Aloha Petroleum's chief executive, Bob Maynard, will hand over leadership of one of Hawai'i's largest independently owned and locally operated petroleum marketers next month to another industry veteran, Richard Parry.

On May 1, Parry, former president of rival Mid Pac Petroleum, will become president and CEO of Aloha Petroleum, which has about 300 employees and nearly 80 fueling stations on O'ahu and the Big Island.

Maynard has been with Aloha Petroleum for 17 years, the first 13 as chief financial officer. He became company president and CEO in 2004 after the death of Tom Malone, who built an O'ahu fuel import terminal that ended Aloha Petroleum's dependence on local refineries and transformed the company from a struggling second-tier gas marketer into a stronger competitor with a bigger chain of stations.

Under Maynard's leadership, Aloha Petroleum underwent a major expansion by purchasing 18 Mahalo gas stations on O'ahu in an $18 million deal that included sharing a fuel import terminal with Mid Pac Petroleum.

Maynard, 64, said his stepping down is a planned succession.

"I have been thinking about retirement for some time, and now that the right person is available, the time was right to move ahead," he said in a statement.

As of May 1, Maynard will serve as chairman of the board.

Parry, 54, was most recently president of Mid Pac Petroleum, a Hawai'i-based petroleum marketer and local licensee of the Union 76 brand that was bought in August by local investors who installed a new president.

Parry started in the industry with what was previously known as BHP Petroleum in Australia, Houston and Honolulu. He later became an independent consultant for The Gas Co.'s parent, Singapore-based K1 Ventures, which in mid-2004 worked with Parry to establish Mid Pac Petroleum.

"Richard Parry is highly experienced in the petroleum industry, and he fits well within Aloha Petroleum's corporate culture," Maynard said in a statement.