ROCKLAND, Maine — A New Brunswick man is a few weeks away from opening a lobster storage and processing plant in Rockland’s Industrial Park that will add jobs and provide another place for lobstermen to sell their catches.
Frank Benoit said he chose Rockland because he has an existing business relationship with J & J Lobster that has been selling him lobsters for the past two years.
Benoit operates a lobster processing plant in New Brunswick that employs 240 people. He has operated Les Pecheries de Chez Nous Ltd. for 12 years in Tracadie-Sheila. His products go under the name of Capitaine Frank.
He has been in the fishing business for more than 30 years.
Benoit said he has purchased the building at 1 Gordon Drive in Rockland’s Industrial Park. The building has sat empty since July 2011, when Village Soup closed the printing plant, laying off 17 workers. The building was sold in May at a foreclosure auction after owner Richard Anderson closed the newspapers in his company. The First bank, which held the mortgage on the 1 Gordon Drive property, submitted the high bid of $150,000 for the property.
The First then put the property on the market.
Benoit said he expects to employ 40 people and that it will be a year-round business. The company also is employing electricians, plumbers, masons and other construction-related workers for the renovations.
Benoit said having a plant in Rockland will help him a lot in getting lobsters. He said he sells 95 percent of his product now to customers in the United States.
Through the fall, the company will be selling whole fresh lobsters and whole cooked lobsters. Starting in November or December, frozen products also are expected to be processed and shipped from the Rockland plant.
Renovations to the building have been ongoing for more than a week. Rockland Code Enforcement Officer John Root said the project does not require planning board approval since developments in the Industrial Park are exempt from that review.
Benoit’s cousin Mike Benoit will be the plant manager.
The state has been encouraging the establishment of lobster processing plants in Maine to add more value to the product caught in Maine waters.
Last week, Sea Hag Seafoods began operating its lobster processing plant on Long Cove in St. George.
Watch out Rockland !
I recall the same type of headline a couple of years ago that spoke of a Massachusetts man opening a lobster processing plant in the former Stinson canning plant.
Yeah Prospoct Harbor, the Bank owns it now.
Zactly!
It looks like this guy has experience and he’s putting some money into it. Not the same as the people whose plan won’t go forward unless they can bleed the taxpayers. They get an option to buy or lease some building. Then they go to city, state and federal government begging for tax breaks, loans and grants.
Time will tell.
It always seems that the unknown that move in to start something tend to be given a lot more than the poor local schmucks.
Who cares. OOOH, a Massachusetts man….get over it.
OOOH, the story said a Canadian man. Back to your letters with pictures book.
melisbusa. I was responding to Yowsa. mind your business. You look stupid.
Check the mirror on the back of your picture book.
*Laughs* Well no offence but when i first saw the comment it looked like you were commenting on the article as well. As far as someone being stupid, well the reply button is right in plain sight and had you used it correctly your post would have been quoted as
” in reply to YowsaYowsaYowsa ” Just saying………………
Commentarily challenged ?
THAT was funny. ??? What?
That place is big enough for storage and processing? I have my doubts. It would certainly be small scale and the property doesn’t allow for future expansion.
This should not happen. He only wants to open it to take business from the Sea Hag Seafood the new lobster processing co in Maine. Now this guy from canada wants to take more profits from our country and spend them in canada? Something he’s been doing all along. I don’t think so. This is a bad idea
How much profit from companies go out of state now ?