The Gorton's Way
The Gorton’s Way is to provide our consumers and customers with products and services that surpass their expectations.
The Gorton’s Way includes:
- An intense focus on satisfying the consumer first, last, and always
- A commitment to providing competitively superior products and matchless customer service
- An organization and individual dedication to always doing things right and to doing the right things
- A strong belief in the importance of all our people, their ideas, and their ability to take ownership and make a difference
- A partnership with all our business associates that is based on clear requirements and superior execution
- A restless dissatisfaction that causes continuous learning, changing, and improving
- An extraordinary responsiveness to what needs to be done, made possible by effective focus, teamwork and communication
Our Crew
Judson Reis - President & CEO
I am a lifelong New Englander, born just down the coast in Salem, Massachusetts. While my family moved around a lot when I was young, the North Shore has always been home. So, after completing my degree at Dartmouth College and an MBA at the Columbia Business School, I felt like I was coming home when I came to work at Gorton’s. After 19 wonderful years here, I’m feeling especially lucky to be leading this great company today.
My wife Lisa and I are now empty nesters, with 3 grown children in college, 2 in Massachusetts and one in Vermont. While we don’t get the chance to see them as often, we are enormously proud of the remarkable young adults they have become!
When I’m not at work my pastimes include rooting passionately for my beloved Boston Red Sox, learning more about wine (particularly visiting wine country in California when I can) and getting involved in our local community by serving on the board of the North Shore United Way and my church. Lisa is also very active in the Gloucester community, volunteering at our local hospital, Addison Gilbert, and at the Open Door/Cape Ann Food Pantry.
Sarah - Sales
I began working at Gorton's in July of 2002 in the Financial Management Associate program, after graduating from Bentley College with a Finance degree. Over the past 5 1/2 years, I have had a number of different roles at Gorton's: Customer Finance Associate, Financial Analyst, Customer Marketing Analyst, and most recently Manager of Partnered Growth, which is our Category Management program within the Sales Department. Working in these varied roles at Gorton's has broadened my knowledge, skills and experience. Over the years, I have been able to apply these skills and really make an impact in each of the jobs I have taken on. With each new role, there are new people that I get to work with and learn from, which truly is the best part of Gorton's. The people really make this a great and fun place to work.
I grew up in Connecticut and made the choice to stay in the Boston area after college. I am currently living in Somerville, which is a great place to live and is really convenient for getting into the city. When I am not working, I enjoy playing softball, skiing, and cooking as well as spending time with friends and family. I also spend time volunteering for Big Brother Big Sisters and am a member of the Junior League of Boston.
Bruce - Customer Finance
I've been with Gortons now for over 30 years, which seems like yesterday. During those years I've had a variety of opportunities within the company ranging from warehousing, distribution, manufacturing, IT projects and my latest assignment, Customer Finance. Throughout these experiences, the one thing that hasn't changed is the friendships I've developed over the years in these roles. In my current role, I've had the privilege to work with a hardworking, dedicated team of individuals that has made being a manager a really "fun" thing. I also am a member of the Gorton's Donation Committee, a group that reviews where and how funds are dispersed within the community. Living in the community and seeing the positive impact Gorton's has on many local organizations has always generated a sense of pride in my company. Born and raised in Gloucester, working at Gorton's has been the perfect fit.
I have been married for over 33 years and have two grown kids. My son's passion is music and he has a reggae band called Mile 21. My daughter is a recent grad of the University of Massachusetts, with a degree in Nursing.
Our family has always been close and centered around our loves, which are the ocean and the beach. We've had a boat all our lives and currently own a 34' sport fishing boat that we spend many weekends living aboard. Fishing for striped bass and hauling my own lobster traps gets me up early on the weekends in the summer. And in search of the endless summer, we recently found a condo in Jupiter, Florida that has given us a break from the New England winters.
Mary Beth - Research & Development
I joined Gorton's in the fall of 1996, a week after the Research & Development department moved into a new building. This was early enough to have a choice of all the new offices, but after all the boxes had been moved and unpacked. Perfect timing!
After years of graduate research and coursework, I was very happy to put my learning to work. The R&D department is responsible for creating new products and improving our current items. There is always something new happening, and Gorton's has kept me moving and interested from the beginning. We have a fantastic team at Gorton's, which makes work fun. With every day being different, I am constantly challenged and always learn something new.
Moving to the Gloucester area has been terrific. Having never lived near the ocean before, I've become a convert and now may never be able to leave. Greg, my partner, and I have taken up sea kayaking, and in the summer we enjoy paddling around the coastline and local harbors whenever possible. Having such nice summer weather here, we tend to take our adventure vacations in the spring and fall. Traveling is a great love, and we have been lucky enough to make it to five continents so far.
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Jeremiah - Engineering
I began working at Gorton's in April of 1999 as a Manufacturing Engineer immediately after graduating from the University of Maine with a mechanical engineering degree. Over the past 9 years I have been involved with all aspects of engineering here at Gorton's from continuous improvement initiatives to implementing many automated systems. My current role as Director of Engineering consists of leading engineering efforts across all of Gorton's facilities as well providing technical resources for other departments. Gorton's has provided me with the ability to advance my career in a short amount of time. It's a great place to work with great people.
I originally grew up in central Maine about 4 hours north of Boston. My wife, Janna, and I moved to the North Shore area 9 years ago. We enjoy many outdoor hobbies, and are quite busy with the recent addition of our very own little fisherman, whose favorite color is also Gorton's yellow, as you can see in the photo on the right!
Danielle - Customer Finance
After graduating from Bentley in May 2007, I started at Gorton's in the Financial Management Associate Program. My first position, in Customer Finance, has really helped me understand what Gorton's is all about. I work with people in various departments throughout the company, which has helped me see how our business works as a whole. What I love about Gorton's is its history and people, without either of which, we would not be where we are today!
I am originally from Connecticut, but moved to the Boston area when I started college at Bentley. I currently live in Salem with my boyfriend, Zach, and our ferocious cat, Samuel Adams (Sammy). The Northshore of Boston is a great place to be and offers fun things to do year-round. In the winter, we plan on spending our weekends skiing / snowboarding. And in the summer, sun, sand, and ocean are all I can think of! I like to consider my second career as being a Professional Beach Go-er (I think I got this from my Mom). And last summer, my Dad starting teaching me and Zach how to windsurf. Zach and I love to travel and are looking forward to a trip to Paris this coming fall, where we both studied abroad. I am currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Finance at Bentley - only a couple years to go!
Deb - Sales
I've worked at Gorton's for 20 years. To some, that may sound like a long time, but there are many others with just as much service and plenty with even more. We have a 25 Year Club at Gorton's and I just found out that there are close to 200 members! I started out my career at Gorton's in the Customer Service Department then moved on to Office Services. Shortly after that I was offered a position in the Sales department as Administrative Assistant. In 1994 I did a brief stint as Human Resources Assistant prior to having my first child. Three months later I came back to the Sales Department and have been there ever since. After moving around those first couple of years, I finally came to realize that the sales department was for me with its very busy environment and interesting and ever-changing challenges. Gorton's has been the best place to work. Along with the great benefit of living in the same town as my job, I get to work with so many nice people. The atmosphere is very friendly around the office. Everyone works very hard but also has a good time while doing it. It is really like a big family where everyone truly cares about one another.
I was born in Cape May, NJ and moved to Gloucester when I was 12. My husband Bob and I were married in 1991 and have two children, Dustin and Cassie. I love living in New England and specifically the beautiful seaport town of Gloucester. The ocean and its beaches are the best. I enjoy beaching & boating, reading, gardening, movies, camping, kayaking, softball, and The Boss. Oh yea, and my favorite food is seafood!
Bob - Maintenance Planner and Kathy - Production
Kathy & I were both born and raised here in Gloucester. We have 3 children, Melissa, Sara & Shawn. Melissa attends college in Boston, where she has had an exciting first year with the Patriots winning their 3rd Super Bowl and the Red Sox finally winning the World Series. Sara & Shawn attend Middle School here in Gloucester and keep us on the run with baseball and soccer games, not to mention their busy social lives.
We spend a lot of time together, going on vacations, cruising in our boat or just anchoring off of Wingersheak Beach enjoying the Cape Ann summer.
Kathy & I have a combined 52 years of service with Gorton's. Gorton's is Gloucester; Gorton's is like family. There have been many friendships, relationships and marriages that have started here at Gorton's. Most people that come to Gorton's stay and become long term employees with the hopes of retiring and enjoying Gloucester and this beautiful New England area.
The attached picture is of our last family vacation to St. Thomas, V.I.
'Go Pats!' 'Go Red Sox!'
Commitment to the Environment
Gorton's Yellow Goes Green!
Environmental responsibility and preserving our natural resources goes beyond our long-time commitment to sustainable fishing practices. It also involves reducing the environmental impact of the work we do and the products we make. As a leader in frozen seafood, we believe that we must also be a leader in environmentally responsible practices, and set a positive example in our industry and our communities.
Seafood Sustainability
We stand behind the promise that our customers can "Trust the Gorton's Fisherman." We take this promise seriously, and it applies not only to the quality of products we make, but to how we make them. Gorton's actively supports environmentally responsible management of our natural resources as a way to ensure that our consumers will always have access to healthy and quality seafood products well into the future. Keeping this idea alive and well is a job we must do every day.
Gorton's recognizes that the increased demand for seafood can put significant pressure on our natural resources. As an industry, and in collaboration with important partners, we need to proactively influence seafood sourcing to prevent harm to the surrounding ecosystems. We recognize that future generations are relying on us to make sound decisions today that allow for long-term economic health and environmental integrity of our seafood resources. As a global leader in frozen seafood, Gorton's is committed to protect and enhance the sustainability of seafood resources and is acting responsibly to address this by:
- Purchasing from environmentally responsible fisheries, farms and suppliers, and eliminating unsustainable products.
- Working with our suppliers to ensure traceability and continuous environmental improvement.
- Encouraging innovation in developing new sources of sustainable seafood.
- Identifying collaborative partnership opportunities both within and outside the seafood industry and supporting the scientific research needed to advance a sustainable seafood supply.
- Advocating for responsible fishery and farm management practices through our active participation in federal, state and local management bodies and with conservation organizations and leading trade associations.
- Communicating, both externally and internally, our progress and measurable performance in relation to our public commitment to advance seafood sustainability.
The consideration of seafood sustainability is an integral part of Gorton's responsible purchasing strategies and operations. Our seafood resources will be safeguarded for the future if we all work together to protect and properly manage the world's marine resources, habitats, and ecosystems.
Other Ways We're Going Green
While seafood sustainability is a top priority at Gorton's, there are many other efforts we are making to go green:
- Installed new energy efficient lighting resulting in a 40% reduction in electricity usage
- Reduced water usage by 8 million gallons a year
- Increased utilization of rail freight by 76% at our Specialty Products location, which reduces green house gas emissions by 2/3 vs using trucks, and saves 9,000 gallons of diesel fuel
- Saved 11 million pounds of material by reducing carton board strength
- Continuous "Lean and Green" program with suppliers encourages sustainable practices and green initiatives
- Testing small scale alternative energy generation
Photo Credits: Jim Ryan and Tom McPherson
