Stephen H. Warhover
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2010
Stephen Warhover was the chief executive officer and president of Gorton’s Seafood. He started his career working as a marketing assistant at General Mills and worked his way to vice president and general manager. He was appointed CEO of Gorton’s Inc. in 1986 and retired in 2009. He is an alumnus of Dartmouth College and received his MBA from Kellogg Graduate School at Northwestern University.
Bill Herzig
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2010
Bill Herzig began his 23-year career at Rich-SeaPak Corporation, now the Rich Products Consumer Brands Division, in St. Simons, Georgia. He worked as the senior vice president of operations, procurement, quality assurance and commodity sales before taking a position as director of seafood purchasing for Darden Restaurants in 1997. He later became the vice president of seafood purchasing and then president of Darden Aquafarms, a lobster aquaculture facility in Malaysia. Mr. Herzig received the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
Charles H. “Chuck” Bundrant
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2009
Chuck Bundrant was the founder and chairman of Trident Seafoods, the largest vertically integrated seafood harvesting and processing company in North America. Mr. Bundrant started his career in the seafood industry as a deckhand on a crabbing boat in Alaska before founding Trident Seafoods in 1973. He struck several notable business deals with major corporations, including one with McDonald’s that made the company switch their fish sandwiches from cod to polluck. He also was very involved with fisheries legislation. Mr. Bundrant valued the employees at the heart of his company and said they were like family. He passed away in 2021.
Roy E. Martin
Living Tribute Fund
Established 2008
Roy Martin was a professional staff member of the National Fisheries Institute for 27 years. Mr. Martin joined the NFI as director of the science and technology department. His responsibilities included long-range development and communication of technologies to aid future advances in the seafood industry, among which included smoked fish research, aquaculture drugs, HACCP, shellfish regulation, and Codex standards. After 42 years in the food industry, Roy retired from the NFI as senior vice president.
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.
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