Food Lion Internships are a Pipeline to Opportunity
Published on Tuesday, July 30, 2024 at 9:55 a.m.
Brad Parsley (center) is surrounded by current and past Food Lion interns: Holden Rossi (Finance Intern, 2024), Sam Wright (Financial Analyst, Finance Intern, 2022), Dalton Honeycutt (Finance and E-Commerce Manager, Strategy Intern, 2017) and Brittany Blair (Financial Analyst, Intern, 2017).
Mocksville resident Brad Parsley is the finance director for Food Lion, headquartered in nearby Salisbury, but he started his career as a summer intern.
In celebration of National Intern Day on July 25, he’s looking back on his 22-year career and passing it on to the next class of interns.
It all began in the summer of 2001, when Parsley, an applied mathematics major at North Carolina State University, landed an internship in Food Lion’s accounting department. Despite having no formal finance background, he quickly adapted and made such an impression that he was invited back for a second summer internship in the finance department in 2002.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in the fall of 2002, Parsley began his career with the organization by being hired full-time as a financial analyst.
Over the years he has held various roles in finance, investment analysis and pricing, and is currently in the finance department, having been appointed director in 2017.
He says each of these experiences helped him demonstrate his adaptability and problem-solving skills.
“My career path is a testament to Food Lion’s supportive and open culture, where leaders truly understand and care about their employees,” he said.
He currently mentors interns in his department and is excited to give them the same opportunities he had.
“I like having internships as a pipeline; it’s a great way to give someone experience and sometimes get them to join the company,” he said. “I love my job and the variety it brings. Helping others make better decisions and solve complex problems is rewarding.”
Parsley’s journey serves as an inspiration for young professionals looking to launch their careers and highlights the opportunities Food Lion offers.
