Another Milestone Moment

It has been a long run bringing our 21st century aquaculture system to operational status. 

(I have detailed some of the setbacks we have encountered in earlier blog posts). 

Ironically, the technology and operational parameters we have developed since 1999 within our company have never fallen short of our goals and production targets. It has been the politics of partnerships and personalities of greed that have hindered our growth as a company. 

That said, those days are truly far behind us. 

Simply put, today we grow shrimp larger, faster and in greater densities then any other system in the world. 

And we do so, utilizing a natural, sustainable, environmentally-friendly, bio-secure production system 

While we are well aware of the exciting future we are facing with our company both here in the USA and abroad, the announcement below signifies another milestone as we progress toward profitability and sustainability as a true triple bottom company for the 21st century.

Having someone of Jim's stature as the CEO for all current and future Texas operations sends a very powerful and positive message to our investors and our team. 

"This company is growing and we will be a major shrimp and aquaculture producer in the very near future". 

JIM SALMON NAMED CEO

GLOBAL BLUE TECHNOLOGIES – CAMERON

Port Isabel, Texas – 20 August 2012:  Global Blue Technologies – Cameron today named James E. Salmon the company’s Chief Executive Officer handing him direct responsibility over the company’s goal of creating a vibrant, organic, bio-secure shrimp aquaculture industry in Texas.

“Jim Salmon is singularly qualified for resurrecting Texas’ moribund shrimp aquaculture industry and thereby placing the United States, for the first time, among the world’s leading quality shrimp producers,” said Stephen LaPointe, President of the Global Blue Technologies USA.

Mr. Salmon’s credentials include Past Chairman and President of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) representing U.S. seafood interests from the fishing fleets at sea to seafood retailers and restaurants throughout the nation. 

After service during the Vietnam War flying, commanding and training U.S. Army AH-1G Cobra attack helicopter forces and earning degrees in marketing and management including an MBA in Finance from Stetson University, Mr. Salmon was tasked with responsibility for the more than billion dollar budget for purchasing all seafood and other commodities for the 1100 Red Lobster, Olive Garden, China Coast and Bahama Breeze restaurants as Senior Vice President of General Mills Restaurants Inc. (now Darden Restaurants Inc.).

His extensive experience in the U.S. seafood industry extends from a youthful stint on a Mississippi shrimp trawler and supervision not only of General Mills’ restaurants but also daily oversight of the corporate re-supply warehouses and seafood processing system down to providing fuel, ice and docking space for fishing vessels.

Mr. Salmon is an authority on the domestic and global seafood industries including resource management, supply, marketing and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) standards for seafood products at the retail and restaurant levels.  He has served as a guest lecturer on seafood marketing and purchasing at Cornell University and as an Advisory Board Member of the University of Florida Aquatics Laboratory.

Once the nation’s leading producer of farmed shrimp, Texas’ aquaculture (built on the archaic, open-pond technology) like the U.S. (and disease-ravaged global) shrimp farming industry in general has been in a steady downward spiral since its peak years from 2003 -2006.  Throughout the nation, major farms in Florida and the bulk of small South Carolina farms closed.  Texas open-pond shrimp farms declined from over 20 in 2007 to five today in part because of disease and economics, in part because of decisions to switch from shrimp to fin fish (cat fish, striped bass, red drum) production.

Global Blue Technologies – Cameron has a proven bio-secure, zero-discharge system that produces chemical and antibiotic free, environmentally friendly, organic U-10/50 gram shrimp unique to the industry.  GBT-Cameron also recognizes the facts that the U.S. is the world’s largest market for shrimp and that the nation has a $4 billion annual trade deficit to feed that appetite. 

Under Mr. Salmon’s leadership GBT-Cameron intends to increase annual production incrementally to reach its goal of 10 million pounds of organic shrimp and, once realized, provide more than 1000 quality jobs at its South Texas facilities.