James A. Barnwell, Jr., president of Huffman Oil Inc., will receive the Frank S. Holt Jr. Business Leadership Award during a special luncheon at noon, Monday, Nov. 25 in the Woods Center, located at Rhodes Stadium on the Elon campus.
The award was established by Elon’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business to recognize a local citizen whose contributions to business and the community reflect the same progressive, visionary leadership exemplified by the award’s namesake. The late Frank S. Holt Jr. was president of Holt Manufacturing Co. and an active civic leader.
Barnwell has built a reputation as one of the most respected Texaco distributors in the nation. He joined the family-owned company as a general manager in 1966 after earning a business degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
He became president of Huffman Oil in 1974, leading the company through a period of development and growth unprecedented in its history. Barnwell set a goal to sell 50 million gallons of gasoline a year, a milestone the company reached in 1994.
Barnwell has served as president of the N.C. Petroleum Marketers Association, and his company received the Don M. Ward Industry Excellence Cup from that organization in 1999. He also serves as a member of the Texaco National Wholesale Advisory Council.
A native of Burlington, Barnwell serves on the board of 1st State Bank and as chairman of the local YMCA board. He also led a major fundraising campaign to build Alamance Regional Medical Center and serves on the hospital’s board of directors and as chairman of its Long Range Planning Committee. He has served as president of the Alamance Area Chamber of Commerce and has received the chamber’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
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