Mark Palicki has been promoted to president of Bensenville, Illinois-based Fortune Fish and Gourmet, a fresh and frozen seafood and specialty food distributor serving restaurants and grocers in the Midwestern U.S.
Sean J. O’Scannlain, president and CEO of Fortune International, the parent company of Fortune Fish and Gourmet, made the announcement of four promotions within the company, including Palicki’s, on Thursday, 18 January. Fortune International’s seafood-related holdings include Fortune Fish and Gourmet, Fortune Imports, the Coastal retail stores, and Lobster Gram.
Palicki joined Fortune Fish and Gourmet in 2006 as vice president of marketing with the goal of building a comprehensive marketing plan for the company. In subsequent years, Palicki also developed several successful private labels for the company and has led their plant improvement and design projects. In his new role, Palicki will oversee the company’s distribution and processing facilities in Bensenville and in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“Through his leadership and direction, Fortune has a nationally recognized seafood sustainability and marketing program,” the company said in a press release.
The other company promotions include Jon Novak, who was named president of Fortune Fish and Gourmet Minnesota and the two Coastal retail stores in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In his previous role with Fortune Fish and Gourmet, Novak served as director of new markets, and successfully led the opening several new markets, developing detailed sales and logistics plans, according to the company.
In addition, Ana Cabral has been promoted to vice president and general manager of Fortune Gourmet. She will oversee the gourmet division within Fortune Fish and Gourmet. Cabral was previously the director of new business development for the gourmet division and was in charge of the firm’s import portfolio.
Lastly, Michael Bryan has been hired as the senior vice president of strategic development of Fortune International and CEO of Lobster Gram. Bryan, who began his relationship with the company as a consultant in 2015, advising on overall growth and acquisition strategies, was hired in March 2017 as Lobster Gram’s CEO, after he assisted the company in purchasing the online vendor.
O’Scannlain will continue to serve as president and CEO of Fortune International, with each of the leaders of the subsidiaries within Fortune International reporting directly to him. The promotions will allow O’Scannlain to focus on the overall growth strategy of Fortune International, while directing each leader of the subsidiaries and guiding their direction, the company said in its release.
“As we continue to grow as a company, I look at how we got here, and I am proud that through that progress we have developed some really talented leaders,” O’Scannlain said. “It is an exciting and strategic time right now for Fortune and with these internal promotions and the addition of Mike Bryan we have the right people in position to continue our growth.”
