Chris Rosenberger is president of Atlanta-based Inland Seafood, which was started in 1977 and has grown to be the largest seafood distributor in the southeast United States, a leading packer of Maine lobster and a supplier of non-seafood specialty products for thousands of restaurants and retailers.
SeafoodSource: What is Inland’s history and how has the company has evolved since it was started. What are the core business strategies or principles that have been the foundation of the company since its inception?
Rosenberger: Inland Seafood was founded on the simple philosophy of supplying our customers with the best quality seafood available with the best service in the industry. We are the largest full-line processor and distributor of more than 2,000 fresh, frozen, smoked and specialty seafood items in the Southeast and also offer a full-line of gourmet specialty foods, including antibiotic-free, hormone-free meats, game and poultry, cheeses, olives, oils and so much more through Inland Specialty Foods.
We supply more than 5,500 restaurants and 2,000 retail outlets and have a complete processing plant on-site, including butchering, packing, frozen storage, lobster tanks, cooking facilities, test kitchens and more. As the largest seafood distributor in the Southeast, one of the leading packers of Maine lobster, and one of the most innovative companies in our industry, Inland Seafood has built its strong reputation over 40 years by providing quality products to our customers that are tailored to their needs.
SeafoodSource: Talk about the intersection of the seafood and gourmet sides of Inland Seafood, what this means for your relationships with your customers and how it fits with your overall business strategy.
Rosenberger: Our business has always been built on delivering exceptional quality food and long-standing relationships with our customers. As we are continually training our employees due to the fluidity of our business, we are here to help our customers serve their customers and that takes expertise, knowledge, innovation and passion. The value-added portion of our business, combined with our strong restaurant and retail presence, affords us greater purchasing power, allowing us to offer more variety and value to our customers. This diversity is vital to our growth and sustainability as a company.
SeafoodSource: What do you consider to have been your biggest business challenge thus far, how did you address it and what did you learn from that experience?
Rosenberger: Our biggest challenge has always been exceeding the increasing standards that we set and that our customers have become accustomed to expect. We rely on Mother Nature, government regulation and other companies in our industry to do the right thing; and that can be challenging. It would seem that Mother Nature is the most volatile, but it is actually getting everyone in the industry to live up to the highest of standards. This is why training is at the core of Inland Seafood’s success.
SeafoodSource: On the achievement side, what do you consider to be your company’s greatest achievement and why?
Rosenberger: Building a solid company that is helping to enhance the lives of our people. Inland Seafood has always been a leader in sustainability, food safety and quality; long before there was a sub-culture monitoring it. It has always been in our DNA to protect the oceans and land that provide for us. The equally important part of the answer is people. We have nearly 900 employees, and those people have families that rely on them to provide. Inland is proud to be able to add value to their lives with income, health care and community. Outside of our employees, Inland Seafood has thousands of vendors and contractors who make their livings with us. We do not take that responsibility lightly.
SeafoodSource: What is the key to continued growth and success for Inland Seafood?
Rosenberger: To be better tomorrow than we are today, to be more innovative tomorrow than we are today and to challenge our industry to do the same.
SeafoodSource: Given the opportunity to address a room filled with seafood industry leaders such as yourself, what is the one nugget of wisdom you would offer them as your closing remark?
Rosenberger: You should run your business the way you should run your life – by doing the right thing. There are no shortcuts to success or profitability. You need to always do the right thing by your customers and your employees.
