Gary L. Parish is a graduate of the University of Maryland, holding a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration.

His first entry into security was as Bureau of Criminal Investigations Detective. Entering the private sector in 1979, he created the first online validated vision system for pharmaceutical label security in the United States. In 1981, he was the first to use laser scanners for on-line bar code verification in packaging, introducing 2D and Code 128 for packaging. In 1982, he developed the first vision system for verifying product authenticity by image analysis.

In 1982, Parish assisted J&J’s McNeil Pharmaceutical Division after Tylenol bottles were removed from the shelves at the stores where they were sold, filled the capsules with cyanide and returned them back to the shelves at a later period. Parish introduced a combination of imaging, new bar code technologies and developed an automated inspection system for McNeil Pharmaceuticals 25 production lines. The integrated system incorporated over 27 inspection tasks to identify products and assure the security of the package, including shrink bands, correct labels, and production date and lot codes.

As CEO of Complete Inspection Systems, his latest innovation is the HD Barcode™, which he feels is the future of 2D barcode technology. HD Barcode™ can contain up to 703,000 characters of encrypted data, including covert codes, and full color images. HD Barcode™ provides the ability for absolute positive ID without the use of the Internet. Manufacturers can incorporate the HD Barcode™ into packaging allowing for immediate identification, package verification, track & trace information and marketing incentives. Using Smartphone technology the HD Barcode™ can be scanned and decoded without requiring an Internet connection.

Parish has authored and co-authored multiple articles for various technical publications and has won numerous awards for innovation. Most recently in 2013, CIS won the Department of Commerce award for Exporter of the Year in Safety and Security in the United States.