Joel Kolen
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2007
Joel Kolen was the president of Empress International. He also served as president of the National Fisheries Institute and chairman of the Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF) board. Mr. Kolen was pivotal in rebranding the Fisheries Scholarship Fund (FSF) to the SIRF. He retired from his SIRF chairmanship position in 2012.
Peter V. Cardone
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2007
Peter Cardone founded Harbor Seafood in 1975. He started his career as a chef and used his culinary experience to expand Harbor Seafood from a general food brokerage into an international seafood importer and exporter. Mr. Cardone discovered a passion for the seafood industry after working with the Wakefield line. Pete served as chairman and president of the National Fisheries Institute and was a board member and longtime supporter of SIRF.
Wallace R. Stevens
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2006
Wally Stevens is an outstanding leader in the seafood industry. His seafood career includes the Global Seafood Alliance (GSA), Slade Gorton, Ocean Products, and Booth Fisheries. Before entering the industry, Wally served in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1965, assisting with transporting men and materials to and from Southeast Asia. He was an integral part of GSA’s growth as well as the expansion of its Best Aquaculture Practices certification program. Mr. Stevens served as the National Fisheries Institute chairman in 2001 and co-founded the NFI Future Leaders Program. He was inducted into the Boston Seafood Hall of Fame in 2017.
Robert P. Brubaker
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2006
Robert P. Brubaker, a veteran U.S. Air Force Pilot, began his career in the food industry at General Foods Corporation in New York. He went on to serve as the vice president of marketing for King & Prince Seafood in 1967 and later became the company’s director in 1971, president in 1980, and then CEO and chairman of the board in 1995. Mr. Brubaker was also involved with the National Fisheries Institute from 1981 to 1992 and served as chairman in 1988. He retired in 2004 to spend more time with his family and engage with his hobbies.
Joseph R. Lee
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2005
Joseph R. Lee served as the chairman and first chief executive officer of Darden Restaurants after the company split from General Mills. Mr. Lee started his career at General Mills in 1967 as a member of Red Lobster’s founding team and manager of the first Red Lobster in Lakeland, Florida. He then became CEO of the chain. Mr. Lee later served as the president of the National Restaurant Association.
Wally M. Gordon
Memorial Fund
Established 2005
Wally Gordon founded Mid-Atlantic Foods Inc., a seafood cannery in Pocomoke City, Maryland. Mr. Gordon was described as extremely outgoing and lots of fun by his wife Jackie. He was also very active in his community, as he was involved in the redevelopment of Pocomoke City and served on the board of the Pocomoke River Discovery Center, a river heritage center. Mr. Gordon previously worked for Quaker Oats and other food companies before he decided to start his own business.
George J. Davidson, Jr.
Memorial Fund
Established 2004
A seafood industry leader for more than 25 years, George J. Davidson, Jr. started his career with Shamrock Fisheries. In 1983, Mr. Davidson established Rainbow Seafood, Incorporated. Mr. Davidson is well known in the seafood industry and believed that work should not be stressful. While his philosophy was to do a good job, he encouraged people to have fun every day.
Rich Catanzaro
Memorial Scholarship Fund
2004
Richard Catanzaro passed away in 2004 at age 49. Born in New Jersey, Rich moved to San Antonio, Texas when he became the director of seafood merchandising, procurement, and product development at the H.E. Butt Grocery Company. Mr. Catanzaro led the seafood department at H-E-B for nine years, where he tripled sales. He was an innovator in marketing seafood within grocery stores.
Mr. Catanzaro was a leader at the National Fisheries Institute and active in the Special Olympics, National Shrimp Processors, International Shrimp Processors, Gladys Porter Zoo, and the Blessing of the Fleet. He contributed to “Seafood for Dummies” and “H-E-B’s The Cooking Connection’s Seafood Recipe Collection.”
The scholarships associated with the Rich Catanzaro Memorial Scholarship Fund are used to better understand the market dynamics of selling fish and seafood – an area in which Mr. Catanzaro was an innovative leader.
Richard F. Gutting
Memorial Scholarship Fund
2014
Richard Gutting received his law degree from Stanford Law School and graduated in 1968. He went on to pursue a 45-year career in law, government service, writing, and teaching. Mr. Gutting served as general counsel for fisheries of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, counsel for the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation of the U.S. House of Representatives, and legal advisor to the President’s Council on Environmental Quality. He also served as the president of the National Fisheries Institute and partner at the law firm Redmon, Peyton & Braswell.
2008
Abbot Weitzer served as the president of Arista Industries, Inc. Before entering the seafood industry, he served in the South Pacific with the Army in World War II. Once he retired, Mr. Weitzer volunteered with SCORE, an organization that assists people trying to start their own businesses. He enjoyed golf and dancing and was devoted to his family.
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