Paul Chapa

Founder / Chairman
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For Paul 9/11 was a life-changing event. It was a motivating factor driving him to use his talents in the industry he loves to also serve those who serve our country. Although he never served, many of his family members including his brother, uncles and cousins had served and he felt compelled to find a way to serve and include industry friends.

Retail Patriot Event:

He has now been in the publishing industry more than a quarter century and co-founded the trade magazine Frozen & Refrigerated Buyer in 2009 and still works full time. That year, held his first Retail Patriot event in conjunction with the annual National Frozen Refrigerated Association convention. The Retail Patriot event was designed to honor grocery retailers that have “gone above and beyond” to support our troops and veterans. It was at that first Retail Patriot event in 2009 held in Washington, D.C., that Paul met Marine Col. Marshall Denney. It was this fortuitous meeting that led to his subsequent introduction to Lt. Gen. Jon and Carol Davis.

Heroes Dinners:

Meeting with Lt. Gen. Davis in 2010 at the Marine Corps Ball in Corpus Christi, Texas, generated the idea of creating a Heroes Dinner to honor enlisted servicemen and women and their spouses. Two months after the discussion, the first Heroes Dinner was held at the home of the Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, and Carol Davis, in 2011 in Cherry Point, North Carolina. A 2013 Heroes Dinner with Maj. Gen. Glenn and Gail Walters inspired him to form Food Industry Serving Heroes (FISH), which then received its 501©3 status in 2013. The name was changed in 2016 to Friends In Service of Heroes (FISH) to be more inclusive.

Recognition include:

  • 2013 Marine Corps Foundation Semper
  • 2016 State of Missouri
  • 2017 State of Kansas Proclamation
  • 2019 State of Kansas Proclamation
  • 2019 Kentucky Colonel
  • 2021 Daughters of the American Revolution Distinguished Citizen Award
  • 2021 Inaugural Gen. Larry Oppenheimer Marine Corps League Citizen Award
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