Industry veteran Bob O’Bryant has been named as the replacement for Pat Rogan as the head of Cannon Fish Company (CFC), the seafood processing and marketing firm owned by the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association (APICDA).
APICDA is one of six Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) corporations established in 1992. The group controls a portion of Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands quotas for groundfish, halibut and crab and exists to support the rural Alaska villages of Akutan, Atka, False Pass, Nelson Lagoon, Nikolski and St. George.
APICDA acquired Cannon Fish, a seafood value-added processing and marketing company based in Seattle area, in August 2013. The purchase completed APICDA’s vertical integration as a seafood company that harvests, processes and markets wild Alaska crab, pollock, cod, black cod, halibut and salmon from the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean.
“CFC has matured since APICDA acquired it in 2013; now is the right time for new leadership to maximize our potential,” APICDA CEO Larry Cotter said. “Bob has the industry experience, passion and demonstrated leadership necessary to bring CFC successfully through our next phase of innovation and growth.”
According to an APICDA press release, Rogan will remain with the company through June 2017 “to help ensure a smooth and successful transition.”
O’Bryant previously worked as vice president of sales and marketing for Bellingham, Washington‐based Bornstein Seafood. He has also worked at Pacific Seafood Group, where he served in many capacities, including marketing director, general manager of smoked salmon producer Salmolux, and as the general manager of Starfish. At Starfish, he helped a successful gluten‐free breaded seafood line.
“It is an honor to assume the position of President of CFC and help APICDA fulfill its mission to sustain rural Alaska villages through the Community Development Quota (CDQ) program,” O’Bryant said. “CFC is a solid company with a great future and I welcome the opportunity to work with our dedicated team of employees to increase profitability and strengthen the organization. It will be a pleasure to help bring world-class Alaskan products to market and tell the story of the resource, the communities we serve, and the concept of fair harvest.”
