Food service industry veteran Rich Wolverton has rejoined Peter Pan Seafood Company as vice president of sales, bringing years of experience with a focus on seafood distribution to the firm. In addition, two other industry veterans have also joined the company.
Wolverton first worked in food sales for Peter Pan under previous ownership in 1989. In 2001, Wolverton served as president of the Northwest Fisheries Association. He also held a handful of roles at seafood companies before transitioning to Food Services of America in 2003 where he went from corporate category manager of seafood and poultry to director, then to vice president of category management.
With the 2019 buyout of FSA by US Foods, he led the FSA side of merchandising integration. Wolverton then launched his own consulting firm to assist companies in navigating the food service distribution space. He says when the opportunity arose for him to take his dream job at Peter Pan, he couldn’t pass it up.
His philosophy, he said, is to always have the customer at the center of the process. He has said that he plans to work with his team to develop the right products and solutions for customers, whether that’s the operator in health care, a restauranteur, everyday consumers or others.
His goal, he said, is to make it easy for people to choose to buy Peter Pan products because they’re developed with the customer in mind.
In other company news, industry veterans Michael Mussell and Matt Frazier have joined the executive staff of Peter Pan Seafood to focus on the firm’s value-added product line, according to company owner Rodger May.
Mussell’s role is that of executive vice president of projects, ingredients and canning; Frazier as a regional sales manager for the vertically integrated firm.
Mussell’s over three decades of experience in canning, Omega 3 oils and ingredient protein fractions is expected to play an important role in full utilization and value-added products, May said. Mussell’s career has included serving as chief operating officer at Austefoll Seafoods/Austral Group; lead of marine platforms at 3D Corporate Solutions and chief commercial officer of ingredients for Nutrimar, a part of the Kvera/SalMar group.
Frazier’s over 15 years in the industry includes every stage of the seafood process, from how fish are caught to how they’re sold on the retail level. His career has included work with Sysco, Sea Port Products, Direct Source Seafood, Northern Seafood Sales, Central Market Mill Creek and 10 years working on commercial fishing boats.