Ken Taylor has Peter Pan Seafood as vice president of purchasing, sales, and logistics, another important new hire for the recently acquired company.
Peter Pan has been on a hiring spree since it came under new ownership in January 2021, adding Jon Hickman to serve as its vice president of Alaska operations; Kevin Larsen as its vice president of domestic and international sales; Mark Foster as its chief financial officer; Shannon Grant as director of human resources; Steve Minor as its business development manager; Jonathan Thorpe as its manager of partnerships and sourcing; and Brody Pierson as its lead on domestic and international shelf-stable sales. It also named Gayle Janzow as manager of its Valdez processing facility and the promotion of Colby Boulton to plant manager at its King Cove facility.
Taylor has 36 years of experience in the seafood industry, most recently serving as sales director for Mowi North America.
“This is an exciting time to be involved in developing a nimble, growth-minded company that adds value to both our stakeholders and the end consumer,” Taylor said. “From management to processing to sales to relationships with fleet and stakeholders, I am eager to work with the entire Peter Pan team to develop processes that streamline and enhance our ability to deliver the highest quality seafood, sales and service on a global level.”
Peter Pan President and Chief Growth Officer Rodger May, who took on additional responsibilities at the company after Barry Collier stepped down as CEO and transitioned into an advisory role with the company in March, praised Taylor in a press release.
“Ken is a great fit for Peter Pan with his experience in building a sales force that is not only focused on customer relationships, but also that is energetic and responsive to customer needs,” May said. “His commitment will strengthen our mission to be a premier global supplier of the highest quality seafood.”
May also expressed excitement at adding Pierson to focus on sales of the company’s canned seafood products.
“Brody is one of a kind,” he said. “There aren’t many people doing what Brody does, specializing in sales for shelf-stable seafood products, and we’re so glad to have his expertise on the team.”
Pierson most recently served as domestic canned sales manager at Icicle Seafoods and OBI Seafoods.
“There are very few of us left in the industry focused on canned sales,” Pierson said. “I’m happy to have found a home at Peter Pan because Peter Pan is moving forward; We’re not going to be doing the same old thing that’s been done forever. For a long time, the canned businesses as a whole has been tall-can or half-can. We’re looking at doing more value-added products, more shelf-stable items, while at the same time supporting a well-established canned business because it is a product that people continue to be interested in.”
Photo courtesy of Peter Pan Seafood
