PORTLAND — The city’s working waterfront is poised to welcome a major new player for the 2014 lobstering season. The city council voted July 15 to lease a 19,000-square-foot space on the Maine State Pier to Shucks Maine Lobster for lobster processing.
In June, the council’s Housing and Community Development Committee voted unanimously to approve the 15-year lease.
Greg Mitchell, Portland’s economic development director, thinks Shucks’ arrival would be a boon to the city’s economic identity and further secure its legacy of working waterfront. Once opened, the processing plant is expected to provide nine full-time jobs and 60 part-time jobs, and there would be room for Shucks to expand.
Shucks would join another lobster company, Ready Seafood, on the pier.
“This reinforces our working waterfront, Mitchell said. “It creates a stronger brand for Portland for lobster processing.”
To move into the building, Shucks would need to invest between $1 million and $1.2 million for renovations, according to John Hathaway, Shucks CEO. It could cost up to $1 million more for additional equipment.
Peter McAleney, president of the Maine Import-Export Lobster Dealers Association, applauded Shucks’ decision to come to Portland, but said he was surprised the company would agree to such upfront costs when cheaper processing facilities could be had inland.
“I don’t see any advantage at all,” McAleney said. “He could find a place far cheaper than the wharf. That sucker is expensive.”
But Hathaway was buoyant as he spoke about Shucks’ expansion to Portland. He said Portland is a great community where the fishing industry intersects with a thriving foodie scene and Maine’s tourism industry.
“There’s great energy in the city of Portland, there’s great synergy,” Hathaway said. “I really think it’s the center of gravity for Maine lobster around the globe.”
The processing facility will fit into a bustling and snug economic district, and that will take some careful logistical planning, said Mitchell. It’s nothing the city and business leaders haven’t been able to work out before, he said. Ready Seafood, for example, does much of its shipping and delivery activity in the wee hours of the morning, when traffic is lightest.
“The working waterfront is a very tight, urban, compact area. That creates some of the excitement,” Mitchell said. “It does require [people] to be good neighbors to make it all work for industry, and it’s been successful for a very long time.”
John Ready, co-owner of Ready Seafood, agrees with Mitchell that the logistical hurdles can be overcome with careful planning. He also said the benefits of being in Portland have outweighed the challenges for his company. Ready said he doesn’t view Shucks as competition, but rather as another business partner focused on boosting Maine lobster’s brand globally.
“I welcome their arrival and hope they have a good time in Portland,” Ready said.