SAVANNAH, Ga. (Dec. 14, 2020) – Convenience Store News, an industry-leading publication, recently inducted Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker into the Hall of Fame. Selected by an 80-member blue-ribbon panel of convenience store industry executives, Parker is one of only two professionals chosen in 2020 to join the Convenience Store News Hall of Fame, a prestigious honor designed to recognize industry pioneers and innovators.
“I’m incredibly honored and grateful to receive this recognition from the convenience store industry, especially because it means I was selected by some of the leaders I admire most,” said Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker. “When I opened my first store in 1976, I never imagined I would be where I am today, but I know it would never have been possible without my remarkable team. This is an honor that I intend to share with the entire company.”
Under his visionary leadership, Parker’s has grown from a one-store operation in Midway, Ga. to an award-winning, 68-store company with state-of-the-art convenience stores located throughout Georgia and South Carolina, serving delicious, award-winning Southern-inspired Parker’s Kitchen food that’s made from scratch on-site.
“Forty-four years after founding his company, Greg Parker has gone from learning the ropes to solidifying himself as an industry leader to becoming the 2020 retailer inductee into the Convenience Store News Hall of Fame,” wrote Convenience Store News Associate Editor Angela Hanson in an article celebrating Parker’s Hall of Fame induction. “But in all that time, he hasn’t stopped seeking knowledge.”
Parker’s was recently named the 2020 Convenience Store Decisions Chain of the Year, which is the convenience store industry’s highest honor, and was voted one of America’s top 10 gas station brands by USA TODAY readers.
One of the nation’s leading business innovators, Parker has earned acclaim for his commitment to high-quality foodservice, technology, consumer rights and charitable giving. Over the years, Parker has been recognized as a Georgia Trend Legacy Leader, the Convenience Store News Foodservice Leader of the Year, Frank Callen Boys and Girls Club Citizen of the Year, Convenience Store News Tech Executive of the Year, Savannah Morning News Entrepreneur of the Year and Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year.
Parker, an industry veteran driven by a desire to constantly improve, is currently leading the company through an ambitious growth plan, which includes a strategic expansion into the Charleston, S.C. market. Thanks to his leadership, Parker’s has been included on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies for five years and has been honored by Food and Wine as one of America’s Best Convenience Stores, by The Shelby Report as the Southeast Retailer of the Year and by Convenience Store News as the Foodservice Leader of the Year.
A steadfast advocate for consumer rights, Parker launched the Parker’s Rewards loyalty program, which includes more than 150,000 members and has saved customers more than $15 million to date. He also founded the company’s acclaimed Fueling the Community charitable giving initiative, which gives back to every community where Parker’s does business, and endowed the Parker’s Emergency and Trauma Center at Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Ga. In 2018, Parker made a record $5 million donation to name the Parker College of Business at Georgia Southern University, supporting the next generation of business leaders in Georgia.
A national industry leader, Parker has elevated the convenience store industry, exceeding consumer expectations and setting the standard for exceptional foodservice. Parker is active in the Petroleum Marketers Study Group and previously served as the vice chairman of research for the National Association of Convenience Stores and as chairman of the BPAmoco Marketers Association, a member of the Pepsi Retail Advisory Council and a member of the Coca-Cola Retail Advisory Committee.
Founded in 1976, Parker’s is one of America’s most respected convenience store brands and is known for having the cleanest stores in the industry. Parker’s serves award-winning Southern-inspired food, offers an acclaimed Parker’s Rewards program and gives back to every community where it does business through the Fueling the Community charitable giving program. The company employs more than 1,200 individuals throughout the region and completes more than 125,000 transactions daily.
ABOUT PARKER’S:
Honored as the 2020 Convenience Store Decisions Chain of the Year, Parker’s is strategically redefining the nation’s convenience store industry, offering customers high-quality products, freshly prepared food and superior customer service at retail stores throughout southeast Georgia and South Carolina. Headquartered in Savannah, Ga., Parker’s has a commitment to exceeding customer expectations and has repeatedly been recognized as one of the nation’s leading convenience store and foodservice companies. Parker’s Kitchen, the popular food-centric brand under the Parker’s umbrella, serves world-famous hand-breaded Southern Fried Chicken Tenders as well as made-from-scratch mac ‘n’ cheese, a breakfast bar and daily specials. The company’s popular Parker’s Rewards loyalty program, which includes more than 150,000 members, has saved Parker’s customers more than $15 million to date.
RECENT AWARDS AND ACCOLADES:
- Hall of Fame Inductee –Convenience Store News
- 2020 Best Gas Station Brand Top 10 –USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards
- 2020 Convenience Store Chain of the Year –Convenience Store Decisions
- 2020 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award
- Legacy Leader –Georgia Trend
- America’s Best Convenience Stores –Food and Wine
- 2019 Southeast Retailer of the Year –The Shelby Report
- 2019 Fastest Growing Companies in America –Inc. 5000
- 2018 Convenience Foodservice Leader of the Year –Convenience Store News
- Top 10 U.S. Gas Station Brands – Gas Buddy
- 50 Most Influential People in Convenience Store History –Convenience Store News
- Best Convenience Store –Savannah Morning News Readers’ Choice Awards
- Best Convenience Store –Savannah Magazine Best of Savannah Awards
- Best Convenience Store –Statesboro Herald “Best in the ‘Boro” Awards
- Best Convenience Store – Bryan County Now “Best of Bryan” Awards
- Regional Economic Impact Award – Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce
- Best Convenience Store –Island Packet
- Most Fab Convenience Store –Effingham Herald
- Most Fabulous Gas Station –Effingham Living
- Wayne County’s Favorite Convenience Store –Jesup Press-Sentinel
