Inland Seafood hires its first-ever director of sustainability

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.-based Inland Seafood has hired Mary Smith as its director of sustainability, the supplier announced on 7 August. 

In the newly-formed leadership position, Smith will work closely alongside Inland’s marketing, sales, and purchasing teams, formalizing the company’s sustainability initiatives and developing engaging creative campaigns that effectively communicate the value of responsibly-sourced seafood to Inland’s expansive customer base, Inland said in a press release.

Smith’s experience – which includes stints working for Santa Monica Seafood and Chicago’s Plitt Company – as well as her marketing expertise and industry aptitude make her an ideal fit as Inland’s first-ever director of sustainability, according to Inland’s president Chris Rosenberger.

“We created this new position to really focus on our commitment not just to the future of our company but to the future of our industry as a whole,” Rosenberger said. “We are very excited to have Mary join Inland as our first director of sustainability. Her experience and hands-on seafood knowledge will be key to our continued growth and her enthusiasm means a great deal to us.”

The opportunity to join an employee-owned enterprise at a time of rapid development for the seafood sustainability sector was a prospect Smith couldn’t pass up.

“It’s a really exciting time for Inland. Working here gives me a chance to bring my diverse experience into a truly collaborative environment,” Smith said. “Being part of an employee-owned company is a huge motivator to innovate, and I am thrilled about the direction we’re taking with not only our retail and food service customers but with internal programs as well.”

For the past six years, Smith had been operating Springline Seafood, a direct marketing business based out of Sitka, Alaska, that focused on the troll-caught, frozen-at-sea king and coho salmon harvested by Smith and her husband. She continues to serve as the publisher and editor-in-chief of Edible Alaska, a quarterly magazine celebrating Alaska’s local food scene.

Smith, who has 15 years of experience working in seafood marketing and sustainability so far, holds a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing from Northland College, and an associates degree in culinary arts from the Culinary Institute of America.

Photo courtesy of Edible Alaska