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“We have a vested interest in keeping the market here,” asserts Steve Koster, in marketing and mushrooms at E. Armata, Inc. “We believe in this market and will continue to do business here as long as New York City supports it.”
Upgrades
In the meantime, some individual merchants are not waiting for a verdict one way or the other and are moving forward with upgrades. Five years ago, Charlie DiMaggio opened FresCo, LLC on the market and invested in major upgrades, even at the height of the rebuild-or- move debate. The investment has paid off as he continues to attract customers while the ongoing rebuild decision postponement hasn’t forced him to lose his investment.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes since I’ve been here,” says DiMaggio. “A few longtime companies have gone out of business, and in other ways, the changes are exciting. It’s hard to tell what the exact causes for these changes and drivers for growth are; for every negative there is always a positive or an opportunity. “We’ve been fortunate to be growing at 10 to 20 percent a year.”
Recently, E. Armata underwent a major renovation from the ground up. The company retrofitted stalls with improved cold chain capabilities and state-of-the-art technology, earning GMP and HACCP certification. “The remodel was something we had to do,” Koster states. “It was a chance we took, but we couldn’t really sit back and wait for a decision about the market [rebuild or move]; we had to improve our facility. And so far, it’s worked—the facility is top notch, we’re expanding lines, and we’re going after all the food safety certifications so we can have a complete traceability chain for our customers.”
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