Episode 237. Dr. Allan Parnell – Chairman of the Board, Mister “P” Express Trucking Company
Dr. Allan Parnell rose from a rural one-room schoolhouse to create a trucking empire. One of Kentuckiana’s most respected business leaders, and an Adair County native, Mr. Parnell was a member of the first class to graduate from Adair County High School. He then moved to Louisville, KY where he spent more than 20 years working at General Electric Company’s Appliance Park, which included graduating from GE’s legendary 3-year management training program. He attended a variety of colleges at night & also received an honorary Doctorate from Lindsey Wilson College.
After leaving GE, Dr. Parnell embarked on a successful business career in the trucking industry. After spending almost 5 years working for other people, Dr. Parnell founded Mister “P” Express in 1987. What started with 3 leased trucks has evolved into a multi-million-dollar business with hundreds of trucks. For 6 years, Business First of Louisville has named Mister “P” Express as one of the Greater Louisville’s fastest-growing, privately held companies. Dr. Parnell serves as the company’s Chairman of the Board & has used his entrepreneurial skills to grow the company.
He is described by friends and business associates as a person of faith, who lives by his Christian beliefs by practicing the “Golden Rule.” Dr. Parnell is extremely active with a number of non-profit organizations in Kentucky. As a Rotarian, he has 22 years of perfect weekly attendance and was voted Rotarian of the Year in 2009. He also sits on a number of other boards in the Louisville area. For the past decade, Dr. Parnell has been a member of the Lindsey Wilson Board of trustees & now is Chairman of the Board. For the past 40 years, he has played the piano and leads singing at several nursing homes. As a licensed auctioneer, he is involved in several fundraising events in Louisville each year.
He donates his time & skills to the University of Louisville department for Autism, the DePaul School, Kleinert & Kutz, University of Kentucky, Rotary International & the Louisville Art Center & several others who are benefactors of his giving. Dr. Parnell is a huge basketball fan, loves all animals & recently built a shuffleboard court in his backyard for his community to use.