Omega Protein completes move of headquarters to Virginia

Omega Protein officially announced on Monday, 2 March, that it completed moving its corporate headquarters from Houston, Texas, U.S.A., to Reedville, Virginia.

The company, a division of Canadian-based Cooke Inc., has a history in the Chesapeake Bay community dating back more than 100 years. As part of the effort to move corporate operations to Reedville, Omega Protein invested USD 1.3 million (EUR 1.2 million) in restoring the 1930s-era headquarters of an old fishing company in the region.

"We're excited to have a showplace where we can bring people to introduce them to the fishery, and let them see just what we do," Omega Protein Vice President of Ocean Fleet Services Monty Deihl said in a statement.

Omega Protein CEO Bret Scholtes will be based out of the new headquarters, as will several executives and the company’s entire sales, marketing, customer support, and planning staffs.

Omega Protein employs 260 workers at the Reedville facility, providing USD 20 million (EUR 17.9 million) in payroll and benefits. In a statement, the company said the move will give them the opportunity to grow even larger in the years to come.

"Omega Protein's investment in Northumberland County provides the expansion of jobs, along with positive economic impacts,” Nothumberland County Administrator Luttrell Tadlock. “Omega is respected and valued for its outstanding corporate citizenship, reflected in its extensive commitment to volunteer and financial contributions to a wide range of community organizations and groups. This is not only important to Northumberland County, but to the region as well."

Omega Protein operates a large menhaden fishery from Reedville. In recent years, the company has had a dispute with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission over the quota for menhaden they can harvest in the bay.

Recently, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross issued a moratorium against the Virginia menhaden fishery after Omega Protein admitted it had exceeded that cap. The moratorium has been stayed, however, giving Virginia officials a chance to codify regulatory changes that would bring the fishery back into compliance.

"Moving our headquarters to Reedville is part of our long-term commitment to Virginia and the region," Scholtes said in the statement. "We're proud of our long history here, and this move ensures that we will be active members of the community for years to come. It is safe to say that we are happy to be home in Reedville."  

Photo courtesy of Omega Protein