Lobster wholesaler nets pier lease
The Portland City Council last night decided to lease a portion of the Maine State Pier to Ready Seafood Co., a lobster wholesaler that currently operates from another Portland wharf.
Ready Seafood will pay $100,000 a year to lease a portion of the large shed on the end of the city-owned Maine State Pier, according to the Portland Press Herald. The company, which employs 20 full- and part-time workers, plans to build a tank capable of holding 100,000 pounds of lobster in its new location, which will be twice the size of its current location on Hobson's Wharf, the paper reported.
The lease is for three years and does not include an option to renew. The city can cancel the lease at any time, as long as it pays the company the value of its investment on the pier, according to the Press Herald.
John Ready, who co-owns Ready Seafood with his brother, Brendan, told the newspaper that the company has been looking to expand and had considered leaving the city because of a lack of available waterfront space.
The Ready brothers, who were on Mainebiz's Next List in 2007, also operate Catch a Piece of Maine, which allows customers to pay a membership fee to "buy" a lobster trap for the season. The lobsters caught in that trap get credited to the member's account and they can call in a shipment any time.
Go to the article from the Portland Press Herald >>
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