Mike Lam, a Tyrrell County businessman, plans to open a seafood business in 2015.
Mike’s Seafood will be located on 100 Jean Street on Highway 64 in Plymouth.
“There are a lot of boat captains that are currently not putting their boats in the water. They might not necessarily have a market to sell their product. It might not be worth their time. What we are hoping to do is add another resource for them to sell seafood from the Albemarle Sound. More than 50 captains are estimated to put their boats into the water if they know they have a market for their products. We intend to pay fair price for all their catch. We would buy from them and sell wholesale to grocery stores. We are also going to have a retail presence at the store,” said General Manager Dan Marks.
Marks and Lam, Chief Operating Officer, were recently at a Plymouth Town Council meeting to discuss some zonings issues where they plan to open their facility.

“The property that we were looking at was oddly zoned. It is five and half acres. It had a tiny bit residential. It was also light industrial and commercial. We have to make sure it was all zoned uniformly,” said Marks. “Additionally, the light industrial ordinances were adjusted to include the processing of meat, poultry, seafood, vinegar, and yeast products on the property.” he said.
Marks emphasized that the facility still needs retrofits, which include high efficiency LED lighting, energy efficient refrigeration systems, and building automation systems.
“We estimate that between 130 and 150 people will work at the facility when it is finished,” said Lam.
Lam and Marks will be working with son Michael Lam, who will be Chief Executive Officer. Mike mentioned that details regarding a similar seafood business in Tyrrell County are still being discussed.
Lam estimated the business could employ 55 to 60 people. Marks emphasized that year-round workers will work at the two sites. “The people will not be there seasonally. We want to be able to process seafood year-round. Everybody that is employed will be trained and have benefits,” said Marks.
Catch from the Albemarle Sound and the Outer Banks will be processed at the planned facilities.