Four generations of the Swanes family from left to right: Ross Swanes (newly appointed 5th generation President), John Swanes (4th generation President), Oswald Swanes (2nd generation President), Vern Swanes (3rd generation President), and Carl Swanes (John and Pam's son and Legal Consultant to Northern Fish).

Ross Swanes has been promoted to President of Northern Fish Products.
 
Five generations of the Swanes family have owned and operated Northern Fish Products since 1912. Initially purchased by Johannes Swanes, a Norwegian immigrant, the transaction included a horse and wagon for fresh fish distribution. From this humble beginning, we have become one of the premier seafood suppliers in the Pacific Northwest. We are proud to be one of the oldest family owned and operated businesses in Washington State.

After graduating from the University of Washington in 1974, John Swanes came to work with his father, Vern and his grandfather, Oswald.  Like the generations of sons who came before him, he learned the ins and outs of the seafood industry from them and then applied his own unique skill set to grow the business. He became President of Northern Fish Products in 1988. In John's time at Northern Fish Products he has provided the leadership necessary to transition the company from a smokehouse operation to a vertically integrated seafood company. The Northern Fish Products' brand has become recognized for its high quality and service.
 
Ross worked at Northern Fish Products throughout his childhood and in college. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Puget Sound and went on to get a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. Ross had his sights set on continuing the family tradition of owning and operating Northern Fish Products from a young age. However, it was important to John that Ross get experience outside of the company to make sure it was what he wanted for his career and family. After earning his MBA, Ross worked in strategy consulting in Washington D.C. for several years before moving to Tacoma in 2007. At that time he began working with John and the experienced team at Northern Fish Products to learn about the seafood industry. Together, John and Ross have worked to expand Northern Fish's geographic footprint. Northern Fish Products' subsidiaries now include:

• South Bend Products - Dungeness Crab, Black Cod, and Salmon processor located on the Coast of Washington
• Prime Select Seafoods - Copper River Salmon and Alaskan Halibut processor located in Cordova, Alaska
• Northern Seafood Sales - Frozen brokerage and trading division in Mukilteo, WA

John is thrilled to be handing over the reins of this five generation family owned and operated business to his son, Ross Swanes. This is exciting news, but business will remain as usual. Ross has been acting as President for some time under John's guidance. John will remain Chief Executive Officer playing an advisory role to Ross and the Northern Fish family of companies. John and his wife, Pam, will also remain members of the Board staying involved as mentors and advisors.