Acme Smoked Fish Announces Appointment of Rob Snyder as Chief Executive Officer

BROOKLYN, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 7, 2026--

Acme Smoked Fish Corp., a leading producer of premium smoked and cured seafood since 1906, today announced that Rob Snyder has officially assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2026. Snyder succeeds Eduardo Carbajosa, who has retired following nearly two decades of leadership with the company.

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Snyder has spent the past six months leading strategic planning and operational alignment across Acme’s U.S. headquarters and international operations. He previously served as the company’s Chief People & Sustainability Officer for nearly five years and, before joining Acme, was President of the Island Institute in Rockland, Maine. He brings more than 20 years of experience across the seafood and food industries.

“I’d like to thank the outgoing CEO, Eduardo Carbajosa, and the Caslow Family for building a strategically networked global business with an incredible team behind it,” said Snyder. “Over the past six months, I’ve worked closely with our leadership team to position Acme for growth and operational excellence. 2026 will be a year of value realization, as we leverage recent investments in technology, people, and infrastructure to navigate a fast-changing marketplace. I’m honored to take the helm at this important moment in Acme’s long history.”

Carbajosa joined Acme in 2007 as Chief Financial Officer and went on to serve as President and CEO. During his tenure, he helped strengthen the company’s financial foundation, expand its production footprint, and guide transformative growth across the U.S. and international markets.

“We are incredibly grateful to Eduardo for his leadership and his deep commitment to Acme’s mission,” said David Caslow, Chairman and member of Acme’s founding family. “He leaves behind a remarkable legacy, and we thank him for his many contributions. As we look to the future, Rob’s values-driven leadership, operational expertise, and passion for our people and products make him the ideal person to guide Acme into its next chapter.”

Snyder’s appointment marks the start of a new phase of investment, innovation, and long-term growth as Acme continues to strengthen its position as a global leader in ready-to-eat seafood.

About Acme Smoked Fish Corporation

Acme Smoked Fish is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated smoked fish company based in Brooklyn since 1906, dedicated to bringing people together through great food experiences. Tradition and innovation meet at Acme, where their smoked fish experts are on a mission to smoke and cure the highest quality seafood with a commitment to top food safety standards. Acme is also dedicated to sustainability and education through the Acme Smoked Fish Foundation, which supports groundbreaking climate projects across the industry and provides educational grants in local communities. In addition to its Brooklyn headquarters, Acme smokes fish in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Florida, Chile, and Denmark. Its growing product line can be found in supermarkets, specialty stores, bagel shops, and restaurants nationwide. Learn more at acmesmokedfish.com and follow @acmesmokedfish.

Rob Snyder, CEO

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that he will allow service members to carry personal weapons onto military installations, citing the Second Amendment and recent shootings at bases across the country.

In a video posted to X, Hegseth said he is signing a memo that will direct base commanders to allow requests for troops to carry privately owned firearms “with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection.”

He said any denial of a service member's request must be explained in detail and in writing.

“Effectively, our bases across the country were gun-free zones,” Hegseth said. "Unless you're training or unless you are a military policeman, you couldn't carry, you couldn't bring your own firearm for your own personal protection onto post."

Questions about why service members lacked access to weapons have often emerged following shootings on the nation's military bases. Such shootings have ranged from isolated events between service members to mass casualty events, such as the shootings by an Army psychiatrist at Texas’ Ford Hood in 2009 that left 13 people dead.

Hegseth cited some of the events in his video, including a shooting that injured five soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia last year. Officials said the shooter, an Army sergeant who worked at the base, used his personal handgun before he was tackled by fellow soldiers and arrested.

“In these instances, minutes are a lifetime,” Hegseth said. “And our service members have the courage and training to make those precious, short minutes count.”

Defense Department policy has prohibited military personnel from carrying personal weapons on base without permission from a senior commander, with strict protocol for how the firearms must be stored.

Typically, military personnel must officially check their guns out of secure storage to go to on-base hunting areas or shooting ranges, then check all firearms back in promptly after their sanctioned use. Military police are often the only armed personnel on base, outside of shooting ranges, hunting areas or in training, where soldiers can wield their service weapons without ammunition.

Tanya Schardt, senior counsel at the Brady gun violence prevention organization, said in a statement that Defense Department leaders and the military’s top brass have opposed relaxing the current policy, which was originally enacted under President George H.W. Bush.

“Our military installations are among the most guarded, protected properties in the world, and they’ve never been ‘gun-free zones,’” Schardt said. “If there is a problem with violent crime on these installations, then the Secretary of Defense has an obligation to alert the American people and describe how he’s working to prevent that crime."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)