Grain Communications Group

Board of Directors click image for bio


A. Louis Parker

Louis Parker is a consultant in the Fire and Electronic Security and Financial Services industries, with a focus on acquisition and financial structuring strategies.

Prior to his current position, Louis was the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives with GE Industrial, a $23 billion business within General Electric's portfolio. In this role, he was responsible for managing global business development strategies and technology roadmaps focused on sustainable growth.

In 2001, Parker was elected an officer of GE. He was also a member of the Chairman's Corporate Executive Council (CEC) which represents the top 43 GE executives.

He began his career at GE in 1996 and led a variety of leadership roles within the company.

From July 2005 to September 2007, Parker was president and CEO of GE Security, a leading supplier of security and life safety technologies with operations in more than 35 countries and approximately $1.8 billion in annual sales.

Between January and June 2005, he assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer for GE Security. Before that assignment, he served as President & CEO of the Homeland Protection unit of GE Security, a business that provides products and technology in the areas of explosives, bio chemical, and trace detection.

Parker joined the security operations from GE Insurance, where he was the President and CEO, Commercial Insurance in Overland Park, Kansas and held that position between 2001-2004. He led the combined direct insurance operations of Specialty, Healthcare, P&C Select, The Medical Protective Company, Industrial Risk Insurers, and GE Asset Protection Services.

Prior to joining GE Insurance, Parker was President of GE Financial Assurance Direct (GEFA). GEFA specializes in annuities, mutual funds, and injury settlements as well as life products. Serving more than 25 million customers, GEFA also offered long-term care coverage, term life insurance, supplementary accident and health benefits, auto, and lifestyle products to provide consumers with lifestyle protection and enhancement.

Before GE, Parker worked at IBM for 11 years in Sales and Marketing. After completing his M.B.A., he worked for Morgan Stanley in Corporate Finance. He then joined Automatic Data Processing as Vice President & General Manager and progressed to Division Vice President.

A native of Pittsburgh, Parker earned a B.A. degree in political science from University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Parker has appeared as an expert on panel discussions and featured in several publications and broadcasts outlets such as New York Times, CNBC's Power Lunch, Associated Press, Security, Sarasota-Manatee County Business Magazine and Black Enterprise.