by Carol A. Muratore
Nick Sterrett’s ancestors were some of the first people to settle in Northumberland County.
One of his earliest relatives was John Haynie, born in 1624. He came here from England in the early-to-mid 1600s, and is believed to have married a Native American woman named Jane.
Nick’s great-great-great-grandfather, Lucius Haynie, had three brothers, one of which, John, founded the Haynie Company in 1878. All four Haynie brothers worked together to build this fishing business which has lasted 146 years. The business has had many names over the years, with people who grew up in Reedville most familiar with the names Reedville Oil and Guano, Haynie Products and Zapata Haynie going back from the 1950s through the 1980s. Today, it is called Omega Protein, one of the largest employers in the area. Omega Protein is owned by the Cooke family, also leaders in the aquaculture business.
A graduate of The College of William and Mary, Nick works at Omega Protein as the director of sales. Nick has been with Omega Protein for many years, continuing the tradition of his fishing relatives with six generations of ties….
