New website launched to communicate focus on Good Jobs, Clean Oceans & Strong Communities
WESTPORT, WASH – August 2, 2010 – The Ocean Companies, including Ocean Gold Seafoods, Ocean Protein, Ocean Cold and Ocean Express, have united behind a common focus: Keep Grays Harbor Fishing. The new campaign launched today with the website: www.keepgraysharborfishing.com. Each company represents different areas of the fishing industry that directly effect the local economy of Grays Harbor County and they want to ensure the community, it’s leaders and other area businesses recognize how critical fishing is to our region.
“While a lot of people recognize Westport for its fishing history,” explained Dennis Rydman, president of Ocean Gold and longtime participant in the fishery, “the details of just how significant fishing is not only to Westport but to our entire county often surprises people.”
Westport is one of the largest ports for edible landed catch in the country, and it is the largest for Pacific whiting on the entire west coast. Commercial, charter and recreational fishermen call Westport their home port, many of whom live throughout the county outside of the fishing season. And in an independent economic study conducted by DeSCo (www.descosolutions.com) in 2008, the combined economic impact of Ocean Gold and Ocean Protein was calculated to provide more than $20 M in total value-added gains. Since then, both Ocean Cold and Ocean Express have launched, giving the company and the fishing industry an even deeper and more integrated connection to our local economy and our coastal community heritage.
As part of the company’s mission to Keep Grays Harbor fishing, it has highlighted three areas of focus: Good Jobs, Clean Oceans and Strong Communities.
The Ocean Companies integration with processing, cold storage and transportation has built new opportunities for local workers making it the second largest employer in the county during the fishing season.
Recently, the company sponsored a beach cleanup and barbecue with Washington state parks and the CoastSavers. It’s looking to do similar projects in the future. It is also looking at experimental gear to reduce at-sea waste and is finding new partnerships with a host of environmental, educational and community groups.
The company has always been active in community events, whether it’s providing crab or fish for fundraisers or supporting library expansions and community events. The Ocean Companies look to expand those efforts with new plans to work with local schools and other groups to help spread the word on the importance of fishing to our region and our legacy of pioneering sustainable practices in our own back yard.
“These are not new areas of focus for us,” added Rydman, “we are simply taking a public stance now on just how critical jobs, sustainability and community are to us and to our mission to keep grays harbor fishing. Our region’s connection to fishing is something we should all be proud of and we should all be able to unite around in the future.”
The community is welcome to also find Keep Grays Harbor Fishing on Twitter and Facebook. The organization is open to hearing all ideas for how we can work together as an industry and community and can be contacted at info@oceancos.com with suggestions.
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Ocean Companies
The Ocean family of companies includes Ocean Gold Seafoods, Ocean Cold, Ocean Protein and Ocean Express. Together these four companies represent one of the larger employers in the county during the fishing season as the largest seafood processing facility in the state and the fifth largest in the nation. Committed to strong communities, good jobs and clean oceans, the Ocean Companies work tirelessly to Keep Grays Harbor Fishing. For more information, visit www.keepgraysharborfishing.com.
