Parker’s, a nationally acclaimed convenience store company and food service leader that was named the 2020 Convenience Store Decisions Chain of the Year, recently hired two new team members to provide additional thought leadership and strategic support for the company’s continued expansion across coastal Georgia and South Carolina. Convenience store leader John Rudolfs serves as the new Chief Development Officer at Parker’s, and information technology strategist Scott Smith is the company’s new Senior Director of Information Technology.

”At Parker’s, we place a high value on people-first leaders who use their skills, knowledge and expertise to help us achieve and exceed our goals,” said Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker. “We know that John Rudolfs and Scott Smith each bring years of convenience store industry experience and technical expertise that will benefit our team, our stores and, most importantly, our customers.”
 
The latest Parker’s new hires include:
 

JOHN RUDOLFS, Chief Development Officer - John Rudolfs serves as Chief Development Officer at Parker’s. In his new role, Rudolfs is responsible for the growth and overall network development strategy of the company. An executive leader with a strong cross-functional management background and a former U.S. Navy officer, Rudolfs joins Parker’s after serving as the Chief Development Officer for MAPCO, where he managed the growth strategy and capital planning for existing and new-to-industry locations. Rudolfs brings more than 20 years of experience in leading multi-million and multi-billion dollar companies, including a variety of fuel companies. He previously served as the Executive Vice President for Murphy Oil Corporation/Murphy USA. During his tenure in the U.S. Navy, Rudolfs was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal and numerous other service medals and commendations. Originally from California, Rudolfs earned a B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. and currently lives in Savannah, Ga.

SCOTT SMITH, Senior Director of Information Technology - An expert in developing strategic solutions for retail technologies, Scott Smith joins Parker’s after serving as the Director of Information Technology for convenience and fuel retailer Royal Farms, where he led the IT department in security, infrastructure and retail operations initiatives for hundreds of locations across multiple states. Bringing 12 years of convenience-focused IT strategy experience to his new position at Parker’s, Smith previously served as Royal Farms’ Project Manager and Systems and Network Administrator during the company’s growth from 100 to more than 250 store locations. As Parker’s new Senior Director of Information Technology, Smith leads Parker’s IT operations and collaborates with the company’s Chief Innovation Officer Eric Jones on digital transformation and strategic growth efforts. Originally from Baltimore, Md., Smith currently resides in Savannah, Ga.

 
Since its founding in 1976, Parker’s has grown from a one-store operation in Midway, Ga. to an award-winning 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. 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. The company also earned a 2020 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award, which is presented to the top 10% of restaurants across the United States.
 
Currently celebrating its 45th anniversary, 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. The Parker’s Rewards loyalty program, which includes more than 228,000 members, has saved customers more than $15 million to date.
 
Parker’s stands apart as one of America’s most respected convenience store brands and is known for having the cleanest stores in the industry. The company 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 and the Parker’s Community Fund. Parker’s employs more than 1,200 individuals throughout the region and completes more than 125,000 transactions daily.