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February 5, 2013
In an industry where voices can be shrill and divisions deep, the quiet voice of a Houma oyster processor spoke more clearly through its softness, and its consistent appeal to reason.
That’s one reason why the death of Mike Voisin, community activist, seafood businessman and – according to many – a civic and business visionary, was felt so hard by so many last week.
He died Saturday morning at Terrebonne General Medical Center, as friends and family members sang songs of comfort, following his hospitalization made necessary by the sudden onset of a heart condition.
As a member of the Louisiana Fish and Wildlife Commission, founding member of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board and CEO of Motivatit Seafood, the pioneering oyster company he directed for many years, Voisin made an indelible mark on the industry he embraced and loved.
His civic involvement also made a huge difference in Terrebonne Parish, where he served on the governing board of the hospital where his life ended, and where his stewardship of the Chamber of Commerce led to the consolidation of Terrebonne Parish government.
He was a former chairman of the National Fisheries Institute, the Louisiana Oyster Dealers and Growers Association, Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, Southeastern Fisheries Association, Louisiana Seafood Processors Council, Gulf Oyster Industry Council and the Louisiana Oyster Task Force.
Friends in the industry said he was consistently a driving industry force and not just a name on the boards he was involved with.
“We lost the biggest voice the seafood industry ever had, a visionary,” said Ewell Smith, the seafood marketing board’s director. “He had a vision for this industry, something nobody else saw. He said keeping this seafood board moving onward was critical. His vision is what brought it where it is today, and now with this vehicle, we need to keep the vision alive. He created the legislation that helped create the board. He made people around him better, he had that special gift. He knew how to lead people, to take them out of comfortable situations and put them into uncomfortable situations and grow them, that was his innate skill. He grew his business the same way.”
Smith and other people who counted Voisin as a friend noted his tremendous dedication to family and his faith.
“Before he talked about work he was always talking about his family or his faith, and they grounded him before all the other stuff. He was an incredibly dear friend and I am going to miss him greatly.”
“Mike Voisin will be missed in Terrebonne Parish and throughout the country,” said Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet.
“Our whole department is so terribly saddened at the passing of Mike,” said Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries secretary Robert Barham. “On a daily basis, I relied on his extensive knowledge of the coastal environment and seafood industry. No one was more versed on seafood management. It will be virtually impossible to find someone that has the ability, the knowledge and the will to ensure Louisiana remains a leader in the seafood industry.”
A wake was scheduled for today at the Chauvin Funeral Home, from 6 to 9 p.m., with a possible extension of hours to 10 p.m. His funeral is scheduled for 11 am. tomorrow at Living Word Church, 1916 La. 311. Although Voisin was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Living Word offered its facilities to accommodate a bigger number of mourners.
Mike Voisin, CEO of Motivatit Seafood in Houma, is being remembered for his work founding the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. He died Saturday surrounded by family and friends at Terrebonne General Medical Center.
