Rotary del Sol’s First Business In Ethics Award Breakfast
Welcomes Over 100 Guest
 
View a Photo Gallary of Photos from the Ehics In Business Breakfast
 
Over 100 people gathered for breakfast at the Bell Tower Community Center on Wednesday morning to honor Jim Graham as the Rotary Club of Coto de Caza and Rancho Santa Margarita del Sol’s recipient of their first “Ethic In Business” award. Friends, associates, employees and dignitaries collectively turned out to honor Graham for the virtues he has demonstrated as both a local business leader as well as community leader.
“For our first honoree, we had little to no discussion but to say our first award should go to Jim Graham because we knew his personal standard and moral compass was one without question to anyone who knows him.” Stated Dan Graham, President of Rotary del Sol.
Jim Graham is President of Santa Margarita Ford, a Ford dealership located in Rancho Santa Margarita since March 1997. Since its opening, Santa Margarita Ford has become one of the largest volume Ford dealerships in the nation, annually finishing in the top 10% of Ford dealers nationally in sales volume.
Widely known for his willingness to step up and champion support for local projects, Jim is commonly referred to as “The Man”.
“We were not surprised by the turn out at today’s breakfast. The respect and admiration that was expressed for Jim today can largely be credited to the respect he shows to everyone within his day to day life, both in business and personal settings.” noted Dan Grahm
Jim served as a Trustee of Mission Hospital from 1998-2004, and currently serves as a Board Member of the Mission Hospital Foundation. He was a member of the School Committee of St. John’s Episcopal School in RSM for five years. He is the past president of both the Southern California Ford Dealers Association and Orange County Auto Dealers Association, as well as a past Regional Chairman of the Ford National Dealer Council. He is also widely recognized as one of the “main” community members who helped lead the charge to build the Bell Tower Community Center and helped raised over 2 million dollars towards the construction of the center. He was also founding President of The Bell Tower Foundation.
The Ethic In Business Award was created by Rotary International to recognize a local business person who navigates their enterprise using the highest ethical standards, is sensitive to community needs and adheres to Rotary’s Four Way Test.
Gary Thompson, Mayor, City of Rancho Santa Margarita and Curt Stanley, Past President of The Bell Tower Foundation, each took a moment to also express their heartfelt and deep thanks to Jim for the contributions he has offered to both the city and the Bell Tower Foundation.
Jim Graham humbly accepted the Ethics in Business award with acknowledgment of his family and his employees at Santa Margarita Ford.
 Also honored at the Ethics In Business Breakfast was Fireside Grill restaurant owner, Robert Kissinger. Robert was recognized with a Paul Harris Fellowship and has been nominated as Rotary del Sol’s Rotarian Businessman of Year. He, along with about 20 other Rotarian Businessmen from District 5320, will be honored at a luncheon at Knott’s Berry Farm on Sept. 25
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