Governors' support

Her resilience and innovative spirit also have won the support of three Kentucky governors.

"Look at all of these different products using every single bit of a fish that was seen rightfully as an invasive species but finding a market for every single part of it, creating jobs and opportunity along the way," Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said at the Mighty Rivers Regional Center's opening ceremony.

"As we see in all these samples, there are plenty of uses for this fish. Think about that, she has turned a nuisance into so many opportunities, and not just one market, but multiple markets across the world," he continued.

More than 10 years ago when Two Rivers Fisheries was launched, Steve Beshear, Andy Beshear's father and then governor, showed up to cut the ribbon in support of Yu's effort. Former governor Matt Bevin also toured her company in 2018.

Yu's Two Rivers Fisheries has won numerous awards, including being named one of the top 100 small businesses in 2024 by the US Chamber of Commerce.

The regional center will operate on a much larger scale than the Two Rivers Fisheries, said Yu. There will be three processing centers in Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee, and two of them are expected to start operating this year.