Russell S. Mentzer
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2020
Russell Mentzer was the president and chief executive officer of King & Prince Seafood. He is a seafood veteran, a leader, and an advocate for ensuring the seafood community supports research that advances the industry. In May 2012, Russ assumed the role of chairman of the SIRF Board of Directors and continued to successfully lead SIRF before retiring in 2019.
Michael C. Gorton, Sr.
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2018
Mike Gorton, Sr. was the chairman of Slade Gorton & Co, Inc. and was a longtime member of the SIRF Board of Directors. Throughout his career, he raised more than $500,000 for SIRF. In 2015, he retired from the board of directors. He led fundraising activities through a friendly game of hockey, which is now named in his honor. Mr. Gorton served as captain of the National Fisheries Institute’s hockey team for 25 years before retiring in 2018. 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’ vice president of business development. He helped guide the company’s growth for one of the seafood industry’s largest processing concerns in shrimp. In addition, as a member of the Better Seafood Board, Mr. Leslie dedicated his talents to combating seafood fraud and protecting the industry’s reputation. As a strong community activist, he volunteered as a board member for Catholic Charities North and the River House. Mr. Leslie passed away in 2017.
Bill and Betty More
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2016
Bill and Betty More were instrumental in the success of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) program, a certification program run by the Global Seafood Alliance. 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. The Mores retired from the Global Aquaculture Alliance in 2015. Bill served as BAP director and Betty as BAP manager. The Bill and Betty More Living Memorial Fund honors their contributions to the seafood industry.
Michael C. Voisin
Memorial Fund
Established 2015
Mike Voisin was the owner of Motivatit Seafoods and an established lobbyist and advocate for the Louisiana seafood community. He helped found the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Boad in 1984, giving a voice to a vital and iconic Gulf Coast industry. Mr. Voisin also served on multiple boards, including as a commissioner for the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission and as the 2009 chairman of the National Fisheries Institute.
Ethel Feigon
Memorial Fund
Established 2015
Psychologist Ethel Feigon became president of the Central Seaway Company, now known as CenSea, after her husband – CenSea founder Gershon Feigon – died in 1983. After Gershon’s passing, Mrs. Feigon ran the company well into her 80s, increasing revenues tenfold. Ethel and Gershon’s son Lee went on to serve as vice president and later president of the company.
Jack Kilgore
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2013
Jack Kilgore joined Rich’s Consumer Brands in 1978 as a sales and marketing administrator. He was later appointed president of Rich’s Consumer Brands Division in 2004. With 32 years of experience in the food industry, Mr. Kilgore also served as chairman of the National Fisheries Institute in 2002. He recently agreed to serve as a founding board member of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership.
Richard V. Martin
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2012
Richard “Rick” Martin founded Meridian Products and served as the executive director of Red Chamber Group, one of the biggest seafood suppliers in North America. He served as the chairman for the National Fisheries Institute twice, in 1986 and 2006. He remains active in the leadership of the Global Seafood Alliance, the California Fish and Seafood Institute, and the American Seafood Distributors Association.
Thomas E. “Tom” Elliott, Sr.
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2012
Thomas Elliott served as a regional vice president and general manager for Slade Gorton & Co. He started his career in the seafood industry co-founding and running TEMA, Inc., a commodity seafood import brokerage company based in San Francisco, California. Mr. Elliott also served as the president of the California Seafood Institute from 1977 to 1978 and later president of the National Fisheries Institute from 1988 to 1989. He passed away in 2014.
Susan B. Chamberlain
Memorial Fund
Established 2012
Susan Chamberlain, wife to George Chamberlain, was a central force in establishing and growing the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), the world’s leading aquaculture certification body that is now known as the Global Seafood Alliance. She managed the GAA office in St. Louis, helped organize its annual GOAL meeting, and spearheaded the evolution of the “Global Aquaculture Advocate” from newsletter to magazine and online publication.
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