Seattle Fish Company & Lombardi Brothers Meats are excited to announce that Phil Newton has been promoted to the role of Center of the Plate Specialist. In this role, Phil will work directly with our sales team and our customers to share more information on the growing number of “center-of-the-plate” proteins we offer.
Phil started his career at Seattle Fish Co. in April 2016 and has worked in almost every operations position, which makes him uniquely qualified for this new role as COP specialist. Most recently, he was a member of our retail merchandising team, helping to educate seafood managers at the King Soopers/City Market stores in Colorado. He’s also been an avid fisherman and wild game hunter for most of his life.
After Seattle Fish Co.’s acquisition of Lombardi Brothers Meats, it became important to have someone on the team who is dedicated to learning and sharing everything there is to know about the many proteins we offer, including angus beef, chicken, pork, lamb, wild game, and, of course, seafood! Phil’s responsibilities will include sampling, expanding product knowledge and placements, building on existing relationships with customers, menu ideation, and much more.
In his time at SFC, Phil says his time developing a seafood training program for Kroger was his most memorable project. “We developed a 6-hour training course from scratch for Kroger to train all of their seafood employees on selling, cutting and handling fresh & frozen seafood,” says Phil. “It also taught them the biology and life cycles of all the seafood they handle. Many of these folks start behind the seafood counter but don’t have a base knowledge of the products they are selling, and we wanted to ensure they had the proper training to interact with the consumers who buy their seafood from Kroger.”
“I’ve watched Phil grow and expand into every role he has had at SFC,” says Brandi Mata, Lead Gourmet/Certified Angus Beef Specialist. “His experience across the company gives him a dynamic perspective for problem solving and implementing new processes. He uses every opportunity he can to gain knowledge and lift up everyone around him. You can’t walk through this building without running into someone that would say ‘Oh Phil! I love that guy!'”
If you are interested in meeting with Phil to discuss any of our products, email him at pnewton@seattlefish.com or ask your sales rep for more information!
Get to know Phil Newton better by reading his Q&A below!
What are you the most excited about experiencing in your new role at SFC?
Working with all of the amazing chefs we have here in Colorado!
What are your favorite ways to unwind outside of work?
I like gardening, cooking, snowboarding, going to the shooting range, spending time with family and friends, and most importantly eating!
What’s your favorite seafood? How do you like to prepare it?
Being from Cleveland, any preparation of walleye hits the spot. I spent many years fishing for walleye with my grandfather, so it holds a special place in my heart.
