Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Poon.
Jason, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We established MFE in 2002. In August, we are celebrating our 15th anniversary. Our family has been in the seafood industry since 1979 specializing in processing domestic shrimp in Lafitte, Louisiana. It has been a journey from 2002 to where we are today. We are probably considered to be one of the largest foodservice distributors specializing in quality frozen seafood in the United States. In a competitive industry, we have spent the last 15 years building our business on providing quality products and service to our customers. At times, our industry is very price sensitive because we are in a commodity business.
With our continued focus on quality and service, it has differentiated ourselves from our peers. Our management’s belief is to continue to take care of our own people at MFE, take care of our customers, and last but not least take care of our community. Every year, we try to give back to our community to various organizations such as the Houston Symphony, Houston Food Bank, MD Anderson, St Jude’s, Houston Texans Foundation and more. We strive to grow every year so we can have the opportunity to support the community. Our team at MFE continues to evolve and aspire to be one of the best companies to work for in the United States.
Has it been a smooth road?
In any business, it definitely has not been a smooth road. During the infancy stages of our company, we had to gain the trust of our clients. As any new business, there was not an unlimited faucet of liquid cash coming in through the company. I can remember as I see some new business owners today that there was a time that we had to aggressively manage our expenses; we had to aggressively manage our collections; we had to aggressively manage our payables. Even though I was around the seafood industry since I was very young, I started MFE with my father when I was 22-23 years old. I was still young and “green” and had a lot to learn. I had to quickly identify who I can trust. It’s very similar to going to a new school with a new surrounding. I have learned a lot throughout the years and with some trialing experiences, it has made me a stronger leader today. As you continue to grow, there are more targets on your back and we have to filter who are your true allies.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Marine Foods Express is a food service distribution company that specializes in quality seafood products from around the world. We directly import products from Asia and Latin America. Even though we inventory over 2000 different items, we are more known for our quality seafood. There are many people that sell seafood, but we would like to believe that what sets our company apart from our peers is our focus on quality and service. There are many distributors that sell an inferior product that strictly focuses on the perception of a lower price, but due to the tricks and games of the trade, the clients are actually paying more than what they believe. Our family owns our own domestic shrimp processing company in Louisiana.
As a domestic shrimp processor and a direct importer, it provides a competitive advantage in terms of costs compared to many of our peers in the distribution business. Our focus as a company is not on price, but on how to improve the overall customer experience. How can we create a better perception of value to our clients? We believe this is a rare commodity in our industry.
I believe that our team at MFE is probably one of the most experienced team in the seafood industry in the United States.
If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?
What would I have done differently? This is a tough one. There are many trials throughout the years, but I believe the trials that I encountered made me a stronger as an individual. It made me stronger as a leader. Therefore, I would not change it.
Was it fun and comfortable when I was encountering some of the challenges? Absolutely not, but I would hope that everything was smooth and easy along the way. If I had to do anything differently, I would possibly have said that I would have chosen a different career path. As a business owner and I am certain as all business owners, I do not remember the last time that I had the feeling of 100% sense of freedom. It does not matter if you are successful or not successful, I personally always believe that what you have today, you can easily lose it tomorrow. Some may call it very burdensome to have this mentality, but I also believe it’s also a check against reality. You will always have a sense of concern or worries as a business owner – 365 days a year. There are positives and negatives in any road that you choose.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5757 South Loop East Houston, Texas 77033
- Website: www.marinefoodsexpress.com
- Phone: 713-986-3698 x118 F: 713 986-1848
- Email: jpoon@mfeltd.com
- Facebook: marinefoodsexpress.com
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