SEAFOOD INDUSTRY RESEARCH FUND - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board & Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board & Officers Team
Bill Herzig began his 23 years career at Rich-SeaPak, in St. Simons, Ga. He worked his way up to senior VP of operations, procurement, quality assurance and commodity sales before taking a position as director of seafood purchasing for Darden Restaurants in 1997. Two years later, he became VP of seafood purchasing, and later became president of Darden Aquafarms, a lobster aquaculture facility in Malaysia. Bill received GAA's 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board & Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board & Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Research Grant Recipient Presents at the Institute of Food Technologists
The Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF) is always happy to see its research grant recipients thriving in the field. Dr. Kevin E. Mis Solval, a recent grant recipient, and his team recently presented preliminary findings at the July Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) conference in Chicago. Mis Solval and his graduate research assistant, Joinul Islam,… Read more »
A seafood industry leader for over 25 years, George started his career with Shamrock Fisheries. In 1983, George established Rainbow Seafood Incorporated. George is well known in the seafood industry from north to south and east to west. He believed that work should not be stressful and while his philosophy was to do a good job, he encouraged folks to have fun every day.
Job Titles:
- President of Central Seaway Company
Gershon Feigon founded Central Seaway. He pioneered the importation of seafood from new sources worldwide and was one of the first American businessmen to establish commercial ties with China. He began importing shrimp from China in 1975 before the Cultural Revolution ended. Mr. Feigon also worked as an economist for the federal government for several years in the pre- and post-war periods.
Ethel Feigon, a Psychologist and wife to Gershon Feigon, became President of Central Seaway Company (Censea) after her husband's death in 1983. After Gershon's passing, Ethel Feigon ran the company well into her 80's increasing revenues tenfold. Her husband, Gershon Feigon, founded Censea in 1960.
Job Titles:
- Sales and Marketing Administrator
Jack Kilgore joined Rich's in 1978 as a Sales and Marketing Administrator. After excelling in a series of positions, he was appointed president of Rich's Consumer Brands Division in 2004. With 32 years of experience in the food industry, Jack also served as chairman of the National Fisheries Institute in 2002. He recently agreed to serve as a founding board member of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board & Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board & Officers Team
Joel Kolen was the president of Empress International. He also served as president of the National Fisheries Institute and chairman of the Seafood Industry Research Fund board. Joel was pivotal in rebranding the Fisheries Scholarship Fund (FSF) to now the Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF). Joel retired from his SIRF chairmanship position in 2012.
John Peterson was the president of Ocean Beauty Seafoods and a long time NFI board member. He served NFI as chairman from 1972-1973.
John Connelly was the President & CEO of the National Fisheries Institute, America's leading trade association advocating for the entire seafood supply chain. He also served as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Seafood Industry Fund. John served as Chairman of the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations, a Board Trustee of the Marine Stewardship Council, on the Boards of Directors of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, and ALLFISH Board, a public-private partnership with the World Bank.
He was a fierce advocate for the men and women of the seafood community and beloved industry leader. During his extensive travels he always found time to send handwritten postcards to friends and family.
Connelly previously held business leadership and advocacy positions at the American Chemistry Council, the chemical industry's trade association. He was a U.S. Naval Officer aboard ship and recently retired as a Captain in the Navy Reserve, with specializations in political-military affairs.
Connelly graduated from The College of the Holy Cross (History). He also received a Masters in Business Administration. He and his wife Margaret enjoyed skiing, tennis, and hiking with their four children at their house in Ireland.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board & Officers Team
Former chairman and CEO of Darden Restaurants, Joe Lee was named to this position on May 29, 1995, when Darden Restaurants split from General Mills Restaurants. Mr. Lee began his career at General Mills in 1967 as a member of Red Lobster's founding team and manager of the first Red Lobster in Lakeland, Florida. When General Mills bought the fledging seafood chain in the 1970s, he was named president and CEO.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board & Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board & Officers Team
- Secretary
- Treasurer
Mark D. Leslie was High Liner Foods's Vice President of Business Development. Mark helped guide the company's growth for one of our industry's largest processing concerns in shrimp. In addition, as a board member of the Better Seafood Board, Mr. Leslie dedicated his considerable talents to combating seafood fraud and protecting our industry's reputation. As a strong community activist, he has volunteered as a board member for Catholic Charities North and the River House.
Mike Gorton, Sr. is the chairman of Slade Gorton & Co, Inc., and a longtime member of the SIRF board. He led fundraising activities through a friendly game of hockey. In 2015, he retired from the SIRF Board of Directors. Now bearing Mr. Gorton's name as the Gorton Cup, Mike marked 2018, his 25th Anniversary as a player and Captain of NFI's Hockey Team to be his last game. His efforts culminated in a total of $1.7 million in donations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board & Officers Team
- Director / History
Job Titles:
- Owner of Motivatit Seafoods and a Champion of the Louisiana
Mike Voisin was the owner of Motivatit Seafoods and a champion of the Louisiana seafood community. He helped found the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Boad in 198 4, giving unified voice to a vital and iconic Gulf Coast industry. Mike also served on multiple boards, including the 2009 chairman of the National Fisheries Institute.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board & Officers Team
Pete Cardone founded Harbor Seafood in 1975. He started his career as a general food brokerage in Canal Street and eventually grew his company into an international seafood importer and exporter. Pete used his extensive experience as a chef to become a successful and respected food broker. He discovered a passion for seafood after working with the Wakefield line and moved Harbor Seafood away from brokerage, into importing and packaging seafood. Pete served as chairman of NFI from 1990 - 1991, and a long-time supporter and board member for SIRF.
Rich Catanzaro passed away in 2004 at the age of 49. Born in New Jersey, Rich moved to San Antonio, Texas when he became Director of Seafood Procurement and Merchandising at H.E. Butt Grocery Company. Rich led the H-E-B Seafood department for nine years in which time he tripled sales. He was an innovator in marketing seafood within grocery stores.
Rich was a leader on the National Fisheries Institute Executive Committee and active in the Special Olympics, National Shrimp Processors, International Shrimp Processors, Gladys Porter Zoo, and the Blessing of the Fleet. He contributed to "Seafood for Dummies" and "H-E-B's The Cooking Connection's Seafood Recipe Collection". He also helped rebuild the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles in the Gulf Coast.
The scholarships associated with the Rich Catanzaro Memorial Scholarship Fund are used to better understand the market dynamics of selling fish and seafood - an area in which Rich was an innovative leader.
Mr. Gutting also served as general counsel for fisheries of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, counsel for the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation of the U.S. House of Representatives and as legal advisor to the President's Council on Environmental Quality. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Jimmie B. Cook, his son David J. Gutting and his wife Monica of Santa Rosa, California, his daughter Gretchen E. Curtis of Menlo Park, California, four granddaughters Alondra Gutting of Santa Rosa, CA, Linnea Gutting of Santa Rosa, CA, Natalie J. Curtis of Menlo Park, CA, and Stella M. Curtis of Menlo Park, CA. He also leaves one sister Anne L. Gutting of Huntington, NY. His family thanks Richard's many friends and neighbors for the extraordinary love and support as he battled his final illness.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director for Red Chamber
Rick Martins is the Executive Director for Red Chamber Group and a seafood industry leader for over 40 years. He served twice as NFI Chairman, from 1985 and in 2006. He remains active in the leadership of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, the California Fish and Seafood Institute, and the American Seafood Distributors Association.
Robert Brophy was the president and chief executive officer of Icicle Seafoods from 1980 to 1994.
Robert Gruber was the president of Bluewater Seafood Incorporated of Cleveland, Ohio. He also served as an executive with Kroger Company. Mr. Gruber led NFI as chairman from 1963 to 1965.
Roy Martin was a professional staff member of the National Fisheries Institute for 27 years. After a 17-year career with Swift Company, Mr. Martin joined NFI as Vice President of the Science & Technology Department. His responsibilities included long-range development and communication of technologies to aid future advances in the seafood industry, among which included smoked fish research, aquaculture drugs, HACCP, shellfish regulation, and Codex standards. Culminating his 42 years in the food industry, Roy retired from NFI as Senior Vice President.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board & Officers Team
Russell Mentzer was the president and CEO of King & Prince. He is a seafood veteran, a leader, and an advocate for ensuring the seafood community is supporting research that advances the industry. In May 2012, Russ assumed the role of chairman and continued to lead SIRF successfully and retired in 2019.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board & Officers Team
Tom Elliott was an executive for Slade Gorton & Co, Inc. He was very active in seafood issues in California. A native of Lombard, IL, Tom made his mark in the seafood industry by co-founding and running TEMA, a successful commodity seafood import brokerage company in San Francisco. He also served as a regional VP and general manager at Slade Gorton. He was the president of the California Seafood Institute from 1977 to 1978, and the chairman of the National Fisheries Institute from 1988 to 1989. He followed with many years of service on NFI's board of directors.
Wally Gordon was the president of Mid-Atlantic Foods. He owned a seafood cannery in Pocomoke City, Maryland. Mr. Gordon was described as extremely outgoing and lots of fun by his wife Jackie. He played a big role in the original concept of the Discovery Center & Museum and truly believed in what it would do for the city of Pocomoke. Wally Gordon had worked for Quaker Oats and other food companies before deciding to start his own outfit.
Wally Stevens is an outstanding leader of 47 years in the seafood industry. His seafood career includes the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), Slade Gorton (over 17 years), Ocean Products, and Booth Fisheries. Before entering the industry, Wally served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era, assisting with transporting men and materials to and from Southeast Asia. He was an integral part of GAA's growth as well as the expansion of its Best Aquaculture Practices certification program. He served as NFI chairman in 2001, co-founded the NFI Future Leaders Program, and was inducted into the Boston Seafood Hall of Fame.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Eastern Fish Company
Bill Bloom is the founder of Eastern Fish Company, located in Teaneck, New Jersey. Mr. Bloom became a member of the National Fisheries Institute in 1974. He served as chairman for NFI in 1998, a position held by his son, Eric, ten years later. He was an avid supporter of SIRF. In 2011, the SIRF Board of Directors established a memorial fund for Bill in recognition to a true leader in the seafood industry.
Evan Bloom is the son of Eric and Joyce Bloom and the grandson of William Bloom, founder of Eastern Fish Company. The Blooms are long time supporters of SIRF.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board & Officers Team