Smoki Foods Saves 45-Year Tradition
Cypress Island Seafood LLC to Employ 35 to 75 People
Contact:
Rodger May, CEO
Smoki Foods/American Gold Seafood's
Phone: 206-243-9650
rodgermaysmokifoods.com
Carolyn Casey, Communications Manager
Port of Bellingham
360-676-2500
carolyncportofbellingham.com
[Bellingham, Wash.] The K-C Fish Company (formerly Sea K Fish) location in Blaine will be the new home of Smoki Foods' Cypress Island Seafood's fish processing plant. The Port of Bellingham's Board of Commissioners approved the transfer of the K-C Fish Company lease to Cypress Island Seafood, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Seattle Washington-based Smoki Foods. Operations are scheduled to begin in early April.
"Seafood processing has a long history in Blaine and we are very pleased that Cypress Island Seafood will bring new jobs and new opportunities for fishermen in Blaine and the surrounding area," said Port Commission President Scott Walker.
Cypress Island Seafood purchased the K-C Fish Company, which had been a port tenant in Blaine Harbor since 1962.
As part of the transaction, Cypress Island Seafood agreed to pay K-C Fish for its business and improvements. The current port lease will allow Cypress Island Seafood to be in the facility until at least 2022 with options to extend.
The new company, Cypress Island Seafood, plans to employ 35 people at start up and projects to be employing as many as 75 by its third year of operation.
Cypress Island Seafood is a limited liability company owned by Rodger May, who also is a co-owner with his wife Lisa in Seattle-based Smoki Foods Incorporated. Smoki Foods is a processor of wild salmon, halibut, king crab, Dungeness crab and cod. Smoki Foods is also the parent company of American Gold Seafood's the only U.S. owned and operated salmon farming company which operates eight farms and a 500-acre hatchery in Washington State.
Additionally May is one of the owners of Alaska based Copper River Seafood's that operates plants in Cordova and Anchorage.
At startup, Cypress Island Seafood plans to process crab, salmon, halibut, and bottom fish. The plant manager will be Mike Ordal who has had over 30 years experience with the previous owners.
"It is a great honor to be part of the longstanding tradition started by brothers Steve and Martin Kulljis along with their partner George Costello, who are pioneers of the Northwest seafood industry" May said.
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