DAN CHAIT

PRESIDENT & CEO, JM FAMILY ENTERPRISES, DEERFIELD BEACH

JM Family Enterprises is a privately held, diversified automotive company with 5,400 associates. It supports vehicle processing and distribution, finance and insurance, and automotive retail operations, and has expanded into non-automotive businesses including home improvement. Chait has served as a leader at JM Family for 23 years, moving up from president and COO to president and CEO in early 2025.

EDUCATION: University of Rochester (BA, MA)

FIRST JOB: Excluding summer jobs at our family-owned supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., my first professional job was in the treasury department at USAir in Crystal City, Va.

SOMETHING SURPRISING: My family is committed to an equestrian lifestyle. We live on a farm and own horses. My weekends are typically focused on working around the farm and supporting our family riders, of which I am not one.

NONPROFIT PASSION: I’m focused on addressing the housing crisis in South Florida. This year I participated in Habitat for Humanity of Broward County’s CEO Build, which JM Family co-chaired. I’ve participated in more than 25 home builds alongside our associate volunteers who have contributed more than 25,000 hours to complete 48 homes over the past two decades. I also volunteered to serve on the Urban League of Broward County’s 50th Anniversary Host Committee and as an ambassador to help support their Village at Oakland Park, a 469-unit affordable housing development expected to break ground next year.

INDUSTRY TREND: A major trend in the automotive industry, and in most industries, is the broad availability of generative AI.