At Sitka Seafood Market, we believe seafood should be personal. It should connect you to the ocean, to the people who harvest your fish, and to the stories that make each bite more meaningful.
That’s why we built our Salmon Support team — a group of passionate, fish-loving humans who care deeply about making your experience with Sitka Seafood Market feel as warm and reliable as your favorite recipe.
But this isn’t your typical customer service team. These are people with stories, hearts, and real ties to the mission we live by.
If you ask Donavon Hilligoss, who heads up our Salmon Support team, what a normal day looks like, he’ll say “Lots of talking.” He checks in with the team twice a day to spot issues early and keep things running smoothly. Donavon’s a people person through and through — he’s the one making sure everyone stays on track, connected, and supported.
Another team member, Aaron Perez tells us his day starts at 7:30 a.m. You know those email reminders a week before your order arrives? That’s how Aaron spends his mornings before switching and responding to individual member questions. “I have developed friendships and trust with our members,” Aaron says. “I have some who ask for me specifically.”
Not all problems are easy to resolve. Both Donavon and Aaron provided support to one caller disappointed with their box of seafood. Donavon hit a snag early in the call. “I could not find any record of them in our system,” he says. “Eventually, I asked them to take a picture of the box of seafood and send it to me. It wasn’t our box.” Aaron continues, “They were very apologetic and I helped them not only find the right company to contact, but also recommended giving our company a try.” Our member service team takes our 100% satisfaction guarantee seriously. We want our members to feel like a part of the community, not just another customer.
Member Service Associate Harper Lorentzson feels that same sentiment is also echoed internally by the culture of Sitka Seafood Market. “Something I love is the sense of community within the company,” writes Harper.
Maintaining a broader sense of camaraderie was challenging during the COVID-19 “work from home” era, and yet Harper feels that, despite all the changes over the last few years, a few things have remained constant. She writes: “I enjoy working with my fellow Salmon Support Team members. It feels great to be part of a connected team having fun and working together to help members have a great experience. Outside of the member support team, there’s a connection between all parts of the company, and as we grow and make changes, that sense of camaraderie and community grows too.”
Fellow Member Service Associate Supervisor Scott Millman agrees saying, "My favorite part of the job is the caliber of my co-workers. It's great to work with people that not only do I totally trust at all times to do top work, but that also have great personalities."
That theme of connection stems from the company’s founding philosophy to connect folks with the source of their food. That theme specifically resonated with Harper, who graduated from Knox College with a degree in environmental studies. Nic Mink, a co-founder of Sitka Seafood Market, was one of her college professors at Knox and made an impression on her. “In his classes, I learned about the importance of transparency and the connection between producers and consumers. That’s part of why Sitka Seafood Market was founded, and part of why I enjoy working here.” Harper says she feels glad to work somewhere that cares about environmental health. “I’m proud to support the company’s mission,” says Harper.
About once a month, Scott gets the same question from a member: “Do you actually work for Sitka Seafood Market, or are you part of a call center?” It always makes us laugh — because nothing could be further from the truth. Our Salmon Support team works right out of our facility in Galesburg, Illinois, and they’re deeply embedded in everything we do.
Our goal of connecting members to fishermen and our trusted partners would be difficult if we outsourced customer service to a third party. By interacting with members every day, Salmon Support crew relays member concerns to the rest of the business. That feedback allows us to learn from our mistakes, which benefits everyone in our supply chain from our fishermen to you, our members.
We can’t stay amazing without listening and learning every day. Let us know how we are doing by contacting our Salmon Support Team today.
