The Goldstein Brothers
Memorial Fund
Established 1993
Brothers Lewis, Stanley, Fred, and Sam followed in the footsteps of their father, Jacob Goldstein, who founded the Liberty Fish Company of Philadelphia in 1907. SIRF, formerly known as the Fisheries Scholarship Fund and then the Lewis Goldstein Memorial Fund, was established to honor former NFI President Lewis Goldstein, who died in a tragic plane crash in 1964.
Myer Bornstein
Memorial Fund
Established 1993
Myer Bornstein founded Bornstein Seafoods in 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression. His hard work and commitment put his company on the seafood industry map. These qualities and his daily slogan, “If you don’t trade with us, we both lose money!” were the order of the day. Mr. Bornstein was an important supporter of SIRF.
Gershon J. Feigon
Memorial Fund
Established 1991
Gershon Feigon founded Central Seaway. He pioneered the importation of seafood from new sources worldwide and was one of the first American businessmen to establish commercial ties with China. He began importing shrimp from China in 1975 before the Cultural Revolution ended. Mr. Feigon also worked as an economist for the federal government for several years in the pre- and post-war periods.
J. Roy Duggan
Memorial Fund
Established 1990
The founder of SeaPak Corporation, Roy Duggan, pioneered the frozen seafood industry. He purchased the King Shrimp Company, now known as King & Prince Seafood Corporation, one of the largest buyers of fresh shrimp on the East Coast. Mr. Duggan also served as chairman of NFI from 1969 to 1970.
Masashi Kawaguchi
Memorial Fund
Established 1987
A successful entrepreneur and a Japanese-American internment survivor, Masashi “Mas” Kawaguchi founded the Fishking Seafood & Poultry Company. Soon after, he opened a small processing facility near downtown Los Angeles, CA. This business became known as Mrs. Friday’s and was using imported Japanese panko to coat his shrimp and fish products. Masashi Kawaguchi was the first family to introduce Authentic Japanese Panko to the United States.
Russell S. Mentzer
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2020
Russell Mentzer was the president and CEO of King & Prince. He is a seafood veteran, a leader, and an advocate for ensuring the seafood community is supporting research that advances the industry. In May 2012, Russ assumed the role of chairman and continued to lead SIRF successfully and retired in 2019.
Michael C. Gorton, Sr.
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2018
Mike Gorton, Sr. is the chairman of Slade Gorton & Co, Inc., and a longtime member of the SIRF board. He led fundraising activities through a friendly game of hockey. In 2015, he retired from the SIRF Board of Directors. Now bearing Mr. Gorton’s name as the Gorton Cup, Mike marked 2018, his 25th Anniversary as a player and Captain of NFI’s Hockey Team to be his last game. His efforts culminated in a total of $1.7 million in donations.
Mark D. Leslie
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2017
Mark D. Leslie was High Liner Foods’s Vice President of Business Development. Mark helped guide the company’s growth for one of our industry’s largest processing concerns in shrimp. In addition, as a board member of the Better Seafood Board, Mr. Leslie dedicated his considerable talents to combating seafood fraud and protecting our industry’s reputation. As a strong community activist, he has volunteered as a board member for Catholic Charities North and the River House.
Bill and Betty More
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2016
Bill and Betty More have been instrumental in the success of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP). The Mores helped train auditors, prepare farms and arrange certification of 358 farms, 267 processing plants, 30 hatcheries and 26 feed mills. They were also pioneers in their own aquaculture operations. At the end of 2015, Bill and Betty More will retire. Bill currently serves as BAP Director and Betty as BAP manager.
Michael C. Voisin
Memorial Fund
Established 2015
Mike Voisin was the owner of Motivatit Seafoods and a champion of the Louisiana seafood community. He helped found the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Boad in 1984, giving unified voice to a vital and iconic Gulf Coast industry. Mike also served on multiple boards, including the 2009 chairman of the National Fisheries Institute.
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