Carlton N. Parker Award for Outstanding Service

The Carlton N. Parker Award for Outstanding Service is the most prestigious award presented by the National Purchasing Institute (NPI). The criteria for receiving the award, as established by the Board of Directors, require that the nominee must have made outstanding contributions to the development and progress of NPI and the public purchasing profession.

Being recognized by your peers for outstanding services is both exhilarating and humbling.  Any member of NPI in good standing may nominate someone for this award.  The nominee does not have to be a member of NPI.

Each year at the Presidential Banquet, the recipient of the Carlton N. Parker Award is announced.  The Carlton N. Parker award was formerly known as the Special Award for Outstanding Services (SAFOS Award).

History of the Award
At the March 1975 Board of Directors meeting, held at the Antlers Plaza Hotel in Colorado President Ed Smith established a committee to design and recommend procedures and policies for the purpose of awarding any special awards.  This committee would have the responsibility of the name of the award, how often it should be given and for what purpose.  Members of this committee were Bill Bonds, Dora Byington and Floyd Nesbitt.

The committee recommended that the award be named the Special Award for Outstanding Service (SAFOS).  The Boards of Directors accepted the name and directed the committee to nominate a candidate.  The first recipient, Anthony J. “Tony” Piperi, C.P.O. was awarded the SAFOS at the Conference in New Orleans in July 1975.  The last person to receive the Special Award for Outstanding Service was Ken Laverty, C.P.M. in 2001. 

In 2002, the SAFOS award was renamed the “Carlton N. Parker Award for Outstanding Service” to memorialize Carlton, who was the President of NPI from 1995 to 1997 and the recipient of a SAFOS award for his contributions to the advancement of NPI and the public purchasing profession.  The first recipient of this award was Yolanda Jones, C.P.M. of Las Vegas.

The 2007 recipient of the CNP award is Jack McCown, C.P.M.

Past recipients of the SAFOS or CNP Award are:

• Robert Ashby, C.P.M., CPCM
• John L Balentine, C.P.M.
• Jack Beacham, C.P.M., A.P.P.
• Dora Byington, C.P.M.
• Bill Bonds, C.P.M.
• Dan M. Brock, C.P.M.
• John W. Brooks, C.P.M.
• Wayne Casper, C.P.M.
• Arthur Croissant, C.P.M.
• Amorelle (Amy) Feille
• Beth Fleming, C.P.M., A.P.P.
• Henry Garcia, C.P.M.
• Sharan Gunn, C.P.M.
• Earl Hawkes, C.P.M.
• Bert Holfeltz, C.P.M., A.P.P.
• Yolanda Jones, C.P.M.
• Ken Laverty, C.P.M., A.P.P.
• Tammy Ma, C.P.M., CPPB
• David V Mackey, C.P.M.
• John Marshall, C.P.M.
• William A. Martin, C.P.M., A.P.P.
• Duncan D. McDonald, C.P.M.
• Jim Murray
• Carton Parker, C.P.M., A.P.P.
• Ronald Piperi, C.P.M.
• Tony Piperi, C.P.O.
• Mike Ryan
• Harold Shaw, C.P.M.
• Tom D. Shaw, C.P.M., A.P.P.
• Ed H. Smith, C.P.M.
• Stephen Topagna
• Roy L. Thomas
• Archie Titzman, C.P.M.
• Elbert C. Wood, C.P.M.
• Donald J. Woods, JD, C.P.M.