Parr elected chairman of the 2018 p&cma

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Jim Parr of Parr’s Inc. in Demopolis has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Petroleum & Convenience Marketers of Alabama for 2018.

A Demopolis native, Jim attended Demopolis City Schools, graduating in 1998 and then went on to the University of West Alabama where he graduated in 2001. All through high school and college, Jim worked in the family business.

I started working with the company at a very young age and, by the time I turned 16, I was making deliveries on the lube truck,” Parr said. By 18, he was out taking orders and calling on accounts and, by 21, he had obtained his CDL and was delivering fuel on both bobtail and transport trucks. As the company moved into the retail side of the business, Jim worked in most every job at the store level as well. This experience was invaluable in later years when Jim took over the business.

“My grandparents and parents showed me that if you couldn’t do the job yourself, how could you tell someone else how to do it?”

Having the experience at all levels gave Jim the respect of his employees, many who had worked for the business for Jim’s entire life. He respected them and the job they did and, in turn, they respected Jim.

Founded in 1942 by Jim’s grandparents, Howard and Irma Parr, Parr’s Inc. celebrated its 75th anniversary with Chevron last year.

“My grandparents and parents, Higley and Paula, have worked their entire careers in the family business,” Jim said. “They were in the office every day and were the essence of a family business.”

Howard Parr passed in 2001 and, having completed college, Jim took over the family business. Since then, his grandmother and mother have retired, but his father, Higley, continues to come into the office on a daily basis. Eventually Jim’s only sibling, brother Joe, joined the family business as well.

Jim met his wife Amy through mutual friends and they were married in the fall of 2001. They now have two daughters, Anna Grace (14) and Emma Kate (11). Both girls barrel race, which Jim says has been “wonderful for the family,” giving them a lot of time together on the road. Jim and Amy love watching their girls compete, but they also own Demopolis Fitness and enjoy lifting weights and working out. They attend First United Methodist Church in Demopolis.

The Petroleum & Convenience Marketers of Alabama, headquartered in Montgomery, is the statewide trade association representing wholesale petroleum marketers and retail convenience store operators. 

For more information on P&CMA call 334-272-3800 or visit www.pcmala.org.