Alaska seafood supplier and processor Keyport recently announced it had hired Craig Morris, who is the outgoing CEO of the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP), as its new president in order to help with the company’s “aggressive” growth plans, Keyport CEO Mark Pedersen told SeafoodSource.
Edmonds, Washington, U.S.A.-based Keyport is a wholesaler to both retail and foodservice customers and produces the Wild Choice value-added frozen retail line, which includes entrees such as Lobster Ravioli and King Crab Ravioli.
“Keyport’s business has been growing rapidly over the past 15 years. As we approach our 30th anniversary, we recognized what it would take to carry that momentum forward and that meant adding depth to our leadership team,” Pedersen said, adding that Morris brings “decades of leadership and brand-building experience across the seafood, agriculture, and protein industries.”
“Craig strengthens our leadership team and puts us in a strong position to grow the Keyport brand aggressively,” Pedersen said. “His leadership perspective, in addition to industry relationships, perfectly complement what we’ve built at the right moment in our growth.”
Mark and his brother Kurt, who is the COO of the firm, brought Morris on as the first non-family executive because of his “demonstrated experience in storytelling and brand building.”
“Where Craig adds value is strengthening the enterprise and helping tell the Keyport story more boldly,” Pedersen said. “We’ll continue expanding thoughtfully, whether that’s new products, new partnerships, or broader distribution, while remaining aligned within our operating model.”
Morris added that the lessons he learned at GAPP, where he helped market pollock and make it more competitive in the U.S. whitefish landscape, will be pivotal to his new work at Keyport.
“I will transition what I have been doing to brand Alaska pollock to building a brand around Keyport … and how we can distinguish ourselves in the market,” Morris said.
Though Alaska crab remains at the heart of Keyport’s business and “is foundational to who we are,” according to Pedersen, he said that the firm has successfully “expanded into complementary species where it makes sense for our customers and supply chain.”
“We’ll continue to evaluate opportunities that fit our quality standards, sourcing relationships, and long-term strategy,” he said.
Morris said he spent time with Keyport Founder Darryl Pedersen before he was hired and recognizes that bringing in a non-family member to a leadership position is “a big decision and one I don’t take lightly.”
“I feel unbelievably blessed … to have this opportunity,” Morris said.
Morris will officially start the position in early April, leaving GAPP after seven years at the organization.
“Wild Alaska pollock will always have a very special place in my heart, and I will always be the fish’s biggest fan. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I couldn’t pass up, but leaving GAPP is certainly bittersweet,” Morris said in a release.
