John Knorr Promoted to Chief Operating Officer

Role Expansion for Phillips Foods’ Senior VP of Sales

Baltimore, MD – November 9, 2023  Phillips Foods announces the promotion of John Knorr to Chief Operating Officer for their US operations. In his expanded role leading the overall operations of all business units of the family-owned seafood company, Knorr will leverage his extensive industry experience including restaurants, foodservice, retail and manufacturing. Knorr will also maintain his role as Senior Vice President of Sales.

Knorr joined Phillips in 1993 as a member of the Phillips Seafood Restaurants management team. During his tenure with the restaurant side of the business, Knorr acted as General Manager of many Phillips restaurant locations. As Director of Operations, he led the company’s expansion into franchising, opening locations in a range of airports across the East Coast.

In 2007, John joined the Phillips Foods team, tasked with strategically managing and growing the national accounts division. He then transitioned into leading the company’s US foodservice sales efforts, directing a team of regional Phillips salespeople and national network of brokers. Since being elevated to Senior Vice President of Sales in 2016, John has done an exceptional job leading the team in consistent sales growth.

As Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President, Knorr will handle the strategic planning, sales and operations for the company’s domestic interests. He will continue to focus on growing foodservice and retail sales, including the development of in-demand new products, and will spearhead additional development on the restaurant and franchise side, tasked with acquiring new markets and building partnerships.

“In his thirty years working at Phillips, John has made a significant impact across all areas of our business,” says Steve Phillips, Founder of Phillips Foods. “From his early days driving our restaurant business forward to his more recent years leading our sales team to record results, John has always inspired the best out of his team and built up a deep network of trusted customer relationships.”

Dean Flowers, President of Phillips Foods, continues “John is fully committed to setting our company up for the future, and has the industry knowledge needed to ensure Phillips continues to innovate to meet the changing needs of our customers. We are confident that John’s leadership and guidance will allow Phillips to capitalize on every opportunity and drive our business growth forward.”

About Phillips:

Phillips Foods is a family-owned business founded in 1914 and recognized as a leading importer and distributor of crab meat in the United States. Best known for their premium-quality blue swimming crab meat and famous Maryland-style crab cakes, Phillips Foods also produces a full line of seafood appetizers, seafood cakes, fish, soups and entrées for foodservice and retail. To learn more, visit phillipsfoods.com.