This June, Eastern Quality Foods’s Ponte Vedra office opened its doors to three interns for a transformative nine-week experience. Julie Pessolano, Teresa Gutteridge, and Zach Ervanian are all rising seniors eager to make their mark in the business world. 

Hailing from Pompano Beach, Florida, Julie Pessolano is a Business Administration major at the University of Florida in Gainesville, focusing on marketing and management complemented by a minor in mass communications. Teresa Gutteridge, a Jacksonville native, is majoring in Public Health at Florida State University in Tallahassee, with a minor in Business Administration. Zach Ervanian, also born and raised in Jacksonville, attends Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, where he majors in Business Marketing, minors in management and visual arts, and plays on the men’s soccer team. 

At Eastern, the interns were immersed in department rotations, gaining hands-on experience in Credit, Logistics, Finance, and Marketing. Every three weeks, they shadowed department heads and assisted with various tasks, including performing credit approval requests, tracking freight trucks, scheduling social media posts, and researching competitive advantages. In addition to department rotations, the interns completed a research project, contributing to Eastern’s strategic initiatives. 

The interns had the privilege of meeting key figures and partners at Eastern Quality Foods, including Scott Coble and Dave Belski. These interactions provided invaluable insights and advice, fostering the interns’ growth in a professional setting. 

Weekly Lunch and Learns offered a platform for the interns to engage with different team members, enhancing their understanding of the company and the industry.  

Field trips, such as visits to retail customers, where Eastern Quality Foods’ Nature’s Best Seafood, Paradise Kitchens, and Tiantang Asian Cuisine products are featured, and a tour of our distribution center, provided a deeper understanding of logistics and distribution. 

Julie, Teresa, and Zach showed great dedication and enthusiasm over the last 9 weeks, bringing a fresh perspective and valuable insights. We were thrilled to have had them on board and look forward to seeing their continued growth and success.  

As 2023 ended, Eastern Quality Foods celebrated Jon Poole’s retirement as Vice President of Sales. An expert in the protein industry, Jon was an integral part of the Eastern sales team for three and a half decades and had a significant role in Eastern’s growth and development. His deep-seated passion for people and protein endeared Jon to his coworkers and customers alike. He exemplifies Eastern’s values and earned a career to be proud of.   

Born and raised in New York, Poole finished his college career at Penn State University where he played NCAA lacrosse for two years. Immediately following graduation, Poole got his start working in the poultry industry. His first role was in sales and marketing where he was then promoted to a regional manager position. “Corporate didn’t drive me in what I wanted to do. I wanted recognition for what the team and I did” says Poole. 

In September 1988, Poole joined the Eastern Quality Foods team and moved his young family from New York to Los Angeles to focus on building a business on the west coast. Poole shared that, “I started in August and made my first sale in the middle of October. On the way home, I bought a bottle of champagne. That will always stand out as a core memory.” With a network of connections, Poole’s dedication and integrity quickly gained him customers and friends on the other side of the country.  

On September 9th, 2023, Jon Poole’s retirement was announced and celebrated at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida with the entire Eastern sales team. Always humble, Poole shared that, “Eastern was the vehicle that helped me achieve what I was able to. I won the NPFDA Member of the Year award, and I felt honored. But it was all for Eastern. I was with a good team and just happened to be one of the guy’s people saw.” Over dinner, live music, and drinks, colleagues reminisced on memories with Jon, the impact he made on their life, and sported mustaches in honor of Jon’s famous facial hair.  

As Jon retires from the protein industry, he transitions his customers to Nick Abeyta. “Nick is a great guy. He knows the business, the customers, and he’s very likeable” Poole stated. Nick shares Jon’s commitment to building long-term partnerships and his 19 years of experience means that Jon’s customers are left in very capable hands.

Poole’s plans for retirement include spending time with his grandchildren, traveling with his wife, Jean, and volunteering. Poole still resides in Burbank, California, and never misses a chance to check-in on the EQF family. He remains an Eastern ambassador and mentor to the next generation.  

As Jon Poole embarks on his well-deserved retirement, we raise a toast to his extraordinary achievements and offer our congratulations and best wishes for the future. His legacy will forever remain a source of inspiration, reminding us of the impact that passion, dedication, and excellence can have. Thank you for everything, Jon! 

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** 

Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – Eastern Quality Foods, a leading distributor and marketer of quality protein products, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dallas T. Perkins, MBA, CPA, as its new Senior Vice President of Finance. 

Dallas brings over 15 years of extensive financial management experience to Eastern Quality Foods. He is a hands-on leader and trusted strategic adviser with a track record of expertise in financial reporting and analysis, banking credit lines, and structured financing. His expertise includes FP&A, M&A, business modeling and forecasting, technical accounting, corporate strategy, and change management. 

Prior to joining Eastern Quality Foods, Dallas served as Principal at A111 Capital, a private investment firm focused on acquisitions of lower middle-market companies.  Dallas played a key role in raising and deploying debt and equity capital to acquire multiple platform investment companies and strategic add-on investments. 

Dallas also spent 15 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers in various positions and ascending to the role of director where he led PwC’s Florida Private Company Services efforts to expand the firm’s presence in Northeast Florida. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Dallas to our management team,” said Ted Rueger, CEO of Eastern Quality Foods. “His proven track record of financial leadership and strategic thinking will be instrumental in helping our team achieve our financial growth and supporting our company’s strategic objectives.” 

Dallas holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Brigham Young University. 

In the world of protein and food distribution, networking plays a crucial role in establishing and strengthening business relationships. The National Protein and Food Distributors Association (NPFDA) convention is held every winter at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia, bringing together over 900 attendees from across the country. NPFDA provides a unique platform for industry players to connect, collaborate, and explore new opportunities.

The convention offers many networking events, from casual collaborative sessions to structured business meetings. Informal gatherings, such as networking dinners and cocktail receptions, allowed for more personal interactions, building on relationships that might only be face-to-face once a year.

Our sales team has been lucky enough to attend the NPFDA convention for the last 30 years. One of the highlights for Eastern Quality Foods (EQF) was our Meet and Greet halfway through the week. Conference attendees had the chance to join the team in our hospitality suite. Over hors d’oeuvres and refreshments, we enjoyed meeting new members of the industry as well as seeing many familiar faces.

As EQF grows, our sales team has spread across the country with over 12 locations from the corporate office in Ponte Vedra Beach to sales offices in Mexico City, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. NPFDA provides an outlet for Eastern traders to gather in the same city and spend time team building. We even had the chance to showcase our retail brands, Nature’s Best Seafood™, Paradise Kitchens™, and Tiantang Asian Cuisine™, and share about their products.

Every year, NPFDA serves as a catalyst for the company’s growth organizing events such as the NPFDA Protein Supplier Showcase and the chance to hear from Tyler Harper, the Georgia Agricultural Commissioner. We are looking forward to 2024 to further develop the relationships that began at NPFDA and grow existing ones. See you next year!