Who is Imperial?

[Anonymous]

I saw a reference to what I believe to be an exporter called Imperial.

Looks like they may be a good group. Anyone know anything about this company?

Thank you,
Don

 

[clarionreef]

yes...
But who are you?

 

[Anonymous]

I'm just some guy with a fish tank. Not a government agent of the PI secret police or anything.

I remembered seeing Imperial listed on a webpage, but can't find it now. It's like it was deleted. I thought it was at the Reefcrop or Reefcrop's sister company site or the Aquarium Habitat or the Marine Council site. Seemed like the reference was a positive one. Did I make someone paranoid? Is it top secret? Is it some type of password? Cool!

 

[clarionreef]

No,
Its just amusing to me that every little trade secret or inside business info is public domain now and the often unnamed poster has the right to ask any question imagineable. Some even post divers prices, exporters prices etc.
How many trades can you do this in?
I import from Imperial. They are a netcaught exporter. I am working with them on some fundamental fish quality problems and policy protocols. I spend thousands of dollars with them. If everything I do can become public, why would I want to invest in them and help them just to have anyone try and steal them away?
Is every business dealing the right of the public to know? Do you know how many wanna be e-tailer types and garage operations follow and try and steal connections that take blood, sweat and tears to develop?
I have had about 12 important connections stolen from me already so forgive me for wondering how any Tom ,Dick and Harry can get his nose in to anything these days.
Sincerely, Steve

 

[naesco]

No,
Its just amusing to me that every little trade secret or inside business info is public domain now and the often unnamed poster has the right to ask any question imagineable. Some even post divers prices, exporters prices etc.
How many trades can you do this in?
I import from Imperial. They are a netcaught exporter. I am working with them on some fundamental fish quality problems and policy protocols. I spend thousands of dollars with them. If everything I do can become public, why would I want to invest in them and help them just to have anyone try and steal them away?
Is every business dealing the right of the public to know? Do you know how many wanna be e-tailer types and garage operations follow and try and steal connections that take blood, sweat and tears to develop?
I have had about 12 important connections stolen from me already so forgive me for wondering how any Tom ,Dick and Harry can get his nose in to anything these days.
Sincerely, Steve

Every net caught fisher, importer, exporter wholesaler, retailer etc deserves full disclosure and support from all participants in this forum.
There should be no secrets. Reform is above petty stuff.

 

[clarionreef]

Oh Really?
If that were true should I put last weeks DOA on live video cam? It might surprise you to find that netcaught fish can come in DOA also and that there are things to be worked out...
Is pulling the dead before opening the doors in the morning "hiding" something.
Comon, you know there are limits to intrusion in private business. Now if you want to talk about NGOs...well no actually..., they have more secrets than all of us!
Net caught connections, if stolen prematrurely can have a deleterious effect on the newbies psyche.
If found out that the netcaught fish don't actually walk on water and can still suffer from decompression problems after the fact, bad handling, bad packing, heat and ammonia burn etc. could it be understood? There is a time to go public and a time to not leave the door and the file cabinet open...or an invoice out on the table for someone to "chance upon"...
In other words,
Imperial is not yet ready for mass marketing...understand?
Sincerely, Steve

 

[mkirda]

There should be no secrets. Reform is above petty stuff.

Naesco,

In the same breath, you should also quote the next point:
That true reform is not a one-shot deal, that all the ducks have to be in a row, and that quality fish must be exported every time.

Any company working towards this goal does not deserve exposure until all these points are covered. Steve alludes to this in that he knows he has to work with an exporter for many, many shipments before he really knows how they really are. That so many sing Marivi's praises is due to the fact that she gets such good fish to start with, they ship well, and survive. This is not a secret. Any other exporter that does the same... Well, let's just say that they will not remain a secret very long.

Not really a state secret.

Regards.
Mike Kirda

 

[naesco]

There should be no secrets. Reform is above petty stuff.

Naesco,

In the same breath, you should also quote the next point:
That true reform is not a one-shot deal, that all the ducks have to be in a row, and that quality fish must be exported every time.

Any company working towards this goal does not deserve exposure until all these points are covered. Steve alludes to this in that he knows he has to work with an exporter for many, many shipments before he really knows how they really are. That so many sing Marivi's praises is due to the fact that she gets such good fish to start with, they ship well, and survive. This is not a secret. Any other exporter that does the same... Well, let's just say that they will not remain a secret very long.

Not really a state secret.

Regards.
Mike Kirda

As Mary and Kylen can attest every opportunity I get to promote net caught industry types I do.
I merely want to know who they are so that they all (the good ones) can be promoted.
My hope, my goal is to have all reefers have an awareness of cyanide to the point that they make demands on their suppliers (LFS and online) who in turn make demands on their suppliers.
Everytime someone from industry gets on board, I want the world to know.

 

[Anonymous]

There should be no secrets. Reform is above petty stuff.

Naesco,

In the same breath, you should also quote the next point:
That true reform is not a one-shot deal, that all the ducks have to be in a row, and that quality fish must be exported every time.

Any company working towards this goal does not deserve exposure until all these points are covered. Steve alludes to this in that he knows he has to work with an exporter for many, many shipments before he really knows how they really are. That so many sing Marivi's praises is due to the fact that she gets such good fish to start with, they ship well, and survive. This is not a secret. Any other exporter that does the same... Well, let's just say that they will not remain a secret very long.

Not really a state secret.

Regards.
Mike Kirda

As Mary and Kylen can attest every opportunity I get to promote net caught industry types I do.
I merely want to know who they are so that they all (the good ones) can be promoted.
My hope, my goal is to have all reefers have an awareness of cyanide to the point that they make demands on their suppliers (LFS and online) who in turn make demands on their suppliers.
Everytime someone from industry gets on board, I want the world to know.

discretion is often the better part of valor




:idea:

 

[Kalkbreath]

This is precisely why ......there will never be any reform in this behind the scenes industry.........This industry is about two very simple issues..................having a leg up on your competition........{ a secrete source} ........and being able to export {airfreight} those animals cheaply..{without the help of others}...... Once every importer receives his product from the same source.. ....competition solely based on price and NOT secrete sources ......will destroy the pricing structure ...........................................................and this industry will collapse...............Again I ask , what will you do when everyones fish are all the same.....{MAC certified} ............You will sell for less.........I

 

[Caterham]

Kalkbreath that is the best post I have ever read in this forum. Some people might not want to hear what you said, but it is nothing but the truth in my experience.

 

[Anonymous]

Your semi right Kalk, except, Imperial isn't a secret source, it's a future source being worked on. A work in progress. They still have a lot to learn about shipping, handling, etc. They're simply not ready to jump into the mainstream supply line yet.

Gresham

 

[Anonymous]

Kalkbreath that is the best post I have ever read in this forum. Some people might not want to hear what you said, but it is nothing but the truth in my experience.

This is a confusing statement, since in your sig it specifically says "Wannabe reef aquarist". What, exactly, would your experience be in the trade, then? :?

 

[Nancy Swart]

I import from Imperial. They are a netcaught exporter. I am working with them on some fundamental fish quality problems and policy protocols. I spend thousands of dollars with them. If everything I do can become public, why would I want to invest in them and help them just to have anyone try and steal them away?

Is every business dealing the right of the public to know? Do you know how many wanna be e-tailer types and garage operations follow and try and steal connections that take blood, sweat and tears to develop?

I have had about 12 important connections stolen from me already so forgive me for wondering how any Tom ,Dick and Harry can get his nose in to anything these days.
Sincerely, Steve

So Steve, what you're saying here then is that even tho you're President of AMDA, a National organization of retailers that could have a major, positive impact on Industry reform, your top priority is really training the people that will indirectly benefit Cortez Handcaught Marine?

How are we all supposed to work together to bring about this reform if your main concern is staying ahead of your personal competition?

Nancy

 

[clarionreef]

Nancy,
Ok ...I'm sorry for importing only netcaught fish for a living. Shall I change my ways?
To tell you the truth, my main initial concern was to not have everything I'm working on stolen by certain e-tailers and see them low ball drop-shipped netcaught fish direct to the public...
This irresponsible way of doing business is not something I want to promote. It ruins business for real retailers who have to deal face to face with the public and carry the industry on their shoulders so that remote invoice brokers can just jump to the head of the line and cash in more easily. However, if I read your concern correctly, I should not deal in netcaught fish myself and just have every customer import their own directly from Imperial...after I do all the hard work to fix them up in the first place.
Likewise I guess Mary should just turn over all her suppliers
information to the public as well and especially where we can get the nice
rose anemones she gets...without dealing thru her.
Maybe I'm just guilty of not bragging about my own netcaught sources and letting the world know everything there is to know about them. In all the thousands of words I've written about reform, how often could you find a sales pitch in there? Most people, after all this time don't even know that I'm in the import business. They think I just play with fish in Mexico.
This shameless avoidance of trying to cash in must stop. I need to worship my company and weave its private interest into every thread as so many others would do. And this training divers in the Philippines so that all the competitors can have more netcaught fish as well, what is that? Temporary insanity? Why would any commercial minded person do that?
What do you do for a living Nancy?
Steve

 

[Nancy Swart]

However, if I read your concern correctly, I should not deal in netcaught fish myself and just have every customer import their own directly from Imperial...after I do all the hard work to fix them up in the first place.

Once again you've misinterpreted my question, Steve, and once again I rest my case if your ONLY priority is to train people that will ultimately supply Cortez Marine with livestock.

My question was directed to you as President of AMDA. If you don't intend to share your "secrets" with your peers then where are all these projects going to get us?

As to what I do for a living, I'm now retired but spend more time with my volunteer work than I ever did in a "real" job. I'm also in the process of starting up a web design company.

I was punching a cash register in my family's grocery store at age 10 working after school and weekends and had no childhood. This was an Italian neighborhood with a grocery store on every corner so I know what fierce competition is all about.

I also owned a LFS in the late 70's so I know what it's like to be self-employed and on duty 24/7.

My last "real" job was as Branch Mgr. of a recruiting firm in Schaumburg, Il. Let me tell you headhunters are the fiercest of the bunch when it comes to competition.

I hope I've answered your questions and would now like an answer to mine. How do you feel your role as AMDA President will help the reform movement?

Nancy

 

[clarionreef]

Nancy,
Its easy to misunderstand your question because the insinuation of training a thousand more cyanide fisherman just to fill my companys own tanks boggles the mind. I'm already full of fish thankyou but the training movement which I began before ever becoming a wholesaler 20 years ago...must convert all divers or there will be nothing left for anyone.
Training divers for all ones competitors who then sell to whoever they please is nothing but proof of sincerity. You may not be aware of the fact that there is a serious shortage of competent trainers for the netcaught supply expectations of all the new environmentally consciencious dealers out there. I have trained hundreds in the past but since there has been but a single other trainer in the previous 8 years to do anything worthwhile, we have decided to team up and train a thousand more divers within a year.
AMDA will shortly launch its Net Training Supply Fund which will supply nets and materials of all types to support the coming training program.
I have my own business to run which is based on supply out of the Sea of Cortez. Going off to the Philippines puts my company at risk, puts my life at risk and all to develop fish supply for others. As I have said, if it was just to care for my own companys needs, I only need to train 20 more guys or so to improve on variety.
My wife is against this foolishness and believes the trade to be ungrateful, low paying considering the 80 hour work weeks and undeserving of the risk and sacrifice it takes to get it right. Netcaught fish don't sell that well and are often rougher than cyanide fish as the newbie eco minded netcaught dealers in Manila lack the decades of handling experience the cyanide fish dealers have. Imperial is one of these.
If not me going to train...fine. There appear to be very few who can and would do this job without serious renumeration. If not AMDA , WHO ELSE? Amda will continue to take the initiative required to convert the industry into a sustainable and legal one. If not experts and commercial professionals, who should retrain this trade at the village level? Hobbyists, service guys, office people?
Still. We are all open to constructive advice and criticism. If anyone has any it is welcome.
Sincerely Steve


PS. The bloodshed in Mindinao lately, where training is vital is not good
news.

 

[clarionreef]

I just reread your post:
Sharing secrets??? What is training? It is the quintessential sharing of secrets, of tricks, of inside information...to commercial workers, divers etc.
At hand is the sharing of secrets to a thousand such workers this coming year. By definition, the training is the giving away of a lifetimes accumalation of trade secrets...to the benefit of whoever deals with the graduates. I have guys I trained collecting in the Red Sea, Vanuatu, Tonga, Palau etc.
The netting material that the recent net fund raised money for...Where do you suppose that secret source came from?
And there is still more to share. Just not to every layman who thinks he has a right to any and all information on demand.. Information is a power to be used for the right reasons, not just to have some fish killing, drop shipping lowballing E-Tailer misuse it for personal gain.
I hope this clarifies a few things.
Sincerely, Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Since the original question has been answered here, any disagreements or questions about the policies of specific companies should be taken to PM or email.

 

[Anonymous]

Suggestions and comments duly noted, we decided to unlock the thread. My main reasons for locking it weren't for fighting or personal attacks, but because the topic had "drifted" somewhat from it's original subject and felt that more constructive dialogue could be obtained under a different thread title. But hey, feel free to dicuss what you like, where you like, let's just all be adults about it.

(My apologies as I'm still adjusting my mod training wheels :wink: )