doing business as
Troutlodge
A modest idea to stock local markets and lakes with healthy trout last century , grew this company into the nation ’ s largest private supplier of live trout and eggs and producer of fingerling trout .
founded : 1945 headquarters : Bonney Lake the product : Started in Rocky Ford Creek near Soap Lake , Troutlodge has become the world leader in the production and sale of live trout eggs . The company collaborates with state and national research agencies and universities in the research and development of trout aquaculture to continue to supply healthy and sustainable trout eggs for domestic trout farmers and to trout growers around the globe . The company has grown to include a total of eight facilities throughout Washington and Idaho . Troutlodge also produces trout eggs in the Isle of Man and a sister company , Hendrix Genetics SA , based in the Netherlands , produces trout eggs for Chilean trout growers . the story : Seeing a need for healthy trout levels in local ponds in mid-1945 , co-founders Ed McCleary and Ken Drew soon realized that effective harvesting of the fish ’ s eggs to supply to purchasers along with live trout was an untapped business opportunity . While the science has progressed and the company has grown over the last 75 years , the core values of sustainability , innovation , collaboration and value creation have not . research & development : Troutlodge has succeeded by producing pathogen-free trout eggs and by investing in research and development and quantitative and molecular genetics to produce fastgrowing as well as disease resistant trout — a serious business . Troutlodge is a pioneer in using molecular genetics and “ genomics ” to produce high performing trout . Not to be confused with “ genetically-modified organisms ,” genomics is an analytic process to examine the DNA of trout eggs to identify families and individuals within families of trout at Troutlodge that yield the highest performance — for example , fast growth and higher levels of disease resistance . They don ’ t change the eggs — they find the best ones to fit the needs of their clients and the environment . sustainability : Why discover faster growing , healthier trout varieties ? The company ’ s focus on sustainability is at the core of the answer : Efficient raising of fish — quicker growth and time to market and less disease — means using less food , water and space to produce a healthy protein source for consumers around the world and fewer impacts to the environment . trade is vital : Like many other Washington companies , Troutlodge is a trade-dependent operation . Of the 500 million trout eggs shipped each year , only one quarter of the shipments are domestic . The remainder go out to 60-70 countries , such as Peru , Colombia , Japan , Iran and Korea . Talk at the national level of scuttling long-standing trade deals and those being discussed in Congress is of great concern to this 55-person operation . the employees : “ There ’ s a bunch of really hard-working individuals at the company working to produce healthy food products in a sustainable way .” — John Dentler , vice president of sales , marketing and government relations , Troutlodge
— Bobbi Cussins
54 association of washington business