“Over the course of several meetings, our team was impressed by Nikki and Taylor’s ability to generate top-line growth, strong local partnerships, and collaborative interest from national brands ... We recognized an opportunity to provide operational and strategic value to help Rugged Seas achieve their vision of market expansion outside of New England and into brick-and-mortar retail.”
Read MoreFor Nikki, the success of Rugged Seas has meant she’s taken on more and different responsibilities than she ever expected. With Taylor often gone on long fishing trips, she puts the “busy” in “business.” Plus, the couple has three young sons, aged seven, five, and two. And the oldest and youngest have a rare genetic condition that causes blindness in children.
Read MoreKristan Vermeulen with Makers of the USA podcast has a wide selection of gift ideas for Father's Day made right here in Maine.
Read MoreRugged Seas is as tough as the people who fish our oceans and live in our coastal communities. Their gear and apparel isn’t just for the fishermen who work year-round and through all kinds of weather to bring seafood to the table—it’s for all of us who love and respect the ocean and what it does for us. And for people who are interested in a new way to say to the fishing community, “hey, we see you.”
Read MoreHose off those worn and torn fishing bibs and recycle them into rugged sea bags and more. A Maine fishing family needs more bibs for its Rugged Seas line that was launched at the popular Maine Fishermen’s Forum in March. Since then the bib gear has taken off.
Read MoreIn 2012, Taylor Strout was a long way away from his native Maine. He had recently taken a job working on a 150-foot midwater trawler, catching pollock on the Bering Sea. For Taylor, this meant temporarily leaving Maine, and his family, for weeks at a time to work out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. While the landscape and the fishery were foreign to Taylor, who had spent his youth working with his family in its generational lobster business, these weren’t the differences that were most apparent. Instead, upon arriving in Alaska, Taylor immediately noticed that the fishermen all donned apparel that proudly identified the fisheries for which they worked.
Read MoreNikki and Taylor Strout use what fishermen discard to create bags, backs, and clutches.
Read MoreTaylor and Nikki Strout run their startup, Rugged Seas, from their home.
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