Gary discovered his passion for business development and finance, enrolling in the Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York’s CBMP, advanced management training program, taught by Harvard and Columbia business school professors. He then joined the fixed income securities department where he sold government and money market securities to fortune 100 clients. While at JP Morgan, Gary founded an international importing company with the first president of Kenya’s daughter, Kristina Kenyatta Pratt. His entrepreneur spirit also led to the development of building several food-related projects throughout the East Coast. Gary’s entry into social networking started via his founding and financing the NYC based magazine “CITY,” one of the first free urban magazines in the United States. CITY was a precursor to Facebook and other social networks, prior to the launch of the Internet.
After JP Morgan, Gary built his own corporate finance firm in New York City, assisting middle market food-related companies with mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance. Gary founded and managed successful businesses in Boston, New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Prague, Czechoslovakia, and Nairobi, Kenya. Gary began to specialize in retail and institutional food and beverage capitalization and sales/exit facilitation. He is well known throughout the food industry as one of the founders of the “Home Meal Replacement” industry. In 1995, Gary was recruited by Circle K Stores Inc., to manage a 217-store fresh food program, and develop a hybrid grocery/restaurant, prepared foods store by the name of Emily’s Market. Emily’s Market, Harry’s in a Hurry and Brinker’s “Eatzi’s”, collectively started the disruptive combination of grocery store, convenience store and restaurant, all under one roof in the late 1990’s.
Gary then joined Hunter Wise Financial Group, a California based NASD/FINRA investment banking firm, as the partner in charge of mergers and acquisitions, where he specialized in buy-side representation for private equity groups seeking to acquire food-related companies. Following his tenure at Hunter Wise, Gary became President and CEO of Abercrombie & Kent Town Clubs, a division of Abercrombie & Kent, one of the world’s most prominent travel & safari touring companies.
In the mid 2000’s, Mr. Pryor also acquired and sold several food related businesses including USDA certified frozen food manufacturing companies, as well as developing multiple restaurants throughout the United States.
Gary’s business career continues expose his passion for “building successful businesses where merchants have increasing net margins”. Gary’s passion of developing new businesses has now merged with his historical background in private equity, capital management, customer service and transactions analytics.