Mainebiz Special Editions

V O L . X X V N O. X V I 24 Fact Book / Doing Business in Maine C E O I N T E RV I E W Mainebiz: How important is a larger Maine presence to the Luke's Lobster brand? Ben Conniff: Having a larger presence in Maine is huge for our brand. Our story began here with Luke's family and personal history as a lobsterman. Transparent sourcing direct from fish- ermen, and delivering the experience of a Maine dockside shack, have always been paramount for us. So having more opportunities to bring our guests, partners and media to a working Maine dock and see everything below the tip of the iceberg of our business is so helpful in communicating what we're about to the world. Not to men- tion how great it feels personally to get such a warm welcome home from our friends and neighbors. MB: Why come to Portland now amid the ongoing debate over wa- terfront development? Luke Holden: e lobster industry faces so many challenges these days and we've tried to do our part to con- tribute in many facets, from diversi- fying domestic markets in the midst of tariff issues, to working on alterna- tive bait to supplement the shrink- ing herring quota. e opportunity presented itself to rehabilitate a dock that could support a dozen fishermen and buy from many more, were it not suffering from years of decay and generally unsafe conditions. By open- ing a shack at the end of Portland Pier, we were able to create a business model that could finance new pilings and decking for the whole wharf, brand new double-wide floats for the lobstermen to do their work, elec- tricity and running water for every berth, all without increasing costs for the lobstermen. at and create a wonderful showcase for locals and tourists to see and learn about the industry. is was the chance we had been waiting for to come home in a way that had a greater impact than just a restaurant. Luke Holden Title: CEO Ben Conniff Title: Chief marketing officer Luke's Lobster was founded by Luke Holden and Ben Conniff in 2009, when they opened their first eatery in Manhattan's East Village. They've grown to 28 locations in the United States, including their newest one in Portland, as well as nine in Japan and one in Taiwan. Luke's Lobster Seafood Co. is the primary supplier of traceable, sustainable seafood to all Luke's Lobster locations while also supplying seafood restaurants around the country. Holden, the company's CEO and a Cape Elizabeth native, and Conniff, who serves as chief marketing officer, spoke with Mainebiz about building the brand and expansion plans. B y B y r e n e e C o r d e s Company: Luke's Lobster Headquarters: Saco; Brooklyn, N.Y. What the company does: seafood supplier Luke's Lobster's global expansion comes home to Maine Ben Conniff, left, and Luke Holden, co-founders of Luke's Lobster, in the upstairs bar at their new restaurant on Portland's waterfront. The downstairs dining area at Luke's Lobster in Portland. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY

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