Whiting,

ME

Transcript

Looks Gourmet Food Company, Inc.

Hello, my name is Michael Cote, President and CEO of Look's Gourmet Food Company in Whiting, Maine. The location of our plant is way up on the north Maine coast in rural Washington County. Nine years ago I purchased the assets of another failed seafood company on the north Maine coast where there were once as many as forty seafood canaries dotting the Maine coastline. I immediately recognized that if I didn't do something different than my predecessors that I wouldn't be around to tell this story. Without the support of the SBA I never could have done what I did and what I'm doing. With the assistance of the SBA and their loan backing and research programs we're able to shore off our production and process quality. We're also able to go ahead and easily bolster the compliment of our employees. With confidence in production resources in place and a product pointed difference I was now able to hit the road and create a demand for our product. What's probably the most satisfying and rewarding aspect of the development of our business is that we did not succumb to the perfect storm. By that I mean the perfect storm that had wiped out all of the canaries along the Maine coast and today we are not only surviving but we are absolutely thriving within the market place. The support that we received from the SBA has also benefited the local community. As an employer we represent a beacon of bright light for employment opportunities in a rural economically challenged area of Maine. The trickledown effect of success of our business has benefited many in our small rural community contractors and tradesman, retailors, bankers, fisherman, suppliers, transportation industry, and the local businesses. They all enjoy the benefits of doing business with a small but thriving company. Thank you SBA for believing in me.