Apr. 14—Owensboro business leaders Billy Joe Miles, Don Penn Moore III and Tommy Thompson were named the 2023 Owensboro Business Hall of Fame Laureates on Thursday afternoon, during Junior Achievement of West Kentucky's annual Business Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Moore, Thompson and Miles' daughters, Debra Seymour and Rep. Suzanne Miles, accepted the awards at the Owensboro Convention Center. The event was sponsored by German American Bank.

"All three have demonstrated excellence in leadership" in their fields and inspired the city's business community, master of ceremonies Kirk Kirkpatrick told the audience in the convention center's German American Bank ballroom.

Junior Achievement works to "empower young people to own their economic success," according to J.A. materials at the ceremony. The program teaches "work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills."

Kirkpatrick said of Miles, Moore and Thompson, "we applaud them for the example they are setting for our youth."

Miles, who died in 2018, received Historical Laureate induction into the Hall of Fame.

Miles, who received a degree in agriculture from Western Kentucky University in 1962, expanded the family farm's businesses selling seed corn, fertilizer and other products and extended into bulk fuel sales, convenience stores and oil change businesses in the 1970s.

Miles was president of Miles Farm Supply, Marathon Fuels, and Miles LP Gas Inc., and started or was involved in several other businesses. Miles also served on various boards, including the University of Kentucky board of trustees and the board of what is now Owensboro Health.

"Today, he will have passed away five years and one month to the day," Seymour said of Miles. "I think he would be honored and humbled to think Junior Achievement would have thought of him."

Suzanne Miles said of him, "our father truly enjoyed people" and worked to promote farm practices by bringing farmers from around the world to the United States, and vise versa.

By working with people, Billy Joe Miles experienced "the sheer joy of seeing the talents of people they could not see in themselves," Suzanne Miles said.

Moore joined the family business, Don Moore Automotive, in 1982. When the company was founded, it had $17,800 in sales its first year.

Today, the Moore Automotive Group has more than $215 million in annual sales and sells 12 brands of cars, including Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Chevrolet and Jeep. Moore's television commercials also became part of local lingo, with "It's Hot, Don" becoming one of the most recognized commercial tag lines, according to Junior Achievement.

Moore said, in 1981, he was a sophomore at UK when his family was considering selling the dealership. Moore said he convinced his father to keep the car business, finished college a year early and came back to be part of the dealership.

Moore attributed his success to his entire family, who have worked for the business.

"I know I'm up here because of the 100 or so years our family has been in this community" and because of the achievement other members of the family made, Moore said. The business' many employees also deserved the credit, Moore said.

"I stand here representing 100 years of great people," he said.

Thompson graduated from the University of Florida, received his MBA from Indiana University and worked for a time as a real estate developer before returning to Owensboro join the family business, Thompson Homes.

The business expanded and has created thousands of jobs over the years. In 2009, Thompson Homes was selected to spearhead the process of building a new home for a family in need in just seven days on the television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Thompson also established a company that manages about 2,000 apartments. He has served as president of the National Association of Home Builders.

Thompson was also a state representative, serving Ohio and part of Daviess County in the General Assembly from 2002-14.

Thompson said he had been blessed to work in the home building profession.

"The most satisfying thing is the ability to see young people move into a home," he said.

Becoming involved in politics was a way to help the Owensboro area's business community, Thompson said.

"I wanted to play a role in cultivating business," he said.

The "Extreme Makeover" experience was a highlight, because it showcased the people of the community, he said. "We changed the life of an incredibly deserving family" and had over 1,000 volunteers help in the project.

The television program "let us show the heart and soul of this community."

Thompson also thanked his family and Thompson Homes employees.

"The support I got from my family over the years has been so significant," he said.