After six years running and building Plitt Seafood in Chicago as a minority
partner, Sean O'Scannlain figured he was ready to create his own distribution firm and seek his own fortune. So in 2001, he partnered up with Mark Gorogianis and started the aptly named Fortune Fish Company. Since then, Fortune Fish has grown to be the largest seafood distributor in the nation's third-largest city with more than 150 employees and annual sales of more than $75 million.

O'Scannlain attributes much of Fortune's success to a strong commitment to educating and motivating his customers to buy and sell more seafood that is produced on a sustainable basis. In 2007, he rolled out the Fortune Sustainability Initiative, a program that connects leaders from the seafood, conservation, research and educational organizations with Fortune's sales staff and the company's customers. Every two months, the company promotes a sustainable seafood choice and then donates a portion of its profits from the sale of that item to conservation and fishing community outreach organizations. Last summer, for example, Fortune promoted MSC-certified coho salmon from Alaska and made a donation to fishing families on the Yukon River, where catches of the prized Yukon kings have been dismal for the past few years. Recently, Fortune also promoted U.S. farm-raised catfish and donated to a fund for Louisiana fishermen who are still suffering from last summer's oil spill.

"Our customers and their guests can feel good when purchasing a product being celebrated in our initiative, because it not only supports sustainable seafood options, but a portion of the money goes directly to people who may need help producing sustainable seafood," O'Scannlain says. Sales of sustainable items featured in the Sustainability Initiative typically double or triple during these promotions. Fortune partners with Chicago's Shedd Aquarium's Right Bite program to identify sustainable seafood to promote.

Fortune is also finding a growing market for sustainable seafood beyond its traditional Midwest customer base. The company has taken advantage of its location next to Chicago's O'Hare Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, to launch its Flying Fish Program, which allows the company to market to chefs and retailers throughout the country.

Click here to view Fortune Fish Company's products and remember to tell them you found them on FishChoice.com when you contact them.