After seven years promoting the succulent taste and versatility of wild Alaska pollock to new market heights, Craig Morris is embarking in April to lead another major seafood firm.
Morris is stepping down as chief executive officer of the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) to become president of Keyport LLC, a major processor and supplier of wholesale wild-caught crab and frozen seafood.
The leadership change in both Seattle firms was announced on Feb. 24.
"Without a doubt, the highlight of my time at GAPP has been the people in the Alaska pollock industry," Morris said. "Never before had I met such an amazing group of patriots who love their country so much and work so hard to provide one of the most sustainable proteins on the planet to customers and consumers around the world.
"Together we tackled Alaska pollock's greatest challenge, namely taking the fish from an anonymous whitefish to a well-known brand with strong recognition and positive perception," he said. Accepting the leadership role at Keyport "was a once-in-a -lifetime opportunity I couldn't pass up, but leaving GAPP is certainly bittersweet," he said.
Morris said he felt he'd had the most impact with the entity's partnership program. "The resources that GAPP's members provided this program were needed to persuade customers to take a bet, together, on building retail and foodservice brands around the name 'Wild Alaska Pollock.'
"I firmly believe that program can be credited with not only building demand during up cycles, but also softening the blow on Alaska pollock demand during economic downturns and negative demand cycles that all proteins face from time to time," he said.
His career in marketing dates back to 1999, when he served as deputy administrator for the USDA livestock and seed program.
GAPP board chairman Jim Johnson, the president and CEO of Glacier Fish Co., praised Morris as a leader who has raised awareness and created "real global demand based on the attractive attributes of the fish and the fishery, while highlighting the commitment of the industry to science-based management and continuous improvement.
"The work will never be done, and in particular, the Alaska pollock fishery is focused on raising the profile of the people and communities that both support and rely on this fishery," he said. That task also includes an emphasis on full transparency, monitoring, and robust peer-reviewed independent science that supports decision making, work more important than ever in our industry, he said.
Keyport CEO Mark Pedersen said Morris brings to Keyport experience and industry relationships that will increase the company's ability to aggressively expand the Keyport brand of wild-caught crab and other frozen seafood in the years ahead.
"We feel very optimistic about the future of crab and seafood in Alaska, and Keyport's role in it," he said. "We harvest wild hunted resources so there is always a natural level of variability."
Keyport will continue expanding thoughtfully, whether that's new products, new partnerships, or broader distribution, while remaining aligned within our operating model," he said. "Rising costs are not unique to Keyport. We've been doing this for 30 years and have a good operating model that does its best to control costs."
GAPP officials said that in the coming weeks, they plan to work with Morris to ensure an orderly transition and begin an executive search to fill the CEO post. Morris said he would be with the Keyport team during the upcoming Seafood Expo North America in Boston this spring, meeting with their partners and clients.
