The co-founder, chairman and majority owner of Trident Seafoods Chuck Bundrant has passed away at the age of 79.
After dropping out of university in his native Indiana in 1960, he travelled to Alaska, where he joined a partnership with a 130-foot boat that led to a seafood company with a worldwide reputation.
“Chuck Bundrant was a man of contrasts, a man of few words, but who, when he did speak through that gravelly voice, was listened to from Cordova to Capitol Hill,” recalled National Fisheries Institute President John Connolly.
“Those who knew him well will relay the stories of his fierce competitiveness in building Trident Seafoods. But the same competitors will share the stories of Chuck flying a helicopter to bring to safety and medical care crew members from a stranded competitor’s boat. And they are likely to remind us all of the special attention Chuck paid to the communities in Alaska in which he built or operated his seafood plants.”
Chuck Bundrant’s son Joe has been CEO of Trident Seafoods since 2013 when his father took a step back from running the business.
“NFI sends its prayers to the fishermen that Chuck Bundrant reminded us the seafood community starts with, to the full Trident family, the gentle men that cared for him, and to Diane, Joe, Jill, and Julie and their spouses and children. May they be comforted knowing that Chuck Bundrant shaped so many lives for the better.” John Connelly said.
