Jerry Dowd, president of Trident Seafoods, died of a heart attack on 6 August.
Dowd, 60, was on vacation during an annual flyfishing trip at the Sportsman’s Lodge in Igiugig, Alaska, with several members of his family and close friends.
“Nothing prepares us for such a loss, and I want you to know that I understand your own feelings of shock and grief, just as I understand the shock and grief of Jerry’s wife Patti, his brother Tommy, who was at his side in Alaska, his sisters Margaret, Ronnie and Kathleen and his two beloved children, Sean and Meghan, son-in-law Roger and his granddaughters Patti Mae and Mary Anne,” said Chuck Bundrant, Trident founder and chairman, in a letter to company employees.
Bundrant went on to encourage Trident employees to focus their thoughts on “the blessings that Jerry brought to us as colleagues and as friends, and extend your prayers, your hands and your hearts to his family in Atlanta.”
Dowd joined Trident in 2004 as a business adviser to top management and was appointed president of Trident’s domestic operations in August of 2006. His leadership, determination and knowledge of the food industry were inspirational to all who worked with him in and outside of Trident. The company’s retail, national accounts and foodservice sectors grew substantially as a direct result of his good business sense, his personal drive and the wide respect he had earned from customers during his 40-year career in the food industry.
Dowd began his career in 1973 with Swift and Co., moving to Tyson Foods in 1979, where he spent the next 20 years in a variety of senior-level sales, marketing and operations positions and was eventually named senior VP and general manager of Tyson’s Foodservice Division. During his tenure at Tyson, Dowd helped grow the division from gross sales of USD 100 million to USD 2.7 billion by the time he left to join ConAgra Foods in 1999. ConAgra Foods brought Dowd aboard as president and COO of the ConAgra Foodservice Poultry Co. Maintaining his stride, Dowd grew ConAgra Poultry into a USD 2.5 billion division, the third largest poultry processor in the United States.
At the time of his death, Dowd was spearheading a major expansion of Trident’s China operations, moving the company into a new and promising international market. Trident Executive VP Joe Bundrant said, “Nothing can replace Jerry’s experience or sound guidance, but we were blessed by his tireless drive, his effective leadership and most of all, his personal friendship. We will count on his spirit to carry us forward and we won’t let him down.”
Dowd’s family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made in memory of Gerard A. Dowd ‘73 VSB, to Villanova School of Business, in care of Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Ave., Villanova, PA 19085.
