Luke's Lobster is a small business success story that is creating wealth and jobs in the New York City market where it operates -- and in Maine where it sources its fresh seafood.

The company's founder is Luke Holden, a 27-year-old who grew up in Cape Elizabeth and attended college at Georgetown. Holden went into finance after college but soon decided to switch to entrepreneurship.

He opened a lobster shack in New York City's trendy East Village by leveraging his connections back in Maine. His father runs a seafood processing business so Holden is able to maintain a steady supply of fresh lobster at native Mainer prices.

The company also sells other products made in Maine such as sodas from Scarborough's Maine Root, ice cream from Gifford’s and clam chowder from Hurricane’s Premium Soup and Chowder, which is made by a small company from Greene.

Since opening its doors in 2009, the business has grown to four locations in Manhattan, along with an outpost in Washington, DC. There is even a New York City food truck called Nauti which brings a taste of Maine to the masses in the city's popular tourist hangouts in Midtown.

Luke was recently interviewed by the Business Insider about his company, its connections to Maine and its plans to keep expanding along the I-95 corridor. Check out the clip below.

Photo from the Luke's Lobster website.