The food industry is a tough business that relies on tight planning and logistics, but today's guest has created a finely-tuned operation by taking advantage of tech innovations.
On this episode, we're sitting down with Sean O'Scannlain, who founded Fortune International in 2001. Since then, the company has grown both organically and through numerous acquisitions into one of the country's leading processors, distributors, and importers of quality seafood, meats and gourmet products.
It's no surprise that Sean is well respected in the seafood industry. Among many leadership positions, he’s a past chairman of the National Fisheries Institute, and he’s a founding member of SeaPak group of seafood companies dedicated to driving continuous improvement of social, economic, and environmental responsibility throughout the global seafood chain.
Highlights:
- Sean describes Fortune International's reach and background (3:04)
- How Sean started the business (3:54)
- How Fortune finds its customers (6:51)
- Industry changes, and new tech (8:43)
- How seafood travels (11:37)
- Using acquisitions to expand 14:20)
- Making acquisition decisions, and the finding the right fit (16:46)
- Fortune's most recent acquisition, and future growth plans (18:09)
- Direct-to-consumer project (20:05)
- The senior team at Fortune International (21:37)
- The current economy's effect on business (23:55)
- The company's total addressable market (25:16)
- Sean's favorite products, and locations for seafood (26:02)
Links:
Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer,
marion@lowerstreet.co.
What is Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders?
In the increasingly crowded and competitive corporate and financial ecosystem, it’s harder than ever for companies to break through the clutter and be heard. The media, investors, agenda-driven influencers, even customers and competitors, are defining your business story on their terms. Therefore, it is imperative that companies take control and proactively drive the conversation with stakeholders in an effort to build & maintain equity value.
In Welcome to the Arena from ICR, Co-Founder & CEO of ICR, Tom Ryan, interviews key business and financial players who influence the fate of public or aspiring public companies in the capital markets. As a former Wall Street Journal ranked sell-side equity analyst and the founder of one of the largest strategic communications firms in the world, Tom understands what it takes to navigate this complex environment.
This is a forum for CEOs, CFOs, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, financial journalists, private equity professionals and other financial community participants to share their stories and give advice in an open and candid conversation.
For more information, visit http://www.icrinc.com