Governor McAuliffe Announces 98 New Jobs in Augusta County

Map of Augusta County and neighboring Counties. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

~Bloomaker USA Inc. to Invest $2 Million, Create 98 Jobs Over Next Three Years~

RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that Bloomaker USA Inc. (www.bloomaker.com) will expand its existing horticulture operation, located in Waynesboro.  The company, which has developed and patented a new floral category – long lasting flowers – will invest more than $2 million to build a new greenhouse, create 98 new jobs in the area, and grow its sales from $10 million annually to over $25 million annually in five years.  The Commonwealth of Virginia is partnering with Augusta County and Bloomaker on this project through the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund (AFID).

Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McAuliffe said, “Agriculture and forestry are now fully integrated into the state’s strategic economic development platform and I’m committed to creating more jobs in those sectors during my administration.  Bloomaker’s announcement today represents the fourth AFID facility grant I’ve awarded during my administration, and it’s a great win for Virginia and Augusta County. Supporting the further development of this innovative and patented product is a unique way for Virginia to diversify our economy, especially in agriculture, Virginia’s largest industry.”

Bloomaker will triple the size of its existing operation, increasing capacity for growing, packing, and shipping its patented “Long Life Tulips” and Amaryllis flowers which bloom, in the home, for four to eight weeks.  This expansion will allow the company to further meet the growing demands of its major retail customers domestically to major greenhouse retailers internationally to Canada.

“I am thrilled about the new jobs and investment the Bloomaker expansion brings to the area, and the new energy it brings to Virginia’s horticulture and nursery industry,” said Todd Haymore, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. “As the fifth largest agricultural sector in the Commonwealth, the greenhouse and nursery industry generates $272 million in farm sales alone, representing nearly 8% of the state’s distribution of cash receipts for agricultural commodities. Bloomaker’s success is a tribute to the leadership of the organization, the quality of its products, as well as the positive business environment and excellent location the Commonwealth offers companies agriculture-based business serving regional, national and international markets.”

The company, in partnership with Virginia and Augusta County, will work with Columbia Gas to extend a nearby natural gas line, about one mile away, to the site.  This will strengthen the company’s competiveness, especially in the long term, by greatly reducing its costs of heating the greenhouse. 

 “Bloomaker has really emerged as a trendsetter within the Augusta County business community,” said Larry Wills, Chairman of the Augusta County Board of Supervisors.  “We are proud of the company’s success and its drive to introduce a new floral category in the marketplace."

Carolyn Bragg, Augusta County Board Member and representative of the magisterial district where the company is located commented, “Bloomaker continuously innovates and rises to the top; while a fairly new company to the County, Bloomaker’s achievements are truly impressive and bring an added facet to the economy of the region.”

Governor McAuliffe approved a $50,000 grant from the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund grant to assist Augusta County with the project.  Through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, Bloomaker will receive additional funding and services to support its training and retraining activities.

“We are excited for this investment, the partnership with Augusta County and continued growth for the floral industry,” said Joep Pasternostre, President of Bloomaker. “It is the marriage of Dutch entrepreneurship and the American drive and freedom that has created our success. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity that this great country has granted me.”

"It is very gratifying to see the Agriculture and Forestry Industrial Development Fund (AFID) being utilized for this important economic development project for Augusta County and Virginia," said Del. R. Steven Landes, R-Weyers Cave, who sponsored the legislation creating AFID in 2012.  "It is also gratifying to see that Governor McAuliffe is making good on his promise to make economic development and job creation one of his top priorities, and I know all the members of the General Assembly look forward to working with him to accomplish that goal."

Senator Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta County, who has been a strong supporter of AFID since its inception, added, “Having diverse tools in our economic toolbox is important for Virginia and is an asset for our region.  The AFID program continues to show a strong return on our investment and we’re pleased to be here today announcing another great win for this program and for our agricultural community that we continue to work together to support.”

According to a 2013 economic impact study conducted by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia, agriculture and forestry are two of Virginia’s largest industries with a combined economic impact of $70 billion annually.  Agriculture generates more than $52 billion per annum, while forestry induces over $17 billion.  The industries also provide more than 400,000 jobs in the Commonwealth.

About the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund

The AFID Fund was created during the 2012 session of the General Assembly and is being embraced by the McAuliffe Administration as an important tool in growing the Commonwealth’s agriculture and forestry sector and helping to make Virginia the leading exporter of agricultural and forest products on the East Coast.  More information about the AFID grant, which has the flexibility to assist projects large and small throughout Virginia can be found athttp://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/agribusiness/afid.shtml.

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Virginia Posts Largest Oyster Harvest Since 1987

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2012-2013 Oyster Harvest Jumps almost 60 Percent from Previous Year

Virginia Oyster Totals Grow From 23,000 Bushels in 2001 to 406,000 Bushels in 2013; Dockside Value Increases From $575,000 to More than $16.2 Million in Same Period

**Over Past Four Years, Commonwealth Has Invested Record $3 Million in Oyster Restoration Efforts**

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell announced today that Virginia’s most recent oyster harvest has greatly exceeded recent years, reaching the highest level since 1987. The 2012-2013 harvest of 406,000 bushels was also 60 percent greater than just one year prior. The oyster recovery has taken place as the McDonnell Administration has led efforts to invest in the job-creating industry, which had an economic value of $42.6 million last year. The $2 million for oyster restoration included in the current budget is the greatest appropriation for the sector in Virginia history.

“This is very gratifying news, even better than I’d hoped,’’ Governor McDonnell remarked. “Good management has allowed us to put Virginia’s exceptional oysters on dinner plates around the world, creating good jobs, and generating new revenue for our state. Today’s announcement should also remind consumers everywhere to grab some delicious Virginia oysters next time they’re at dinner or in the store; thanks to Virginia’s sound management practices there are more for everyone to enjoy.”

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s harvest data showed 406,000 bushels of oysters were harvested in the 2012-2013 season, up from 257,000 bushels harvested in the previous year. This is an almost 60 percent increase from year to year.

The harvest boom came from both wild-caught oysters and from dramatically increased yields in oyster aquaculture operations on privately leased water bottoms.

The agency had projected Virginia’s oyster harvest last year potentially could reach 320,000 bushels but the year-end numbers revealed the harvest was, in fact, a whopping 406,000 bushels. Of that, 149,000 bushels were harvested from public oyster grounds and another 257,000 bushels were harvested from privately leased oyster grounds.

“We had high expectations for the oyster harvest, but this is substantially better than we dared to hope,’’ said VMRC Commissioner Jack Travelstead. “This year’s oyster season opened last month and the initial reports we’re hearing indicate we’re off to a very good start. The oysters being caught are big, tasty, and plentiful.”

The previous year’s (2011-2012) harvest totaled 124,000 bushels from public oyster grounds and another 133,000 bushels from oyster aquaculture operations.

“Over the past 12 years, the oyster harvest in Virginia has exploded from 23,000 bushels in 2001 to 406,000 bushels in 2013,” said Doug Domenech, Virginia’s Secretary of Natural Resources.  “In that time, the dockside value of the oyster harvest increased from $575,000 to more than $16.2 million.”

The ripple effects through the economy from last year’s unexpectedly large oyster harvest resulted in an estimated $42.6 million in economic value, using a multiplier of 2.63 on a dockside value of $16.2 million, a formula established by the late Dr. James Kirkley, a well-respected Virginia Institute of Marine Science seafood industry economist.

The state’s oyster harvest is poised to increase even further, if weather and other environmental factors remain unchanged, due to this year’s historic $2 million investment in oyster replenishment. This is a program in which empty oyster shells are spread on state-owned public oyster grounds to provide habitat so naturally occurring oyster larvae can attach to the shells during spawning and grow to form new adult oysters that reach market size in roughly three years.

“This investment provides significant ecological and economic benefits, and will present consumers with more delicious, high-quality Virginia oysters in the years to come,” said Anthony Moore, Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources, who leads the restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay. “This is substantial progress for the health of the Bay, for oyster-loving consumers and for watermen in this difficult economy.”

A single adult oyster can purge up to 50 gallons of water a day. Oyster reefs provide important forage and refuge habitat for invertebrates, as well as juvenile crabs and finfish species. VMRC estimates every $1 spent by the state to plant oyster shells yields $7 in economic benefits in the form of larger harvests and increased jobs for oyster harvesters, shuckers, and packing houses.

General Fund appropriations for oyster replenishment funding have ranged from zero to as much as $1.3 million over the past two decades, and have never surpassed the $2 million allocated to the program in the 2014 state budget. The appropriation was proposed by Governor McDonnell and approved by the Virginia General Assembly earlier this year.

“Good fisheries management, prudent investment, and a business-friendly regulatory environment has put us in the most satisfying position of seeing a remarkable resurgence of Virginia’s oyster industry,’’ said Kim Huskey, executive director of the Virginia Seafood Council. “This is very good news, but more work needs to be done.”

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