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Among the mementos adorning DAVID PARKHILL’s office walls is a Parkhill Motor Sales ad in The News-Gazette — circa 1938, when a new Chevy would run you around $700.

To find out the deals of the week back then, all you had to do was dial the dealership at 4-1-6-1. “In the 1930s, we had a four-digit phone number,” Parkhill notes.

Nine decades later, the business founded by David’s great-grandfather and T.D. Parkhill’s four sons is still standing — under a new name (Sullivan-Parkhill), in a different Champaign location (440 W. Anthony and 401 W. Marketview) and with an expanded lineup of manufacturers (Chevrolet, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo). 

In 2023, the company Parkhill oversees as president joined Champaign’s select centennial club, following 100-plus-year-old mainstays Busey Bank, English Brothers Co. and Jos. Kuhn & Co.

A Champaign Central grad and father of two, Parkhill dabbled in banking and spent seven years in Denver before getting into the family business back home.

Katie’s husband of 37 years took time out to answer questions from Editor Jeff D’Alessio in the 284th installment of our weekly speed read spotlighting leaders of organizations big and small.

The hardest thing about being a leader is … leading change. Change is difficult for most people; therefore, implementing change is challenging.

I can’t live without … my three grandsons. I’m requesting some granddaughters.

My philosophy on meetings is … they are essential and can be very productive, but I try to keep them to under an hour. Beyond an hour usually results in diminishing returns.

When it comes to a professional role model … I have several leaders who have inspired me — Thomas Jefferson for his vision, Abraham Lincoln for leading through adversity and Vince Lombardi for tenacity.

The three adjectives I hope my staff would use to describe me are … innovative, focused and approachable.

As far as a favorite moment in this job goes … I don’t have a favorite moment. Every day is unique in the automobile business. I still enjoy conversing with a customer who is excited about buying a new automobile.

On my office walls, you’ll find … a family photo; a Parkhill Motor Sales News-Gazette advertisement circa 1938; and a photo of Rudy Frasca’s Curtiss P-40 decorated with the 2008 St. Thomas More football team.

I’m frugal in that … I don’t spend a lot on office furniture and supplies. I ask my staff: “Is this something we want or need?”

BTW: This does not work well with my wife.

If I could trade places for a week with any other business person in town, I wouldn’t mind switching with … my business partner, Kevin Sullivan. He hunts, fishes or plays golf four days a week.

My one unbreakable rule of the workplace is … be accountable. I expect everyone to take responsibility for their actions, and not confuse effort with success.

The first thing I do when I get to work most days is … walk through the dealerships and greet and observe team members. I learn a lot about who is engaged and who is struggling in 20 minutes.

For lunch, I like … a little of everything, but most of the time I go home and have lunch with my wife, Katie.

I wind down after work by … going for a walk with my dog, Georgia.

The last luxury in which I indulged was … a trip to South Africa with friends. We spent two weeks in Cape Town, Winelands and the game parks. I highly recommend it.

The most beneficial college class I took was … psychology at Indiana University. Over the last 30 years, I have earned an “on-the-job Ph.D.”

The last good book I read was … “Undaunted Courage,” by Stephen Ambrose. Lewis and Clark odyssey. I enjoy history and historical novels.

I’m up and at ’em every day by … 5 a.m. and my mind is on the job. Today was 3:43 a.m. so I can finish answering these questions.

My exercise routine consists of … walking a couple miles every day, along with strength and aerobic training a couple days a week. When the weather permits, I ride my mountain bike on the trails at Kickapoo State Park, my favorite.

For work … once upon a time I was a banker, but I soon realized I wanted to own a business, and the automobile business afforded me that opportunity.

The worst job I ever had was … cutting and rolling sod for a summer at $2.45 an hour. I was 15 and my mother took me to work and picked me up most days.

The first job I ever had was … cutting lawns when I was 11 or 12. I recall cutting grass for half the day at the dealership and making $6.

I thought I was rich. LOL