PEORIA MAGAZINE September 2022

Enterprises in East Peoria, is the Turner Center’s New Exporter of the Year for 2022. Rarely does a business check off so many potential “winner” boxes. So far, it’s been a winner for Sorce, which was seeking a new business line after 50 years in the food distribution industry, supplying Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, etc., and found one. It’s a winner for those who work the waters, the fishermen who needed a dependablemarket to buy their catches; a richer, more reliable source of income; and a life that didn’t have them on the river 24-7 just squeakingout anexistence. It would seem a winner for the environment, for the ecosystems of the Illinois River and Great Lakes, as the more carp pulled out of the waterway here means fewer infiltrating Lake Michigan and beyond. It could be a winner for taxpayers, who otherwise are about to spend nearly $900million on a lock-and-dam project on the Des Plaines River to keep the species out of the Great Lakes. It looks to be a winner for central Illinois, which now has another viable, growing employer. It’s a winner for a hungry world in need of an abundant, inexpensive source of protein. It could be a winner for savvy investors whowant a piece of the action as Sorce embarks upon an ambitious five-year expansion plan. RARELY DOES A BUSINESS CHECK OFF SO MANY POTENTIAL ‘WINNER’ BOXES It all pretty much happened by accident. Sorce, 63, and his team were looking to branch out into the cannabis industry in East Peoria two years ago when local officials asked if they’d put an ice-making machine in their warehouse of 65,000 square feet just off Route 116. “What for?” Sorce asked. Well, central Illinois fishermen needed a convenient supply of ice to keep their catches

nearly double it. Another 50 million catchable pounds is swimming between Bartonville and Havana. While the company continues to pursue its “cannabis conservatorium” in East Peoria, which has gained traction of late, what they’ve discovered is that the fish likely have more bottom-line potential. “If you look at the data, this is where you want to go,” said Vogel. “You don’t want all your eggs in the cannabis basket … The scale of what this (carp) business could do is the McDonalds corporation, whereas the cannabis is a McDonald’s store.” ‘THEY ARE FILTER FEEDERS, PLANT AND ALGAE EATERS, MID-WATER FEEDERS’ Indeed, there’s less competition, the carp are a renewable resource – a female can lay up to 5 million eggs — little government regulation exists, and there are seemingly countless uses for the product beyond food. Indeed, carp can be turned into pet treats – “caviar for your dog” – pharmaceuticals and other medical appl ications, cosmetics, fashion (“fish leather” for purses and shoes), — Roy Sorce

Roy Sorce of Sorce Enterprises

fresh and usable for buyers. With the pandemic putting his cannabis plans on hold, Sorce began doing his due diligence, saw an opportunity, and created the Midwest Fish Co-Op – basically a “Prairie Farms for fishermen. “They’d support us if we supported them,” he said. The dozen he originally brought on board as independent contractors have grown to 30, complementing 10 payroll employees. While the average pay is about $40,000, the highest grossing fisherman in 2021 made $120,000 just from Sorce, with another $50,000 in state subsidy payments. They’re already pulling 8 million pounds of fish out of Peoria Lake annual ly, with the potential to

Fisherman Dave Buchanan shovels ice on a catch of Copi

SEPTEMBER 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE 29