From the Jungle to the Boardroom: A Vietnam Veteran’s Journey
Thu Jan 29 2026
Bob Parsons is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran. He earned the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry for his service in Vietnam. After returning home, Parsons used the G.I. Bill to attend the University of Baltimore, graduating magna cum laude, and later received an honorary doctorate from the university.
In 1984, he founded Parsons Technology after teaching himself computer programming, growing the company to nearly 1,000 employees before selling it to Intuit in 1994. In 1997, he launched Jomax Technologies, which later became GoDaddy, building it into the world’s largest domain name registrar and a global leader in web services.
Parsons is currently the founder and CEO of YAM Worldwide, overseeing a diverse portfolio of businesses that includes PXG (Parsons Xtreme Golf), real estate, marketing, finance, and hospitality. Alongside his wife, Renee, he co-founded The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, supporting causes such as veteran assistance, education, medical care, and homelessness. He is also the New York Times bestselling author of Fire in the Hole!, which chronicles his journey from combat veteran to successful entrepreneur.
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Bob Parsons is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran. He earned the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry for his service in Vietnam. After returning home, Parsons used the G.I. Bill to attend the University of Baltimore, graduating magna cum laude, and later received an honorary doctorate from the university. In 1984, he founded Parsons Technology after teaching himself computer programming, growing the company to nearly 1,000 employees before selling it to Intuit in 1994. In 1997, he launched Jomax Technologies, which later became GoDaddy, building it into the world’s largest domain name registrar and a global leader in web services. Parsons is currently the founder and CEO of YAM Worldwide, overseeing a diverse portfolio of businesses that includes PXG (Parsons Xtreme Golf), real estate, marketing, finance, and hospitality. Alongside his wife, Renee, he co-founded The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, supporting causes such as veteran assistance, education, medical care, and homelessness. He is also the New York Times bestselling author of Fire in the Hole!, which chronicles his journey from combat veteran to successful entrepreneur. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.