Work Experience

Pontus VIII

At Pontus VIII we acknowledge the challenges involved in running a successful business.  Exceeding customer expectations, growing profitability, managing cash flow, meeting governance requirements, dealing with staffing, driving product development and innovation – the list goes on and the demands and decisions are continuous and stressful.

Add a global pandemic to an economy undergoing significant stress and a political environment full of uncertainty, the challenge is multiped many times over.  Indeed, many businesses will become financially distressed while others will be required to restructure in order to survive in the new economic reality.

At Pontus VIII, we provide business improvement and advisory services.  Our services, based on decades of hands-on management experience, focus on the following core capabilities.

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

GOLDING FARM FOODS, Winston-Salem, NC

President / Team Size: 5 / 200

2023 – Present

Business Successes & Outcomes: Restructured the sales and broker network to focus on channels, customers, and products that align with manufacturing strengths | Introduced a targeted sales prospecting process driving a 30% revenue increase in 18 months | Improved gross margin through manufacturing enhancements including a 70% reduction in downtime,  a 30% increase in RTFT, and a 20% improvement in bottle speeds | Implemented sales/production planning and inventory management processes raising customer service levels above 99% and reducing inventory losses by two-thirds | Established a “winning” corporate culture improving morale and reducing turnover by clearly communicating goals and expectations.

Leadership Achievements:

• Led an organizational overhaul across sales, operations, logistics, quality, finance, and human resources following COVID-related challenges; the new team has immediately impacted corporate culture and business performance.
• Improved profitability by evaluating customer sales, exiting unprofitable segments, improving factory efficiencies, and focusing the sales team on products/channels aligned with the company’s manufacturing/logistics strengths.
• Implemented performance metrics across the organization, upgraded financial processes & controls, and reduced the monthly close process to 5 days.

PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL SABBATICAL (2020 – 2022)

BUMBLE BEE SEAFOODS (BBS), San Diego, CA

1999 – 2019

President & CEO | Team Size: Direct – ~11 | Indirect – 4K (At peak)                   

Business Successes & Outcomes: Grew EBITDA from $43.1M to $148.6M – 8.6% CAGR | Increased Gross Margin from $89.6M to $229.5M – 6.5% CAGR | Expanded Gross Margin as a percentage of sales from 15.2% to 23.2% | Grew Net Sales from $590.9M to $990.2M – 3.5% CAGR (in a declining category) | Increased EBITDA as a percent of sales from 7.3% to 15.0% | Increased share of premium Albacore segment in the U.S. to ~50% | Grew share of total shelf-stable seafood category from <20% to 33%+ | Expanded Clover Leaf share in Canada to ~50% of total shelf-stable seafood sales.

Leadership Achievements:

• Led the turnaround of a bankrupt organization in 1997 to a valuation of over $1.5B, drove six strategic M&As, and continued as President & CEO through each transaction, becoming the largest individual shareholder.
• Reorganized the business structure, revamped the management team, and rebuilt the premium brand position, focusing on cost reduction and diversification into the shelf-stable protein and Ready-to-Eat meal segments.
• Key M&A included acquisitions by ConAgra Foods, Centre Partners, Connors Bros Income Fund (reverse merger onto the Canadian stock exchange), and Lion Capital, culminating in a $1.51B valuation by Thai Union in 2014.
• Overhauled the company’s cost structure by building a global supply chain with direct access to critical fishing grounds, low-cost labor, and favorable tariff structures, transforming it from a high-cost operator to a low-cost producer.
  • Diversified sourcing from the Atlantic to the Pacific and Indian oceans, becoming the only organization with operations across all three oceans; secured a competitive advantage through global fisheries access and fish price arbitrage.
  • Further optimized costs through a co-pack agreement with Chicken of the Sea and supply / co-pack agreements with processing facilities in Trinidad, Colombia, Mauritius, Fiji, China, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
• Deployed a 3-pronged strategy optimizing sales and trade marketing through pricing discipline, proprietary pricing software, and a hybrid sales organization with defined performance objectives, tracking progress daily across the U.S. and Canada.
  • Leveraged innovative practices and technology, integrating scan data from AC Nielsen and IRI with SAP while earning BBS recognition as a ‘Category Advisor’ for improving shelf-stable seafood performance at major retailers.
  • Grew BBS into NA’s largest and most profitable branded seafood company, achieving the #1 position in shelf-stable seafood and #2 in poultry; drove sales growth and expansion into new channels through a national brokerage relationship.
• Recognized as a “democratic yet decisive” leader, streamlined company objectives focusing on people, culture, clients, and stakeholders; conducted competitor analysis; developed differentiated strategic plans; clearly communicated goals and fostered a collaborative, inclusive work environment.
• Led the creation of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, setting industry standards for responsible fishing policies and sustainability.
  • Enhanced transparency by driving initiatives to provide fish sourcing and processing details online and implemented strict procurement policies to prevent by-catch of non-target species.

Advised U.S. government agencies on seafood sustainability and traceability policies, collaborated with Google to evaluate blockchain technology in the fishery industry, and funded electronic monitoring of fishing vessels.

CONSULTANCY EXPERIENCE

Strategic Advisor & Business Consultant

2018 – Present                  

Provide consulting services to startups and private equity firms on diverse aspects of operating businesses in the F&B industry. Advise on feasibility studies, M&A, portfolio management, customer acquisition, new product introduction, and cost reduction.

• Mentored a San Diego-based Agri-tech company on varied aspects of business strategy and sales/customer development while supporting capital-raising activities.
• Company developed and now owns patented technology to convert agricultural by-products into high-protein animal/aqua feed products, with the potential to help alleviate global hunger.
• Assist several private equity firms in conducting due diligence on potential acquisitions and evaluating profit improvement at portfolio companies. Sit on several Boards and actively mentor company management.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

Heinz European Seafood and StarKist Seafood Company

1991 – 1999

Managing Director – Paris (1998 – 1999) | Group VP – Global Procurement & Operations, Newport, KY (1996 – 1998) | VP – Procurement & Business Development, Newport, KY (1992 – 1996) | VP – Business Development, Long Beach, CA (1991 – 1992)

Earlier Roles

1982 – 1991

A. T. Kearney Management Consulting, Los Angeles, Germany & Singapore (1986 – 1991) | TRW Inc., Redondo Beach, CA (1983 – 1986) | 7-Up Bottling Company of Southern CA – Division of Westinghouse, Vernon, CA (1982 – 1983)