JM Family Enterprises Named One of the Top Green-IT Organizations by IDG’s Computerworld

Oct. 24, 2011 - PRLog -- Deerfield Beach, Fla. – JM Family Enterprises, Inc. is No. 12 on the 2011 Top Green-IT Users list by IDG’s Computerworld, the leading IT media brand dedicated to providing peer perspective, IT leadership and business results.  The distinction is part of the IT media outlet’s annual Top Green-IT Organizations feature, which was published in the Oct. 24 issue of Computerworld and online at Computerworld.com.

“We are honored to be recognized as one of the leading organizations in green IT,” said Ken Yerves, JM Family’s Chief Information Officer.  “As we continue to invest in new technology, our goal is to minimize our environmental impact, support sustainability through best practices and establish business and community partnerships that promote a greener way to conduct business.”

For the fourth year in a row, Computerworld set out to identify organizations that are implementing smart, efficient strategies to achieve green IT. Organizations were invited to complete a comprehensive questionnaire online from June to August 2011. Computerworld contacted representatives at the 70 participating organizations to verify the information provided on the surveys was truthful and accurate. Only those organizations that filed verification letters were considered. With the help of green IT industry experts, Computerworld applied a set of criteria to identify the organizations that are working to reduce energy consumption in IT equipment and are using technology to conserve energy and lower carbon emissions. Based on the weighting scheme developed, the top 12 Green-IT Users and top 12 Green-IT Vendors lists were chosen.

JM Family is committed to reducing its environmental impact through decreased consumption and conservation of non-renewable resources, and encouraging innovative solutions to create a better environment for its associates, customers, business partners and the community.  Among the company’s many recent technology-related green investments are: installing a 202-kilowatt rooftop solar array in Alpharetta Ga., which is capable of offsetting its data center energy use; installing a 33-kilowatt rooftop array in Deerfield Beach, Fla., also designed to offset data center energy requirements; and replacing 1,400 physical servers with virtualization technology, helping reduce energy consumption by 5,575,000 kWh per year. Additionally, JM Family utilizes Dell’s Asset Recovery and Recycling services to resell, recycle, or dispose of obsolete servers, monitors, desktops, phones, mobile devices, and network equipment in a secure and environmentally safe way, according to EPA guidelines.

“Many of the organizations recognized in our fourth annual Top Green-IT issue have woven energy-saving initiatives into the fabric of their IT strategies,” said Scot Finnie, editor in chief, Computerworld. “These top organizations are tapping the collective brainpower of their IT staffs to capitalize on existing technologies that lower energy use and seek out new methods to better control their carbon footprints.”

About Computerworld
Computerworld is the leading source of technology news and information for IT influencers worldwide, providing peer perspective, IT leadership and business results. Computerworld’s award-winning Web site (http://www.computerworld.com), bi-weekly publication, focused conference series and custom research forms the hub of the world’s largest (40+ edition) global IT media network. In the past five years alone, Computerworld has won more than 100 awards, including 13 American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) awards in 2009, the 2009 Best Blog from the Neal awards, and 2006 Best Overall Web Publication from ASBPE. Computerworld leads the industry with an online audience of over 3.5 million unique, monthly visitors (comScore Media Metrix, August 2010). Computerworld is published by IDG Enterprise, a subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading media, events, and research company. Company information is available at http://www.idgenterprise.com.

About JM Family Enterprises, Inc.
JM Family Enterprises, Inc. (http://www.jmfamily.com), founded by Jim Moran in 1968, is a diversified automotive company ranked by Forbes as the 33rd-largest privately held company in the U.S.  It is currently ranked No. 16 by FORTUNE® as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, its 13th consecutive year on the list.  JM Family has approximately 3,800 associates across North America and its primary subsidiaries and divisions include: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC, the world’s largest independent distributor of Toyota and Scion vehicles; World Omni Financial Corp., a diversified financial services company; JM&A Group, one of the leading independent providers of finance and insurance (F&I) products in the automotive industry; JM Lexus, the largest volume Lexus dealership in the world; and JM Service Center LLC, the company’s internal shared services center. Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Fla., JM Family has major operations in Jacksonville and Margate, Fla.; Commerce and Alpharetta, Ga.; Mobile, Ala.; and St. Louis, Mo.