Southeast Toyota Distributors LLC
Encyclopedia
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is the world’s largest franchised distributor of Toyota vehicles. The 172 dealers in the five states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina & South Carolina account for 20% of Toyota sales in the United States. SET is a wholly owned subsidiary of JM Family Enterprises
.
dealership in Homestead
. He was contacted by Japanese automaker Toyota in 1967, with the intention of establishing a dealer network in the southeast U.S. states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama and North & South Carolina. Moran travelled to Japan to meet with Toyota and see their factories and products. Upon his return, he told associates that while Toyotas didn't compare to domestic autos in style and comfort, they were well built and inexpensive. He agreed to distribute Toyota vehicles from the port in Jacksonville, Florida
.
uses several Jim Moran innovations. Toyotathon is the annual fall clearance sale used by all Toyota dealers. Moran showed the carmaker how to set up and run dealer advertising associations, how to sell Extended warranty
, how to operate a port option facility, how to establish a captive finance company and how to sell Certified Pre-Owned
cars.
Southeast Toyota Distributors is one of just two private distributors of Toyota vehicles in the United States. The other is Gulf States Toyota Distributors
, in Houston, Texas
, founded by Thomas H. Friedkin
.
SET began operations in 1968 when all Toyota vehicles were manufactured in Japan and imported into the US. The NUMMI
plant, a joint venture with General Motors
, opened at Fremont, California
in 1984 and was Toyota's first assembly plant in the US. Since then, Toyota has opened 6 more manufacturing facilities in the US and in 2008, more than 60% of Toyotas sold in the US are made in the US. Today, most of the vehicles distributed by SET are unloaded from railcars, not ships.
Jim Moran died on April 24, 2007 at the age of 88 on the very day it was announced that Toyota had surpassed General Motors
as the number one selling automaker in the world. He was actively involved with the company until his death. In 2008, SET celebrated their 40th year in business.
announced the promotion of one of its top executives to lead the company. Ed Sheehy, 47, was named president of Southeast Toyota Distributors and JM Lexus in Margate, Florida
. He replaces Ken Czubay, 59, who was named vice president of U.S. sales and marketing by Ford Motor Company
. Since 2007, Sheehy had been vice president and assistant general manager of SET. He also was a member of JM Family's executive management team, after joining SET in 1999 as vice president of marketing.
"This promotion is a testament to Ed's valuable contributions to our company and his proven leadership abilities over the past nine years," Colin Brown, CEO of JM Family Enterprises, said in a statement from the company's Deerfield Beach
headquarters. As president of Southeast Toyota distributors, Sheehy will be responsible for leading one of the largest Toyota distributors in the country. As president of JM Lexus, he will lead the world's largest-volume Lexus dealership. The store sold 7,727 new Lexus vehicles in 2007.
Before joining Southeast Toyota, Sheehy was director of marketing for Nissan Motors
from 1997 to 1999. From 1984 to 1997, he held several other sales and marketing posts for Nissan.
and one in Commerce, Georgia
from which they distributed a total of 415,000 vehicles in 2006, including 56,000 Lexus.
The ship facility is located at the Jacksonville Port Authority
(JaxPort) Talleyrand terminal and processes the vehicles that arrive by ship from Japan, which is 40% of Toyotas sold in the US. The $53 million railcar facility, which opened in 2003 at Westlake Industrial Park in northwest Jacksonville, processes the vehicles that arrive from Toyota’s North American manufacturing centers by train. The SET Inland Processing facility, located in Commerce, Georgia, prepares North American-made Toyotas and Lexus
for distribution primarily to SET dealers in Northern Alabama, the Carolinas and Northern Georgia.
JM Family Enterprises
JM Family Enterprises, Inc. is a diversified automotive company ranked by Forbes as the 30th-largest privately held company in the U.S. It is also consistently ranked by FORTUNE as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, and by Computerworld magazine as 100 Best Places to Work in IT...
.
SET Founder
Automotive pioneer Jim Moran had moved to Florida to "retire" in 1966 after beating terminal cancer. The retirement didn't last, and at 50, he returned to the automotive field by opening a PontiacPontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
dealership in Homestead
Homestead, Florida
Homestead is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States nestled between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Homestead is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area....
. He was contacted by Japanese automaker Toyota in 1967, with the intention of establishing a dealer network in the southeast U.S. states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama and North & South Carolina. Moran travelled to Japan to meet with Toyota and see their factories and products. Upon his return, he told associates that while Toyotas didn't compare to domestic autos in style and comfort, they were well built and inexpensive. He agreed to distribute Toyota vehicles from the port in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.
Teaching Toyota
Toyota was intrigued by Moran's marketing genius and ability to understand customers' needs and wants. Toyota Motor SalesToyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. is the Toyota sales, marketing, and distribution subsidiary devoted to the U.S. market. Founded in 1957 in California, TMS currently employs more than 6,500 people...
uses several Jim Moran innovations. Toyotathon is the annual fall clearance sale used by all Toyota dealers. Moran showed the carmaker how to set up and run dealer advertising associations, how to sell Extended warranty
Extended warranty
An extended warranty, sometimes called a service agreement, a service contract, or a maintenance agreement, is a prolonged warranty offered to consumers. The extended warranty may be offered by the warranty administrator, the retailer or the manufacturer. Extended warranties cost extra and for a...
, how to operate a port option facility, how to establish a captive finance company and how to sell Certified Pre-Owned
Certified Pre-Owned
A Certified Pre-Owned or CPO, car is a type of used car.Most often late-model, they differ from run of the mill used cars by having been inspected, refurbished, and certified by a manufacturer or other certifying authority. They also typically include an extended warranty, special financing, and...
cars.
Southeast Toyota Distributors is one of just two private distributors of Toyota vehicles in the United States. The other is Gulf States Toyota Distributors
Gulf States Toyota Distributors
Gulf States Toyota Distributors is the world’s second largest franchised distributor of Toyota vehicles. The 150 dealers in the five states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas account for 13% of Toyota sales in the United States...
, in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, founded by Thomas H. Friedkin
Thomas H. Friedkin
Thomas Hoyt Friedkin is a businessman whose net worth, according to the Forbes 400 in 2008, was estimated at $2 billion.He has been described as by Forbes magazine.-Airplanes:...
.
SET began operations in 1968 when all Toyota vehicles were manufactured in Japan and imported into the US. The NUMMI
NUMMI
New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. was an automobile manufacturing plant in Fremont, California, opened in 1984 and closed in 2010. On October 27, 2010 it reopened as a 100% Tesla Motors-owned production facility, known as the Tesla Factory...
plant, a joint venture with General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, opened at Fremont, California
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
in 1984 and was Toyota's first assembly plant in the US. Since then, Toyota has opened 6 more manufacturing facilities in the US and in 2008, more than 60% of Toyotas sold in the US are made in the US. Today, most of the vehicles distributed by SET are unloaded from railcars, not ships.
Jim Moran died on April 24, 2007 at the age of 88 on the very day it was announced that Toyota had surpassed General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
as the number one selling automaker in the world. He was actively involved with the company until his death. In 2008, SET celebrated their 40th year in business.
New leadership
On July 11, 2008, JM Family EnterprisesJM Family Enterprises
JM Family Enterprises, Inc. is a diversified automotive company ranked by Forbes as the 30th-largest privately held company in the U.S. It is also consistently ranked by FORTUNE as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, and by Computerworld magazine as 100 Best Places to Work in IT...
announced the promotion of one of its top executives to lead the company. Ed Sheehy, 47, was named president of Southeast Toyota Distributors and JM Lexus in Margate, Florida
Margate, Florida
Margate is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 53,284. It is part of the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to 5,564,635 people.-Geography:...
. He replaces Ken Czubay, 59, who was named vice president of U.S. sales and marketing by Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. Since 2007, Sheehy had been vice president and assistant general manager of SET. He also was a member of JM Family's executive management team, after joining SET in 1999 as vice president of marketing.
"This promotion is a testament to Ed's valuable contributions to our company and his proven leadership abilities over the past nine years," Colin Brown, CEO of JM Family Enterprises, said in a statement from the company's Deerfield Beach
Deerfield Beach, Florida
Deerfield Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, USA. The city is named for the numerous deer that once roamed the area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 75,018...
headquarters. As president of Southeast Toyota distributors, Sheehy will be responsible for leading one of the largest Toyota distributors in the country. As president of JM Lexus, he will lead the world's largest-volume Lexus dealership. The store sold 7,727 new Lexus vehicles in 2007.
Before joining Southeast Toyota, Sheehy was director of marketing for Nissan Motors
Nissan Motors
, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
from 1997 to 1999. From 1984 to 1997, he held several other sales and marketing posts for Nissan.
Downturn
The economic recession that began in 2008 has been particularly brutal on the automotive industry. Even sales of Toyota, which usually fare better than the big three, have declined significantly. Unlike most other companies, SET is not laying off employees. In February of 2009, voluntary severance packages were offered to 79 Jacksonville area associates and 31 in Commerce, Georgia. According to Bob Moore, general manager of vehicle processing:
“The automotive industry is facing its lowest levels in forty years and analysts do not predict an upturn in the foreseeable future. As a result, we are adjusting our organizational structure to align with the current market and significant decline in the number of vehicles we process.”
Vehicle Processing
SET has two vehicle processing operations in Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
and one in Commerce, Georgia
Commerce, Georgia
Commerce is a city in Jackson County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,544.-Geography:Commerce is located at ....
from which they distributed a total of 415,000 vehicles in 2006, including 56,000 Lexus.
The ship facility is located at the Jacksonville Port Authority
Jacksonville Port Authority
The Jacksonville Port Authority also known by its brand name, JAXPORT, is the independent government agency in Jacksonville, Florida that owns and operates much of the seaport system at the Port of Jacksonville.-History:...
(JaxPort) Talleyrand terminal and processes the vehicles that arrive by ship from Japan, which is 40% of Toyotas sold in the US. The $53 million railcar facility, which opened in 2003 at Westlake Industrial Park in northwest Jacksonville, processes the vehicles that arrive from Toyota’s North American manufacturing centers by train. The SET Inland Processing facility, located in Commerce, Georgia, prepares North American-made Toyotas and Lexus
Lexus
is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. First introduced in 1989 in the United States, Lexus is now sold globally and has become Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. The Lexus marque is marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide, and has...
for distribution primarily to SET dealers in Northern Alabama, the Carolinas and Northern Georgia.