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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Blue Shore Fishery Invests $1.3 Million To Open Tri City, Kentucky, Processing Center

02/24/2015
Blue Shore Fishery, a manufacturer of healthy food products from Asian carp, will invest $1.3 million to open a production center, which is expected to create up to 66 new jobs in Tri City, Kentucky.

The Fishery will catch Asian carp in the rivers and lakes throughout western Kentucky and process the carp in a former catfish processing plant off State Route 97. The 11,000-square-foot facility, located on 53 acres, will be operational this spring. The company also plans to add an additional 5,000 square feet of space.

“We are very pleased to be in Kentucky, where the environment for startup companies is tremendously supportive,” said Andre Raghu, CEO of Blue Shore Fishery. “We are looking forward to creating a new vision for the Kentucky Fishing industry. Generations of families across small towns in this great state once built a promising future on fishing. We greatly appreciate all of the help we have received from the Kentucky Innovation Network office at Murray State University and the Graves County Economic Development Corporation and look forward to developing strong partnerships locally, regionally and internationally.”

Blue Shore produces innovative, healthy food products from Asian carp. Its products are designed from old-world Asian staple recipes and contain high-quality fish and fresh local ingredients with no fillers, additives or preservatives. The company plans to sell to wholesale and retail markets in the U.S. and China.

Dr. Lan Chi Luu and John Crilly, two of Blue Shore’s owners, received assistance from the Kentucky Innovation Network Office in Murray. The Network, which consists of 13 statewide offices that support Kentucky’s small businesses, helped Luu and Crilly make connections for marketing and web development, finding access to capital and exporting.

Luu and Crilly also own another Asian carp company, Fin Gourmet, in Paducah. Luu and Fin Gourmet won the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development entrepreneur pitch competition in Murray last summer. As the regional winner, Luu presented the company to the Kentucky Angel Investors Network back in the fall.

To encourage Blue Shore’s investment and job growth in Graves County, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $1 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.

“We welcome Blue Shore Fishery to the Commonwealth,” said Governor Steve Beshear. “Not only will the company be creating 66 jobs and investing $1.3 million, but also it will be adding to our overall exports. Exporting is big business, with Kentucky setting an all-time record last year with $27.5 billion in exports of Kentucky products and services.”

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