Born in 1930, Jim Haslam played football and became Team Captain at the University of Tennessee. Haslam played on the famous 1951 National Championship football team led by coaching legend and mentor General Robert R. Neyland, whose renowned Game Maxims inspired Haslam’s own views of life and leadership in family, business, and in the art of giving back. Upon arriving in Korea, he was promoted to Company Commander at the age of twenty-three. After returning home from the military, he started a small oil company in 1958 with only one gas station. Pilot Oil Company would go on to become one of the country’s largest private companies with over 28,000 team members serving customers at over 700 locations nationwide. In 2014 the University of Tennessee honored Haslam by naming The James A. Haslam II College of Business for him after a landmark gift of $50 million was made in honor of the Haslam family patriarch. In 2016, Haslam received the prestigious Horatio Alger Award, bestowed upon leaders who triumph over adversity to achieve success and who are committed to philanthropy and higher education. A strong believer in giving back to the community, Haslam founded The Haslam Family Foundation, which has contributed millions of dollars to charitable organizations. Haslam has been a Director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, First American Bank, AmSouth Bank, and Appalachian Life Insurance Company. He was a trustee for the University of Tennessee for 27 years and Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Executive Committee. He has been the Chairman of the Board of the Greater Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Knoxville, The Webb School of Knoxville, the Public Building Authority, and United Way of Greater Knoxville. Haslam also served as State Finance Chair for Howard Baker (Senate), Lamar Alexander (Governor), Bill Frist (Senate), and twice as George W. Bush’s Tennessee Finance Chairman. He served four times as a delegate to the Republican National Convention and was a member of the Platform Committee in 1984. Haslam is married to Natalie Leach Haslam. They have six adult children, 18 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren.
