JM Family Enterprises has named Dan Chait its COO and tapped two successors to fill his previous roles as president of subsidiaries at JM&A Group and Southeast Toyota Finance.
Chait, 55, who came to JM Family in 2002 as a vice president of asset management for Southeast Toyota Finance, had led the Toyota captive finance company since 2012 and assumed the JM&A Group presidency in 2021. JM Family has opted for separate presidents for each company this time: Scott Gunnell, 44, will lead JM&A Group; Bill Shope, 65, will lead Southeast Toyota Finance.
"With a collective 74 years of service to JM Family, the promotions of Dan, Scott, and Bill are a testament to investing in our leadership team so we can continue to best serve our consumers, dealers and business partners," JM Family CEO Brent Burns said in a statement. "While each possess tremendous strategic thinking, operational insights and understanding of a dealer's business, they also exemplify our core values and uphold our unique culture while living and working by the principles instilled by our founder, Jim Moran."
JM Family hasn't had a COO since 2017 when Burns was promoted from that role to CEO.
Chait's new role will involve him working with JMA Group, Southeast Toyota Finance, Southeast Toyota Distributors and JM Lexus "to champion the strategic priorities of our core automotive companies," according to JM Family. The company praised his "proven track record of inspiring action and fostering inclusivity across his teams."
Gunnell, who had been COO of finance-and-insurance product provider JM&A Group since September 2022, joined JM Family as a Southeast Toyota Distributors district training manager in 2005, according to his LinkedIn profile.
"Under Gunnell's leadership, the company is positioned to continue accelerating dealership performance through investments in core technology, modern retail initiatives and a realigned field organization focused on consultative solutions and a dealer-centric support model," JM Family wrote.
Shope started at Southeast Toyota Finance in 1990 with a focus on fleets and worked his way up the ranks to become COO in 2020.
"In that role, Shope has successfully led a number of critical initiatives, including key technology investments, while navigating the business through the challenges of the pandemic," JM Family wrote.
