Blanton Phillips “grew up,” quite literally, with the Phillips organization, which was founded about 6 months before he arrived. After working summers in the business during high school and college, Blanton came on board officially in 1991 as a recruiter, before progressing to branch manager. Since then, he has filled a number of key roles in the company, ultimately taking on the role of President and CEO in 2009. He has overseen substantial growth and development of the company, as well as diversification into supplemental business lines and services that have made Phillips an industry leader and innovator.
Blanton earned a BA degree from Duke University in 1991 and an MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1996. He serves on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, as well as the SC Staffing Association, the Greenville Area Parkinson Society, SubAir Systems, and Meridian Resources.
He lives in Greenville and enjoys golf, listening to music, watching sports, and spending time with his two children, Sam and Sarah, and their dog, Daisy.
President of Phillips Staffing, Ed Parris is a senior human resource professional with over 30 years of experience in every facet of human resource, including personnel staffing, training, wage and hour administration. His experience includes serving as corporate H.R. Director of a large international consumer products company and H.R. Manager at Milliken & Co. For the past fifteen years, Ed has consulted with an extensive list of Upstate manufacturing companies, including automotive, consumer durables, medical devices, health care products and metal manufacturing companies. He is particularly well known for understanding the corporate culture and specific industry requirements of his client companies, especially in the area of human resources and workforce readiness initiatives.
Ed is Past State Director of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and has also served as Workforce Readiness Director. He is an active member of the Anderson Area SHRM and Pickens SHRM and a past director of Greenville SHRM. Ed was recognized for his involvement in economic development and named a South Carolina Ambassador for Economic Development by Governor Mark Sanford. Most recently, he was named among the top four finalists for 2013 & 2014 South Carolina Human Resource Professional of the Year. Ed currently serves on the Triune Mercy Center Board, the Greenville Chamber Advisory Board, and the Clemson MBA Advisory Board.
With 28 years of experience in executive leadership, business ownership, development and training, Rick has led a multi-million dollar training and organizational development business, introducing advanced hiring, assessment, change management and leadership training systems for companies of all sizes. He also has owned/run a chain of restaurants.
A native of Lexington, Kentucky, he earned his B.S. in Psychology from the University of Kentucky and a Master’s in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Clemson University. He resides with his wife and youngest son in Powdersville, South Carolina.
