Stewarding a Family Legacy

To start, could you share your full name, where you’re from, and a little background on your family’s connection to Chesapeake Crab Connection?

My name is Will Koenig, and I was born and raised in Lancaster, PA. Chesapeake Crab Connection was founded in 1990, and our family has always known the business — the previous owners are first cousins of my dad. My cousin and current partner, Dustin, spent his summers working at Chesapeake Crab from age 14 to 22, and my mom even waited tables during one of the all-you-can-eat summers. That long, informal connection made it feel less like buying a company and more like stewarding a family legacy.

How did you first become involved in Chesapeake Crab Connection, and what did those early days look like for you?

Although we’d always known the business, we didn’t realize the owners were looking to sell. After graduating from Franklin & Marshall, I was interning at LINK Business Brokers with plans to break into investment banking. A familiar company came up for sale, and after some honest conversations with my dad about my long-term goals, we realized acquiring Chesapeake Crab could be the perfect way to combine deal experience with hands-on business ownership. When my cousin Dustin — who brought real operational experience — jumped on board, it became a real possibility.

We’re still in the early days under our ownership, but we moved quickly on high-impact changes. We overhauled the e-commerce site and modernized our systems so we could scale digital marketing, and we expanded the Lancaster location with an outdoor tent for our all-you-can-eat nights. Both updates were big wins in our first summer of 2025, and they’ve given us momentum heading into 2026.

Since stepping into the business, how would you describe your experience so far—both personally and professionally?

It’s been intense, humbling, and incredibly rewarding. Entrepreneurship forces you to confront every weakness — the market won’t let you hide — and I’ve grown faster than I expected. The most meaningful part, personally, has been doing this with family. Running a business with people you trust completely is priceless; when challenges arise, you know you’ll lean on each other and figure it out together.

What have you realized or learned from the beginning of this journey up to now? Any lessons that shaped your leadership?

Leadership starts at the top: how you show up matters. Even on hard days, you owe it to your team to be present and make thoughtful decisions — people are counting on you. My job is to create an environment where our team can succeed and feel secure in their roles. That responsibility has pushed me to be more consistent, more accountable, and more focused on building stability for the people who choose to work with us.

What inspires you the most about continuing your family’s legacy through Chesapeake Crab Connection?

What inspires me is building something great with my family and sharing it with the community. I love that we get to create unforgettable moments around the table — in our stores and now nationally through e-commerce. Carrying the business forward feels like honoring the past while giving future generations something special to be proud of.

From your perspective, what makes the seafood industry unique, and what excites you about where the industry is heading?

Seafood — and especially crab — is unique because we’re handling living, seasonal product. We get live blue crabs delivered multiple times a week, and factors like weather, tides, and catch volume constantly shape the business. Those logistics can be stressful, but they’re also what make the work real and visceral.

I’m excited by a generational shift in the industry: many long-running seafood businesses are being passed to a younger generation. That transition is bringing new energy, new ideas, and fresh approaches to operations and marketing. For a business like ours, that energy feels like a big opportunity.

What do you love most about being based in Lancaster, and how has the community influenced you or your business?

Lancaster is a family-centered community and that fits our product perfectly. The local support has been enormous — people told us they wanted all-you-can-eat nights back, so we brought them back, and the response was fantastic. Being the only crab company in the area doing something like that gives us a unique place in the community, and our customers’ loyalty keeps us moving forward.

What has been the most rewarding part of your journey—whether inside the company, in the seafood industry, or in your personal growth?

The most rewarding part has been the personal growth and the way our family has grown closer through the process. Entrepreneurship strips away niceties and forces you to face hard truths — the market will show you where you and the business need to improve. If you stay humble and listen, that feedback accelerates growth. Seeing how we’ve responded to tough times and come out stronger together is what I’m most proud of.

When you hear the phrase “Next Generation,” what does it mean to you, and how do you hope to influence the generation coming behind you?

“Next Generation” means opportunity and action. We have the benefit of wisdom from those before us and unprecedented access to information via the internet — a combination that can accelerate innovation and achievement. My message to the generation behind me is simple: start now. There’s no age requirement to pursue what you’re passionate about. I hope to inspire others to take action, learn fast, and build something meaningful on their own terms.

Will’s experience at Chesapeake Crab Connection has been as much about personal growth as it has been about business success. Through hands-on leadership, collaboration with family, and a commitment to community, he’s discovered that entrepreneurship is a test of resilience, focus, and humility. For Will, the “Next Generation” is about action, learning, and building something meaningful—lessons he hopes to inspire in others following their passions. Chesapeake Crab Connection isn’t just a business; it’s a legacy, and under Will and Dustin’s guidance, that legacy is thriving for the years ahead.