SEATTLE, Wash.—Leading national and regional Wild Alaska Pollock customers will join a panel focused on the evolving consumer, future for Wild Alaska Pollock and the current ‘state of food,’ the annual Wild Alaska Pollock meeting to be held on October 17, 2022, at the Westin Seattle, the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) announced today. Key decision-makers from Nordstrom, Gorton’s, Arby’s, Lil Woody’s and Trident will join a panel during the afternoon session of GAPP’s annual event, to be moderated by Seafood News editor and annual meeting master-of-ceremonies Amanda Buckle.
“We titled this panel ‘We Get by With a Little Help from our Friends,’ because we truly feel like our customers are our partners and this industry wouldn’t be where it is without their commitment to our fish and their vision for the future,” said Craig Morris, Chief Executive Officer of GAPP. “We’ll have on this panel a mixture of customers who have participated in our Partnership Program as well as those customers who represent significant buyers of Wild Alaska Pollock—all sharing their thoughts on what’s next for our fish and how the consumer has changed the last several years.”
The executives that make up the panel represent a diverse perspective of purchasing channels, regional and national operations and vary in how they use and market Wild Alaska Pollock products. Panelists include:
- Chef Matthew Mackay, Regional Chef, Nordstrom;
- Jake Holbrook, Director of Marketing, Gorton’s Seafood;
- Analise Gonzales, Nutritionals, Proteins Sales & Business Development Manager, Trident Seafoods;
- Marcus Lalario, Founder, Lil Woody’s; and
- Jason Truelove, Manager of Product Development & Culinary Innovation, Arby’s.
“We told these panelists who generously are gifting us their time that this is their chance to candidly tell leaders in our industry what they need from us to meet their future goals and serve their future consumers,” said Morris. “We’ve brought the industry together to think about how Wild Alaska Pollock can continue to win—and we can’t do that without our customers. This is our chance to put our heads together.”
Other key customers will also present during special yet-to-be-announced sessions throughout the day. The meeting will begin at 8:00am and last until 5:00pm with a reception to immediately follow. Information about the event’s theme and a detailed agenda is available on the GAPP website.
In addition to Title Sponsors the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and Global Seas, GAPP would like to thank its other event sponsors: American Seafoods, Arctic Storm Management Group, Aquamar, Glacier Fish Company, Global Seafood Alliance, Port of Seattle, Resolve Marine, Trident Seafoods, UniSea Inc., and Urner Barry, Alaska Ship Supply, Beck Pack Systems, Delta Western (Northstar Energy), Diversified Communications, Golden Alaska, Gorton’s, Highland Refrigeration, Ketchum, Key Bank, Lafferty’s EMS, Northwest Farm Credit Services, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Petro Marine, Seafood Nutrition Partnership, Trans-Ocean Products United Catcher Boats, and Westward Seafoods, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF), Angulas Aguinaga, Baader, Beck Pack Systems, Clark Nuber, Eat Well Global, Fishermen’s News, High Liner, Homestreet Bank, HPN Global, Islandsbanki, Lafferty’s EMS, Simrad, Alaskan Observers, Inc, Aleutian-Pribilof Island Community Development Association (APICDA), Central Bering Sea Fishermen Association, Grow Girl Seattle, Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation, Perkins Coie, Restaurant Depot, Seafood 101, Sysco Pacific NW, Wells Fargo, and Wesmar Company.
