Two Democratic legislators are endorsing independent Eliot Cutler for Maine governor, saying he’s best qualified for the office.

Sen. Dennis Damon of Trenton, who’s co-chaired the Marine Resources and Transportation committees, and Rep. Leila Percy of Phippsburg, a Marine Resources co-chair, announced their endorsements Sunday.

You can read the complete article here.

“I want them to understand Maine lobster is better than Australia and New Zealand lobster, that we produce enough to export to China, and that it is a sustainable fishery — which is very important to China — and that they and we can make a lot of money with trade going that way,” Cutler said.

You can read the full article here.

“We’re looking to expand our business to export markets,” said Thomas Gardner, Wyman’s vice president for sales and marketing, whose business card has one side printed in Chinese. “The No. 1 target is China.”

Gardner said the company, which had annual sales of $70 million in 2009, made its first trip to China in May and received “very high” interest from some potential import partners.

“We were very encouraged from that trip,” Gardner said. “We were very excited. This is a major customer.”

You can read the full article here.

JUNE 14, 2010
CONTACT: TED O’MEARA
207.699.4401
ted@cutler2010.com

PORTLAND, Maine – The chairman of the largest and most important Chinese importer of food and the chairman of one of China’s most significant investment funds will lead a delegation of Chinese businessmen on a visit to Maine on Friday. They will explore the potential for substantial purchases of lobster, wild blueberries and other Maine products, and examine investment opportunities in the Maine aquaculture industry.

“With all the great products we have in Maine, we can make trade with China a two-way street,” said Eliot Cutler, Independent candidate for governor, who will be hosting the group in Maine.  “I am confident that having these highly influential Chinese business leaders visit our state will be just the beginning of some important new relationships and opportunities for Maine companies.”

Ning Gaoning, Chairman of the China Overseas Food Corp (COFCO), and Fang Fenglei, chairman of the investment fund Hopu, will be joined by Liu Mengze, President of Ceroilfood, one of COFCO’s most important subsidiaries, and Guy Cui, one of Mr. Fang’s partners in Hopu.

The group is coming to Maine at the invitation of Cutler, who spent two years in China opening the Beijing office for his law firm and developing business opportunities.

“Getting Maine people back to work and growing our economy will depend in part on developing new export opportunities for Maine products,” Cutler said. “China is the fastest growing big economy in the world. It is a market that holds huge potential for Maine, and I want to do everything I can to help Maine companies get a foot in the door.”

Cutler cited Maine lobsters as a good fit for the Chinese market. The Chinese currently import lobsters from Australia and New Zealand, but he said those lobsters can’t begin to compare to Maine’s. “They don’t even have real claws!” Cutler said.

“The lobster industry has been hurting due to historically low prices and high costs.  I have met with fishermen, processors, and leaders of Maine’s lobster industry up and down the coast, and they all have told me that they have to expand into new markets to survive,” Cutler said. “I know that the decision makers who are visiting Maine next week will be impressed by the quality of our lobsters and the network of fisherman, dealers and processors who can deliver live and processed product to them.”

Cutler said the group will go out on Casco Bay Friday morning to haul some traps with a local fisherman and learn about the sustainability of Maine’s lobster harvest. They will also tour Portland Shellfish Company, a local processor that exports to over 20 countries internationally, among them China and Hong Kong, and will meet with other members of the Maine Lobster Promotion Council and other industry representatives.

Later in the day Friday the group will head down east to visit Jasper Wyman & Son wild blueberry operations in Cherryfield and Deblois. Wyman’s is the largest U.S.-owned wild blueberry grower/processor in Maine and has a great interest in expanding into the Chinese market.

The group will end its visit to Maine with a tour of the Maine Halibut Farms, an aquaculture company at the University of Maine’s Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research in Franklin.

# # #

Note:  A detailed schedule with specific information about times, locations, and media opportunities will be forthcoming tomorrow.

Additional background information on the significance of this visit can be obtained from:

Dane Somers
Maine Lobster Promotion Council
207-287-5140
207-749-1407 mobile
Info@lobsterfrommaine.com

Emily Lane
Portland Shellfish
207-799-9290
emily@pshellfish.com

Kim Higgins
Jasper Wyman & Son
207-546-2311
kim@wymans.com

Ted O’Meara
Cutler 2010
P.O. Box 15277
Portland, ME 04112
(207) 699-4401
(207) 653-2392 (cell)
www.cutler2010.com

“China is going to be the biggest market in the world during our lifetime. It ought to be one of the biggest markets for Maine products — seafood, agriculture, pulp and paper,” Cutler said. “Not to understand China the way I do, in my view, would be a shortcoming. I think I can do more for the state of Maine by virtue of what I know about the rest of the world.”

You can read the full article here.

SHOULDERS TO THE WHEEL

Here is a YouTube video of his talk:

Independent candidate Eliot Cutler, meanwhile, described Maine’s lobster industry as one of the best-managed fisheries in the world yet is still struggling due to factors beyond the control of fishermen. Cutler said that while there are ample ideas, it will take sustained leadership to “take back the Gulf of Maine.”

“You need to decide who has the independence, the strength, the experience and the skills to stay on the job and keep focused,” Cutler said.

You can read the complete article here with Eliot’s comments highlighted in yellow.