Virginia Pivonka, longstanding director of procurement and marketing at Rockfish Seafood Grill has joined Ocean Beauty as a buyer.

Pivonka was at US casual dining chain Rockfish for almost 18 years, before which she was purchasing manager at Landlock Seafood Company for almost 20 years.

Pivonka has joined the Dallas, Texas division of Ocean Beauty where she will be handling frozen product buying. "After 17 years and 10 months I have returned to my roots in the seafood industry and I am so excited to be back!" she wrote in a LinkedIn post.

OBI Seafoods (the newly formed joint venture between Ocean Beauty and Canada-based Cooke Inc.) was recently awarded part of a $12.4 million (€10.2 million) contract for canned pink salmon from the US Department of Agriculture's purchasing program.

OBI Seafoods will deliver 98,800 cases worth $6.5 million (€5.3 million), produced at its Kodiak facility, ranging from $64 to just under $68 (€52 - €56) per case.