The Plitt Company of Chicago Announces New Ownership and Improved Seafood Distribution 

 
Chicago, IL -- North Elston Seafood Partners, LLC, which consists of members of Plitt’s current management team; Joe Rossi, John Livaditis, Tim Lathrop and Gus Atsalis was the successful bidder in the public asset sale of The Plitt Company on November 17, 2009. The assets of the company will transition from the receiver to new ownership in the weeks to come and the entity will continue to operate under the Plitt name. 
 
According to Joe Rossi, North Elston Seafood Partners’ C.F.O. “with the smart restructuring of our operations and careful attention to our financial performance, Plitt is now positioned to succeed. We have kept the right team in place and have a sound fiscal strategy.” 
 
“Our goal in purchasing this business is to continue providing the Midwest with a consistent source of carefully sourced, high-quality seafood,” stated John Livaditis, co-owner of The Plitt Company.  
 
Tim Lathrop added, “we believe in the talented team that remains in place here. We’ve worked toward new pricing strategies which will benefit our customers. We’ve also reorganized both our inside and outside sales staff for more efficient service.” 
 
The Plitt Company has been in business since 1916, and went into receivership on May 29th of this year.  According to Rossi, “the events leading up to the receivership were a challenge for our entire team, but we are emerging from the situation smarter and stronger than ever before.” Improvements in purchasing, receiving, operations and in all areas of sales and customer service are being emphasized. He continued, “we are implementing a thorough overhaul of every aspect of the company; we want our current and future customers to know that we are very committed to the success of this company, and that they can trust us.” 
 

Florida stone crab claw season is here!

This eagerly anticipated season runs from October 15th through May 15th, and we expect to have plenty of fresh, sweet crab claws on hand all season long! 

Stone crab claws are sustainable! Seafood Watch writes “the stone crab fishery is considered sustainable. Populations appear to be holding steady, and fishermen and managers have created a plan that will gradually reduce fishing effort over the next 30 years. This plan aims to protect stone crab populations while maintaining a viable fishery. We recommend stone crab as a Best Choice.” 

The unique method by which stone crab claws are harvested also contributes to their sustainability. Crabs are removed from traps alive, and measured.  One claw is taken from the crab and then it is safely returned to the ocean where it will regenerate the claw.  They can grow 3 to 4 claws over the course of their approximately 7 year life span!

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission over 3 million pounds of stone crab claws were harvested statewide last year, bringing in an estimated value of almost 19 million for commercial stone crab fisherman. 
 
Call your Plitt Representative today to “get cracking”!!
 

Smith joins SeafoodSource.com's Blogging Team!

Mary Smith, Plitt's marketing director, has joined the SeafoodSource.com Blog team!  We’ve long used this great resource for current seafood news, and to keep up to date on what’s happening in our industry, and now we proud to join SeafoodSource.com with a blog focusing on innovations in seafood marketing! 

There’s a lot of great blogging going on there, check it out and hear from other voices from all areas of our diverse industry.