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Allan Parnell credits God's direction for business success Adair County native Allan Parnell is featured in a recent issue of the large Louisville church newspaper, The Southeast Outlook. His story is reprinted here in its entirety with permission of the paper By Jacob Glassner jglassner@secc.org Sometimes you just have to take your faith to the streets. Allan Parnell's trucking company, Mister "P" Express Inc., was in financial trouble in 1990 and in desperate need of a $100,000 small business loan. It had been a year since Parnell applied for the loan, but the bank had concerns about the company's viability and delayed the application. When the bank said it was close to a decision, Parnell and his brother put faith in action, heading to the bank's headquarters in downtown Louisville. "We marched around that bank seven times, just like Joshua did with Jericho," Parnell said. "We were just praying, 'Lord, give us favor.'" The loan was approved the following week. Since then, Mister "P" Express, which is based in Jeffersonville, Ind., has grown considerably, with annual sales in excess of $30 million. A member of Southeast Christian Church since 1996, Parnell attributes the success of his company, which he founded in 1987, to God. "Everything I do of any significance, I seek the Lord's advice through prayer," he said. "Being a Christian gives me the confidence to make decisions." And he has made sure that Mister "P" Express lives up to godly standards. The company's motto, even through tough times, has always been the Golden Rule: "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you" (Matthew 7:12). "The first five years in the business were horrible. Cash flow was terrible," he said. "I thought I was going to starve to death. I went for two straight years to a prayer meeting at 6 o'clock in the morning just asking the good Lord to help me get through that day." Today he is thankful for God's provision and shares his blessings with others. "We have been blessed, and we try to be a blessing to others," he said. "I love to give. I feel compelled to give because I have been so blessed." Parnell supports numerous charitable organizations, and among those is Silver Heights Camp and Retreat Center in New Albany, Ind., which hosts camp revivals, youth camps and other events. "He's got a heart for ministry, a love for our heritage and his financial wisdom as a business leader in the community has helped us go from a camp that was in peril to a camp that has activity year round," said Steve Baldwin, president of the board of Silver Heights. Silver Heights surprised Parnell by naming its new conference center after him, and Baldwin counts Parnell as one of his mentors. "He's very generous, and he loves the Lord," Baldwin said. "I just have a great deal of respect for him." A licensed auctioneer, Parnell also volunteers at charity auctions for organizations such as Prodigal Ministries, the de Paul School and the University of Louisville. Allan and his wife Bunny, who split time between their homes in Florida and Louisville, begin each morning with prayer and Bible study. "We never fail to thank God for how He's blessed us and to ask Him to give us wisdom that we'll be a blessing in the right way to the right people," he said. "I seek Him in everything I do." When Parnell isn't working, he enjoys traveling and music. He sings and plays guitar, piano, mandolin and banjo. He's a regular at Lincoln Hills Health Center in New Albany, Ind., where he takes requests and plays hymns and old-time favorites, such as "You Are My Sunshine" and "I Want a Girl (Just Like the Girl that Married Dear Old Dad)," for the nursing home residents. "He's a pretty super guy," said Marcia Sebastian, activities director at Lincoln Hills. "He takes the time to visit with each one of the residents. Music is a really important part in your memory, and residents that might not be able to tell you their name can sing songs. It's been quite a journey for Parnell. He grew up on a farm in Adair County without electricity or running water. He attended school in a one-room schoolhouse where his eighth grade class had three students. "We didn't have anything," he said. But his parents knew the importance of faith and shared it with their seven children. "I grew up in a Christian home," he said. "It was just instilled in us that's how you're supposed to live." After graduating from Adair County High School, Parnell moved to Louisville to work for General Electric. He started out working on the assembly line but enrolled at night school at the University of Louisville and went through GE's three-year management training program. When he left GE 20 years later, he was in charge of shipping and receiving, which gave him the needed skills to run a trucking company. After serving as president of two other trucking companies, Parnell, who was then in his 50s, founded Mister "P" Express with three trucks. Today the company has 150 trucks and 250 employees. Parnell's daughter, Cindy Collier, is president of Mister "P" and Parnell is CEO. The Parnells have five children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, and in May, Allan Parnell received an honorary doctorate degree from Lindsey Wilson College, where he is chairman of the board. Accolades aside, Parnell, 76, knows the source of his strength and offered some tips for those seeking God's direction. "You have got to stay plugged into the Lord. You don't go to church at Easter and say, 'Lord, remember me, I'm Allan Parnell. I was here last year,'" he said. "If you are holding anything in your life that ought not to be there'a grudge, jealousy, envy, it creates a cloud between you and the Lord and your prayers are going up and falling back." He boiled it down this way: "God does answer prayer. Be patient, be persistent and make sure you have a clean life because God knows your heart." And sometimes you might just have to march around a bank. This story was posted on 2012-08-15 21:49:41
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