Portland Development Corp. and the city of Portland will recognize Eimskip, Bristol Seafood, Think Tank Coworking and Fork Food Lab at a Nov. 30 awards ceremony for their roles in expanding the city’s economy.
Eimskip, the Icelandic shipping company that announced in 2013 it was moving its U.S. port of call from Norfolk, Va., to Portland, will receive the “2017 Economic Development Achievement” award. Since coming to Portland, Eimskip has seen 20% traffic growth each year. It plans to start weekly shipping on Dec. 1, a 45% increase in frequency from its biweekly schedule implemented upon its arrival in Portland.
Bristol Seafoods will be honored as the “2017 Business of the Year,” while Think Tank Coworking has been named the “2017 Small Business of the Year” and Fork Food Lab as the “2017 New Business of the Year.”
The awards ceremony will take place from 5-6:30 p.m. on Nov. 30 at Think Tank Coworking at 533 Congress St.
“I want to congratulate these worthy businesses for being honored with these awards and thank them for the role they play in Portland’s economy,” Mayor Ethan Strimling said in a news release. “The award recipients are credited with making significant contributions to Portland’s economic growth through international cargo shipping, sustainable seafood processing, remote work space with networking opportunities and our food economy.”
Bristol Seafood President and CEO Peter Handy said his company was honored to receive the award and share the stage with the other recipients.
“Our neighbors at Eimksip, in particular, are a vital partner not just for Bristol but Portland at large,” he said. “The work done by its managing director Larus Isfeld and his team has been an instrumental part of our recent growth.”
