A Lobsterman for Your Incentive Program

Incentive: Merchandise

A Lobsterman for Your Incentive Program
August 05, 2008

By Alex Palmer

How's this for origin-conscious food: You not only know where your lobster dinner comes from, you know who caught it, when he caught it, and if you have the time and inclination, you can join him on the ship and catch your dinner yourself.

Catch A Piece of Maine, the Portland, ME-based company that started last November, offers clients a trap from a local lobster fishing boat, adding a truly personal touch to their meal. The $2,995 it costs for a share of a lobsterman's catch includes a minimum of 52 one-and-half-pound lobsters, with all the fixings for a gourmet meal and also offers clients updates on their catch and specific lobsterman, and happily provides tours on the ship, should customers have the inclination to visit.

"Any company can bring themselves, top executives, or even family out here to Maine and go out on the boat for a day with the lobsterman," says Brendan Ready, who co-owns Catch a Piece of Maine with his brother John. "Some companies have sent people out here for fun if they’re up here vacationing or something and they report back to the company."

But even if clients decline the day on the water, this program presents several incentive opportunities. As a corporate gift, a gourmet lobster pack for four (which includes a pound of steamers, a pound of mussels, four servings of Maine-made dessert and a DVD and personal note from the lobsterman, certificate stating when the lobsters were caught and plaque) from a business partner's 'private catch' offers an extra story and personal touch that makes the gift particularly memorable and special. For example, a New York–based real estate firm sends a piece of the catch out every time they close a major deal on a piece of property.

Catch a Piece of Maine also offers a meaningful way to reward employees while creating a sense of teamwork. Maine-based Southport Products bought a share of lobsterman Captain Bobby Springer's catch. Receiving video email updates about their catch (which the marketing department sends out to the rest of the company) created an unusual topic of common interest between the employees. Southport's leadership offered the lobster dinners as a sales incentive for their reps outside of Maine. The sales reps who had the strongest performance during the week received a share of the company’s catch.

"They're getting something that the whole company is following," says Ready. "They all know who the company lobsterman is, they all get the emails, they all feel that camaraderie, and when they’re getting this gift from the company lobster trap, it has meaning to it."

Catch a Piece of Maine also offers an opportunity for companies to emphasize their green side. As the first community-supported model in the lobster and fishing industry, it lets harvesters get directly involved in the distribution of their catch.

"We're really trying to emphasize quality, tradition, preservation," says Ready. "It's an innovative approach to keeping this tradition and industry alive…you know that you're supporting this individual lobsterman out there."

They also focus on education. Ten percent of profits are donated to the Gulf Maine Research Institute, which brings fifth and sixth grade students into their research center, perhaps inspiring the next generation of lobstermen.

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