July 23, 2025 • 14 mins
What do mermaids, tuna, and Pittsburgh have in common? Find out in our conversation with Andy Mecs, President of Chicken of the Sea! We’re talkin’ leadership, seafood, and how this hometown guy made waves in the industry.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
And welcome man. This is the CEOs You Should Know
podcast on your host Johnny Heart. Well, let's say hello
to Andy Mex, president of Chicken Up the Sea. Thank
you for joining me.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hi, Johnny, it's great to be here. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
So tell us everything we should know about your company.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Well, first and foremost, I'd like just talk a little
bit about how we're proud to be in Pittsburgh. I'm
native Pittsburgh and I'm proud to say that Chicken and
Sea is a Pittsburgh company and it's been a long
journey with this brand, but myself and a lot of
other Pittsburgh's we've been able to bring this brand here.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
We're on the North Side.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
And we are getting very involved in the community and
just proud to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Do you get any funny looks when you tell people
that from Pittsburgh that you're a president of a seafood
company and a landlocked city.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, it happens often, but I mean it really all.
It starts with Hia Hines and the eighteen hundreds when
he started Jardon Pickles, and when he did that, he
established Pittsburgh as a.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Is a city that that uh packs food.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Manufactures food, and hia Hines acquired all sorts of businesses
and then ultimately sold some of them off to del
Monte and uh it's where I worked with some of
my colleagues, and now we've been able to bring we
have we have the expertise here the consumer package, goods
expertise and and chicken. The Sea is A is A
is a Pittsburgh company, and the products are are generally
(01:33):
you know, packed, you know, many times in warmer areas
of the world, close to the equator fish where the
water is warm, so you can really locate the management anywhere.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
U has working in this market influenced your approach on
national branding and innovation.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
That's an interesting question.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I would say that, you know, there are so many
different ways to market these days, audio are very fragmented,
and so there are different ways we approach it. There's
some messaging that's really really more national, and then and
messaging that's more more targeted towards different demographics and geographies,
depending on the competitive set, depending on the consumer needs.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
The fact that we're in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
I don't know that it's changed our national approach, but
it's certainly changed some of our regional approach. We're honing
in on some different markets. We're definitely honing in on
the Pittsburgh market and we're trying to ensure that our.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Presence is out there. We have our we're advertising all
over the city.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
You can see us at the airport, you can see
us at the Pirates games, the Penguins games, and some
of the community partners that we're working with.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
You know, the last couple of years, your company has
gone through a lot of rebranding and transitioning and innovation,
and that coincide with you coming into the marketplace and
coming to Chicken out of the Sea. Is that part
of the process.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Yeah, absolutely so we might and I walked in the door.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
I've been the Chicken to see for four years now
and we're your number two in Pittsburgh. But yeah, basically,
this is a brand that that almost everybody has heard of,
has a lot of familiarity, a great legacy, but it's
gotten really stale and and not relevant so to a
lot of consumers. So yes, we've we've done a lot
of rebranding. We've updated our mermaid her name is Catalina.
(03:25):
We've updated our our logo, our all of our branding
across our products, our advertising, and we've launched new sorts
of products. We're reaching out to younger consumers. We have
a partnership now with McCormick, so so we exclusively are
like uh Day Seasoning. We were Frank's Red Hot launching
(03:46):
this fall. Little sneak preview here your first ones to
hear it with a ghost pepper product out there, So
adul tuna salad which is very popular. So and then
and then we're launching all sorts of products across the portfolio,
all sorts of seafood, not just to sam and sardines, mackerel,
and maybe exploring other proteins as well.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
You took the reins as president during a time of
big shifts and consumer behavior. What's what's been your biggest
leadership challenge and how did you tackle that?
Speaker 3 (04:19):
So when I walked in the door, it was it
was towards the end of the pandemic, the Great Resignation
was going on, and and I think a lot of
there's a lot of uncertainty. I think employees were scared
a little bit. I joined, and there are lots lots
of meetings, lots of virtual meetings, people just talking to
(04:40):
each other, presenting to each other, and so we had
to cut through that clutter. I canceled about half the
meetings uninvited about half the people from the other from
the meetings that remained, and put some marching orders in
that we need to do work, we need to we
need to dig in and figure and understand how we
need to differentiate ourselves.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
And at the time, we'd.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Kind of become a remote company and there were a
lot of people leaving, and so every time someone left,
we hired someone in Pittsburgh. And for the past year
and a half, I can say we've had zero attrition.
We have great culture now and and we're very, very innovative.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So tell me about your Pittsburgh team.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, so we have a group of people that they
came from.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
So actually, the funny thing is our competitor, Starkist was
owned by Dalmonte and then became a standalone company and
they were the Pittsburgh company for many, many years of
brand that people became familiar with, and their ownership decided
to move that brand from from the city.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
They're no longer in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
So Chicken the Sea is a brand in Pittsburgh, and
we brought a lot of employees over from there, we
picked up some great talent from some other places as well.
We have we have some leaders from from Hines and
PPG and US Steel and in some other places. But
really really strong group with a lot of a lot
(06:09):
of experience in the space.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
So tell me a why Pittsburgh, Why Pittsburgh? Why?
Speaker 3 (06:14):
What?
Speaker 1 (06:15):
I know your Pittsburgh guy, But how did Chicken of
the Sea end up here?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Well, I mean so, as I mentioned, we have a
lot of talent here to begin with. But also it's
a great market. It's a great market to locate a
company because Pittsford people are loyal, they tend to stay,
They tend to stay in the same place for five, ten, fifteen,
twenty years. We have a lot of people like that,
a lot of familiarity with each other. And also the
(06:40):
it's it's a it's a it's a less expensive labor
market than you know. Historically, this is a brand that
was on the West coast San Diego, Los Angeles, much
more expensive to employ people, and the retention rates were
a lot lower.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Chicken though the Sea has been a household name. And
I'd like to pick your brain because I think radio
is kind of in the same boat. It's something that
we all know and take take take for granted maybe,
but now we're trying to introduce ourselves as something new
and different. What was your mindset when you came to
(07:17):
rebranding and innovation and what can radio learn from maybe
what you've gone through.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yeah, So, I mean, I think that.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
One thing we want to do when we rebrand is
we don't want to lose our core audience, So we
don't want to go too far away from the brand
and its roots, the colors, the mascot, which is our Mermaid.
So all of our changes were very intentional. We left
breadcrumbs not to lose a core audience, but yet we
want to appeal to younger audience. So the way we're
(07:50):
playing with the graphics, so we were playing with the messaging,
our emphasis on digital marketing, on e commerce, it's on
different flavors. It's all appealed towards the younger audience, moving
more towards pouches rather than did cans. A number of
years ago, I said that a lot of millennials the
(08:11):
time didn't own can openers, and that got that got
a lot of uh gets some heat from that one,
but it's true It's something that is absolutely true. So,
but in any case, you want to retain your core,
but you want to appeal to younger consumers.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
And I think that I think that radio is the
same way, right.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
I mean, you have your core audience that has probably
always listened to the radio and may do so in
the same way, but there's a lot of shifting.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
There's a lot of shifting.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Towards podcasts and and and streaming rather than listening to
traditional radio. So I think that what we have in
common is you need to attract new audiences but also
find ways to retain your core.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
So tell me Andy's story. How did you get to
be CEO? What what led you up to now?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Yeah, so it's kind of I don't know, happenstance in
a way.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
So I've always been Pittsford guy, h pitt guy, earned
my JD NBA.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
So I'm I'm a lawyer.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
I'm also a businessman and and coming out of school,
wasn't sure what I was going to do. Talk to
a lot of different people, interviewed with law firms, interviewed
with companies, and ultimately decided that I was just much
more interested in business.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
I was interested in the corporate world.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
And one day there was a posting it del Monte
Foods and and I wasn't. I wasn't feeling like great
that day, a little bit under the weather. And I
was like, you know, how much money can you really
make selling food anyway? It's like, you know, canned vegetables.
And my wife encouraged me to go, and uh so,
(09:47):
so I did, and and I was impressed with what
I saw and heard. And that was on a Friday afternoon.
By Monday morning, they made an offer and I signed up.
And over twenty years later, I'm here. I am, but
I've done all sorts of different roles, sales, marketing, flip,
I've had our R and D teams, QA teams, corporate
(10:08):
affairs reporting to me. So I've learned a lot about
the business, learned a lot from other people, visiting factories,
visiting stores, customers, and over time I thought about, well,
how do you how do you improve this business?
Speaker 2 (10:23):
How do you run it like it's your business, like
it's your own money.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
And when you do that, and you collaborate with people,
and you get and you bring on the best talent,
and and you listen to some of their ideas that's
how that's how you succeed. And so I think we've
been pretty successful along the way and we have a
lot more to accomplished here.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
So you've gone through a lot of rebranding and transitioning
as as I mentioned, Have you seen progress and what's
the future look for your company?
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah? Absolutely, So I've been here for four years and
we've continuously grown our top line, our bottom line, and
now we're starting to see some share growth. Our household
penetration is growing, purchase rates by rate, purchase frequency, buy
rates are all growing.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Now.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
It's a very competitive marketplace and not just in our
specific business, but all all adjacent businesses, other categories. Private
labels becoming more prevalent. There's you know, some low barriers
to entry into these businesses. There are different brands that
are launched all the time. Like if you think of
like Craft Beers, same thing in the food industry. There's
(11:34):
all sorts of all sorts of insurgent brands. So so
it's not without challenge. But despite that, in this environment,
we've been winning, we've been growing, and we intend on
continuing to do so. And the way we're going to
do it is number one, We're going to be innovative.
We're gonna launch different sorts of products across the portfolio.
(11:55):
And secondly, we have an emphasis on sustainability. It's our
parent company, it's called High Union and they own many
different seafood brands around the world. It's a number one
food company, number one most sustainable food company in the
Dow Jones Sustainability INDECKS. We're number one on the Seafood
(12:18):
Stewardship Index, and so we're leading with that leadership. We're
going to the major retailers, major customers, and we are
going after you know, one win in at a time.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
I've always said Pittsburgher's take care of Pittsburgher's. And as
a Pittsburgh you mentioned that you've already started giving back
to the community. What are some of those initiatives that
you would like to share?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Absolutely so, a big one that we're very proud of
right now. American Diabetes Association has a lot, you know,
it links to our brand very well as we're selling
healthy products and so we're sponsoring the American Diabetes Association
Step Out Walk. It's gonna be in Pittsburgh on September thirteenth.
(13:05):
We have an ambitious goal. I think this year we're
trying to raise over seven hundred thousand dollars. So we're
not we're sponsoring it, but we're also you know, our
employees and our families. We're walking, we're securing donations, and
we're spreading awareness. So i'd encourage any any of the
listeners if you're interested in getting involved. It's step out
(13:28):
dot diabetes dot org and look up the Pittsburgh Walk
and look up Chicken in the Sea.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
But we're doing that.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
And in addition, we've been working with Sean Casey Casey's
Clubhouse Mircle League Baseball. We love doing that in the
South Hills. We just launched a partnership with the Pittsburgh
Zoo and Aquarium. So if you visit the aquarium, you're
gonna see you'll see a massive sea turtle. It's mounted
(13:58):
on the wall and it's made of discover guarded ghost
gear like old fishing gear that was left behind. And
we're trying to generate some awareness with that, with that
sea turtle and in our partnership with the zoo.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
So those are a few good ones. We're also we.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Work with Food Bank. We're starting to get some things
go with the light of life and yeah, absolutely we
are looking to make a difference here in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Sounds like you have a lot on your table, Andy Max,
president of Chicken Out the Sea, I really appreciate you
your time. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
I appreciate it all right, Johnny really enjoyed it. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
This has been the CEOs you should know podcast showcasing
businesses that are driving our regional economy. Part of iHeartMedia's
commitment to the communities we serve. I'm Johnny Heartwell, thank
you so much for listening.
And welcome man. This is the CEOs You Should Know
podcast on your host Johnny Heart. Well, let's say hello
to Andy Mex, president of Chicken Up the Sea. Thank
you for joining me.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hi, Johnny, it's great to be here. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
So tell us everything we should know about your company.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Well, first and foremost, I'd like just talk a little
bit about how we're proud to be in Pittsburgh. I'm
native Pittsburgh and I'm proud to say that Chicken and
Sea is a Pittsburgh company and it's been a long
journey with this brand, but myself and a lot of
other Pittsburgh's we've been able to bring this brand here.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
We're on the North Side.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
And we are getting very involved in the community and
just proud to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Do you get any funny looks when you tell people
that from Pittsburgh that you're a president of a seafood
company and a landlocked city.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, it happens often, but I mean it really all.
It starts with Hia Hines and the eighteen hundreds when
he started Jardon Pickles, and when he did that, he
established Pittsburgh as a.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Is a city that that uh packs food.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Manufactures food, and hia Hines acquired all sorts of businesses
and then ultimately sold some of them off to del
Monte and uh it's where I worked with some of
my colleagues, and now we've been able to bring we
have we have the expertise here the consumer package, goods
expertise and and chicken. The Sea is A is A
is a Pittsburgh company, and the products are are generally
(01:33):
you know, packed, you know, many times in warmer areas
of the world, close to the equator fish where the
water is warm, so you can really locate the management anywhere.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
U has working in this market influenced your approach on
national branding and innovation.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
That's an interesting question.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I would say that, you know, there are so many
different ways to market these days, audio are very fragmented,
and so there are different ways we approach it. There's
some messaging that's really really more national, and then and
messaging that's more more targeted towards different demographics and geographies,
depending on the competitive set, depending on the consumer needs.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
The fact that we're in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
I don't know that it's changed our national approach, but
it's certainly changed some of our regional approach. We're honing
in on some different markets. We're definitely honing in on
the Pittsburgh market and we're trying to ensure that our.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Presence is out there. We have our we're advertising all
over the city.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
You can see us at the airport, you can see
us at the Pirates games, the Penguins games, and some
of the community partners that we're working with.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
You know, the last couple of years, your company has
gone through a lot of rebranding and transitioning and innovation,
and that coincide with you coming into the marketplace and
coming to Chicken out of the Sea. Is that part
of the process.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Yeah, absolutely so we might and I walked in the door.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
I've been the Chicken to see for four years now
and we're your number two in Pittsburgh. But yeah, basically,
this is a brand that that almost everybody has heard of,
has a lot of familiarity, a great legacy, but it's
gotten really stale and and not relevant so to a
lot of consumers. So yes, we've we've done a lot
of rebranding. We've updated our mermaid her name is Catalina.
(03:25):
We've updated our our logo, our all of our branding
across our products, our advertising, and we've launched new sorts
of products. We're reaching out to younger consumers. We have
a partnership now with McCormick, so so we exclusively are
like uh Day Seasoning. We were Frank's Red Hot launching
(03:46):
this fall. Little sneak preview here your first ones to
hear it with a ghost pepper product out there, So
adul tuna salad which is very popular. So and then
and then we're launching all sorts of products across the portfolio,
all sorts of seafood, not just to sam and sardines, mackerel,
and maybe exploring other proteins as well.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
You took the reins as president during a time of
big shifts and consumer behavior. What's what's been your biggest
leadership challenge and how did you tackle that?
Speaker 3 (04:19):
So when I walked in the door, it was it
was towards the end of the pandemic, the Great Resignation
was going on, and and I think a lot of
there's a lot of uncertainty. I think employees were scared
a little bit. I joined, and there are lots lots
of meetings, lots of virtual meetings, people just talking to
(04:40):
each other, presenting to each other, and so we had
to cut through that clutter. I canceled about half the
meetings uninvited about half the people from the other from
the meetings that remained, and put some marching orders in
that we need to do work, we need to we
need to dig in and figure and understand how we
need to differentiate ourselves.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
And at the time, we'd.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Kind of become a remote company and there were a
lot of people leaving, and so every time someone left,
we hired someone in Pittsburgh. And for the past year
and a half, I can say we've had zero attrition.
We have great culture now and and we're very, very innovative.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So tell me about your Pittsburgh team.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, so we have a group of people that they
came from.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
So actually, the funny thing is our competitor, Starkist was
owned by Dalmonte and then became a standalone company and
they were the Pittsburgh company for many, many years of
brand that people became familiar with, and their ownership decided
to move that brand from from the city.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
They're no longer in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
So Chicken the Sea is a brand in Pittsburgh, and
we brought a lot of employees over from there, we
picked up some great talent from some other places as well.
We have we have some leaders from from Hines and
PPG and US Steel and in some other places. But
really really strong group with a lot of a lot
(06:09):
of experience in the space.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
So tell me a why Pittsburgh, Why Pittsburgh? Why?
Speaker 3 (06:14):
What?
Speaker 1 (06:15):
I know your Pittsburgh guy, But how did Chicken of
the Sea end up here?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Well, I mean so, as I mentioned, we have a
lot of talent here to begin with. But also it's
a great market. It's a great market to locate a
company because Pittsford people are loyal, they tend to stay,
They tend to stay in the same place for five, ten, fifteen,
twenty years. We have a lot of people like that,
a lot of familiarity with each other. And also the
(06:40):
it's it's a it's a it's a less expensive labor
market than you know. Historically, this is a brand that
was on the West coast San Diego, Los Angeles, much
more expensive to employ people, and the retention rates were
a lot lower.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Chicken though the Sea has been a household name. And
I'd like to pick your brain because I think radio
is kind of in the same boat. It's something that
we all know and take take take for granted maybe,
but now we're trying to introduce ourselves as something new
and different. What was your mindset when you came to
(07:17):
rebranding and innovation and what can radio learn from maybe
what you've gone through.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yeah, So, I mean, I think that.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
One thing we want to do when we rebrand is
we don't want to lose our core audience, So we
don't want to go too far away from the brand
and its roots, the colors, the mascot, which is our Mermaid.
So all of our changes were very intentional. We left
breadcrumbs not to lose a core audience, but yet we
want to appeal to younger audience. So the way we're
(07:50):
playing with the graphics, so we were playing with the messaging,
our emphasis on digital marketing, on e commerce, it's on
different flavors. It's all appealed towards the younger audience, moving
more towards pouches rather than did cans. A number of
years ago, I said that a lot of millennials the
(08:11):
time didn't own can openers, and that got that got
a lot of uh gets some heat from that one,
but it's true It's something that is absolutely true. So,
but in any case, you want to retain your core,
but you want to appeal to younger consumers.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
And I think that I think that radio is the
same way, right.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
I mean, you have your core audience that has probably
always listened to the radio and may do so in
the same way, but there's a lot of shifting.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
There's a lot of shifting.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Towards podcasts and and and streaming rather than listening to
traditional radio. So I think that what we have in
common is you need to attract new audiences but also
find ways to retain your core.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
So tell me Andy's story. How did you get to
be CEO? What what led you up to now?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Yeah, so it's kind of I don't know, happenstance in
a way.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
So I've always been Pittsford guy, h pitt guy, earned
my JD NBA.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
So I'm I'm a lawyer.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
I'm also a businessman and and coming out of school,
wasn't sure what I was going to do. Talk to
a lot of different people, interviewed with law firms, interviewed
with companies, and ultimately decided that I was just much
more interested in business.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
I was interested in the corporate world.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
And one day there was a posting it del Monte
Foods and and I wasn't. I wasn't feeling like great
that day, a little bit under the weather. And I
was like, you know, how much money can you really
make selling food anyway? It's like, you know, canned vegetables.
And my wife encouraged me to go, and uh so,
(09:47):
so I did, and and I was impressed with what
I saw and heard. And that was on a Friday afternoon.
By Monday morning, they made an offer and I signed up.
And over twenty years later, I'm here. I am, but
I've done all sorts of different roles, sales, marketing, flip,
I've had our R and D teams, QA teams, corporate
(10:08):
affairs reporting to me. So I've learned a lot about
the business, learned a lot from other people, visiting factories,
visiting stores, customers, and over time I thought about, well,
how do you how do you improve this business?
Speaker 2 (10:23):
How do you run it like it's your business, like
it's your own money.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
And when you do that, and you collaborate with people,
and you get and you bring on the best talent,
and and you listen to some of their ideas that's
how that's how you succeed. And so I think we've
been pretty successful along the way and we have a
lot more to accomplished here.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
So you've gone through a lot of rebranding and transitioning
as as I mentioned, Have you seen progress and what's
the future look for your company?
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Yeah? Absolutely, So I've been here for four years and
we've continuously grown our top line, our bottom line, and
now we're starting to see some share growth. Our household
penetration is growing, purchase rates by rate, purchase frequency, buy
rates are all growing.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Now.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
It's a very competitive marketplace and not just in our
specific business, but all all adjacent businesses, other categories. Private
labels becoming more prevalent. There's you know, some low barriers
to entry into these businesses. There are different brands that
are launched all the time. Like if you think of
like Craft Beers, same thing in the food industry. There's
(11:34):
all sorts of all sorts of insurgent brands. So so
it's not without challenge. But despite that, in this environment,
we've been winning, we've been growing, and we intend on
continuing to do so. And the way we're going to
do it is number one, We're going to be innovative.
We're gonna launch different sorts of products across the portfolio.
(11:55):
And secondly, we have an emphasis on sustainability. It's our
parent company, it's called High Union and they own many
different seafood brands around the world. It's a number one
food company, number one most sustainable food company in the
Dow Jones Sustainability INDECKS. We're number one on the Seafood
(12:18):
Stewardship Index, and so we're leading with that leadership. We're
going to the major retailers, major customers, and we are
going after you know, one win in at a time.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
I've always said Pittsburgher's take care of Pittsburgher's. And as
a Pittsburgh you mentioned that you've already started giving back
to the community. What are some of those initiatives that
you would like to share?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Absolutely so, a big one that we're very proud of
right now. American Diabetes Association has a lot, you know,
it links to our brand very well as we're selling
healthy products and so we're sponsoring the American Diabetes Association
Step Out Walk. It's gonna be in Pittsburgh on September thirteenth.
(13:05):
We have an ambitious goal. I think this year we're
trying to raise over seven hundred thousand dollars. So we're
not we're sponsoring it, but we're also you know, our
employees and our families. We're walking, we're securing donations, and
we're spreading awareness. So i'd encourage any any of the
listeners if you're interested in getting involved. It's step out
(13:28):
dot diabetes dot org and look up the Pittsburgh Walk
and look up Chicken in the Sea.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
But we're doing that.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
And in addition, we've been working with Sean Casey Casey's
Clubhouse Mircle League Baseball. We love doing that in the
South Hills. We just launched a partnership with the Pittsburgh
Zoo and Aquarium. So if you visit the aquarium, you're
gonna see you'll see a massive sea turtle. It's mounted
(13:58):
on the wall and it's made of discover guarded ghost
gear like old fishing gear that was left behind. And
we're trying to generate some awareness with that, with that
sea turtle and in our partnership with the zoo.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
So those are a few good ones. We're also we.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Work with Food Bank. We're starting to get some things
go with the light of life and yeah, absolutely we
are looking to make a difference here in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Sounds like you have a lot on your table, Andy Max,
president of Chicken Out the Sea, I really appreciate you
your time. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
I appreciate it all right, Johnny really enjoyed it. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
This has been the CEOs you should know podcast showcasing
businesses that are driving our regional economy. Part of iHeartMedia's
commitment to the communities we serve. I'm Johnny Heartwell, thank
you so much for listening.
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