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11.15.2007
OCEANPORT — A business member of the New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program scored a big win among horse racing’s elite at the recent World Championships Breeders’ Cup last month.
Dale Stewart Parsons of Parsons Seafood, in Tuckerton, is a member of the New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program (NJALDP).
Parsons served more than 4,000 just-caught oysters and clams during the exclusive Winners’ Party following the final race.
“The opportunity for Dale to showcase New Jersey’s seafood at the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Winners’ Party is an excellent example of the value of New Jersey’s Agricultural Leadership Development Program” said Dr. Mary Nikola, director of the leadership Program.
Through leadership networking, Parsons established a contact with Joe Atchison, agricultural marketing specialist, a member of NJALDP Class VII. Nikola noted Atchison and Parsons connected early on at their first seminar during an intense and somewhat frustrating team building activity.
Encouraged to identify opportunities to collaborate, Atchison and Parsons teamed up to bring New Jersey seafood to the Breeders’ Cup.
Created in 1999 for horse owners and racing industry top officials, the annual Winners’ Party is a trackside invitation-only event that follows the final race of the day on Breeders’ Cup.
Parsons was invited to serve as a vendor for the event through his affiliation with NJALDP.
In addition to the wholesale/retail seafood business, the 30-year-old Parsons operates a large aquaculture business, cultivating, planting and harvesting millions of clams in underwater lots in the bay near Tuckerton, along the New Jersey coast.
“The oysters and clams we served at the Breeders’ Cup were just caught and packed on ice the morning of the race,” Parsons said. “The guests kept flocking to our seafood tables at the Winners’ Party. We opened thousands of oysters and clams non-stop for two hours. As soon as we restocked the trays, people were back for more. They kept telling me that they had never tasted seafood as fresh — and delicious.”
New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Charles Kuperus, among the guests attending the Winners’ Party, congratulated Parsons for showcasing New Jersey’s high quality seafood industry at the prestigious Breeder’s Cup Winners’ Party.
“We were very excited when New Jersey Fresh contacted us to express an interest in showcasing their seafood at our event,” said Debbie Blair, vice president of customer and event services for the Breeders’ Cup.