JM Family Enterprises Announces the 2020 Jerome Edmund Gray Youth Achiever
June 22, 2020
Coconut Creek student to receive a four-year scholarship to Florida State University as part of the 2020 African-American Achievers Awards program
With a mission to serve those in her community and empower other students, Paige Harris made quite an impression on the associates from JM Family Enterprises tasked with selecting the next youth achiever.
Harris, a recent graduate of Atlantic Technical High School in Coconut Creek, will be honored as the 2020 Jerome Edmund Gray Youth Achiever. This distinction is part of the annual African-American Achievers awards program, presented by JM Family, Southeast Toyota Distributors and JM Lexus, which has honored South Florida community leaders for the past 28 years.
An Honor Roll student, Harris was extremely active at her high school. As co-treasurer of the Will Make It Enrichment Program, she worked to help fellow students stay on track to help achieve their career goals and further their education. She studied Licensed Practical Nursing and took part in the dual-enrollment program through Broward College. A cheerleader and member of the student government, she was also busy setting an example in the community. Harris could often be found volunteering at various schools and libraries, mentoring younger children. She is a Sunday school teacher who also teaches vacation bible school for Kingdom Now Ministries.
Harris’s hard work and determination has landed her a four-year scholarship to Florida State University. She plans to major in biochemistry with a minor in creative writing. Her goal is to become a cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon.
The Youth Achiever award, named in memory of 1995 African-American Achiever Jerome Edmund Gray, recognizes a South Florida high school senior who qualifies for financial aid and has applied and received admission to FSU. The award is given as part of the annual African-American Achievers Awards ceremony, which was established in 1992 by automotive legend Jim Moran to recognize leaders for their exceptional contributions toward building stronger communities in South Florida.
Harris, along with the four 2020 African-American Achiever Award recipients, will be honored at a special ceremony at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, which was postponed until May 12, 2021 due to COVID-19. This year’s honorees include:
Arts & Culture – Traci Young-Byron
Business & Entrepreneurism – Ken Roland
Community Service – Marleine Bastien
Education – Danni Washington
About JM Family Enterprises, Inc.
JM Family Enterprises, Inc. was founded by automotive legend, Jim Moran in 1968. It is a privately held company with more than $20 billion in revenue and more than 5,000 associates. Rooted in automotive and united in its strong culture and core values, JM Family is in the business of helping other businesses succeed. As a long-term partner, it is invested in its companies, associates and its communities. Driven by exceptional performance, current subsidiaries are in the automotive, financial services, franchising and specialty distribution industries. Its family of companies includes: Southeast Toyota Distributors, the world’s largest independent distributor of Toyota vehicles; JM&A Group, a company committed to improving automotive dealers’ performance by offering Finance & Insurance products and services, dealership training and consulting; World Omni Financial Corp. (dba Southeast Toyota Finance), a captive financial services company driven to delivering an exceptional dealership and customer experience for Toyota customers in the Southeast; JM Lexus, one of South Florida’s leading Lexus dealers; Home Franchise Concepts®, a multi-brand franchise network consisting of Budget Blinds®, The Tailored Closet™, PremierGarage®, Concrete Craft®, AdvantaClean®, Lightspeed Restoration™, Kitchen Tune-Up®, Bath Tune-Up®, Two Maids® and Aussie Pet Mobile®; and Futura Title & Escrow, a family of leading independent title and escrow companies which includes Alliance Title & Escrow, AmeriTitle, Pacific Alliance Title, Kittitas Title and Escrow, and Momentum Title Agency; and Rollease Acmeda, a leading specialty distributor of window covering systems.
Interact with JM Family on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Southeast Toyota Distributors LLC
Southeast Toyota Distributors is the world’s largest independent distributor of Toyotas. The company distributes vehicles, parts and accessories to 177 Toyota dealerships in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina and South Carolina. Dealers in this region sell approximately 20% of all Toyotas sold in the country. Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, its vehicle processing facilities are located in Jacksonville, Florida and Commerce, Georgia.
Southeast Toyota Distributors is a subsidiary of JM Family Enterprises, Inc., a privately held company with more than $20 billion in revenue and more than 5,000 associates, which is headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Interact with JM Family on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About JM Lexus
JM Lexus, located in Margate, Florida, maintains state-of-the-art Service and Parts departments, as well as one of only a few Lexus Certified Collision Centers in the country. It is also a leader in environmental sustainability, employing a number of eco-friendly business practices such as solar power, efficient lighting and modern paint technologies to offset its carbon footprint. The JM Lexus Certified Pre-Owned Department offers a wide range of makes and models with the dealership’s standards of excellence. JM Lexus’s unique model offers guests a dedicated consultant, up-front transparent pricing and no dealer fee. Learn more and interact with JM Lexus on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
JM Lexus is a subsidiary of JM Family Enterprises, Inc., a privately held company with more than $20 billion in revenue and more than 5,000 associates, which is headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Interact with JM Family on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
