund the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, which has a long, 20-year history of serving entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout Florida.

[31] In 2000, he established The Jim Moran Foundation with the mission to improve the quality of life for the youth and families of Florida through the support of innovative programs and opportunities that meet the ever-changing needs of the community.

[32] In 2015 the foundation made a $100 million donation to Florida State University to create the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship in downtown Tallahassee.

At the urging of friends and business associates, he published his autobiography that same year: Jim Moran: the Courtesy Man.

[36] The following year, Florida State University awarded him a Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of his marketing talent and skills.

[37] On April 24, 2007, Moran died at his home in Hillsboro Beach, Florida, at the age of 88 [38] on the very day it was announced that Toyota had surpassed General Motors as the best-selling automaker in the world.