CEO + Co-Founder
Levelwing
Steve Parker, Jr. is the CEO + Co-Founder of Levelwing, a digital marketing firm offering media, social and analytics services to help businesses market and operate with greater clarity and profitability. Founded in 2002, Levelwing is headquartered in Charleston, SC. In 2013, Levelwing was recognized for the fourth consecutive year on the prestigious Inc. 500|5000 list for Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America. Levelwing has also been named one of the Best Places to Work in the state of South Carolina.
Today, Parker works from the Charleston headquarters and speaks across the country at business and marketing industry events and conferences, as well as leads the company’s overall directional activities. Having begun his career in Internet media in 1995, Parker is recognized as an industry authority; a featured speaker at conferences and events around the world, his writings have appeared in various publications, including syndication to WSJ, Fortune and Entrepreneur. In December 2012, Parker was recognized by the American Marketing Association as Marketer of the Year for co-founding and advocating on behalf of The Collective For Good, a nonprofit industry collaboration of digital media professionals. In addition, Parker was named one of the Top 100 Most Inspiring People in Life Sciences by PharmaVoice Magazine, and in 2011, received an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® Award for North & South Carolina. Parker was also named one of Charleston’s Forty Under 40 in 2012.
Parker grew up in Nashville, TN, and following graduation from Western Kentucky University with a degree in Healthcare Administration; he began his career with Fortune 500 Company Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation. There, Parker helped to build the company’s digital media efforts into one of the largest and most successful of its kind among all US Corporations, including recognition as having built the leading consumer health website on the Internet.
After Columbia/HCA, Parker worked for America’s Health Network, a fledgling cable health network. During his time there, he launched the Internet division, including a series of live streaming events such as the first live-birth on the Internet (still considered one of the leading streaming video efforts of all-time), thrusting AHN into mainstream and growth from 15MM households to 40MM+, leading to acquisition by News Corporation.
Next, Parker went to start-up Medscape and launched HealthWatch by Medscape in conjunction with CBS. Finally, prior to Levelwing, Parker worked at iVillage, again assisting to build out extensive Internet media-related efforts for the company. Steve has been part of two Fortune 500 Corporations and two separate start-up IPO’s.
“Data is a lion. It doesn’t need to be defended; it only needs to be let out of its cage.” – Steve Parker, Jr.