While Donald Manning’s official title at Phillips Foods Inc. is corporate director of training, everyone knows him as the in-house “crabologist.” Phillips developed the term “crabologist” as a way to tease Manning about his expert knowledge of the species, but the work he does each day is no laughing matter. Manning travels the country teaching brokers, distributors, restaurant chefs, operators and regular everyday consumers about the inner workings of the crab and its coveted crab meat — how to sell it, how to cook with it and, of course, its health benefits.
Having been in the seafood business for more than 100 years, Phillips has made a lasting impression on the industry. Headquartered in Baltimore, Md., Phillips continues to thrive as one of the top crab providers in the world.
The company hired Manning as a cook in the restaurants back in 1984 and then promoted him to its “crabologist” in 1999. Phillips has always been proud to sell a product that people love, but realize it is one that the public doesn’t often fully understand. The company decided that in order to be successful, they needed to be educators rather than just sales people. Phillips quickly learned that Manning was the perfect person to teach the world about the benefits of blue crab and they created a position to support his special talent in this area.
These days, seafood is in high demand and savvy consumers demand that it be safe, taste great and convenient. Phillips Foods Inc. makes safety its No. 1concern; so that Manning can ensure his “students” are receiving the safest and highest-quality product on the market.
The folks at Phillips are convinced that without Manning’s hard work and passion to educate, crab might still be a cottage industry on the Eastern shore of Maryland filling a small niche market. Manning has helped educate the public on the importance of crab meat, and as a result, Phillips Foods has a full line of seafood products sitting on the shelf next to its original Maryland-style crab cakes in grocery stores across the United States.
