REEDVILLE, Va. — March 2, 2020 – As the final step in a multi-year process, Omega Protein has officially moved its corporate headquarters to Reedville, Virginia from Houston, Texas. As part of the move, additional employees have been added to the workforce, following a major renovation and reinvestment in the Company’s Reedville facilities.
“Moving our headquarters to Reedville is part of our long-term commitment to Virginia and the region,” said Bret Scholtes, CEO of Omega Protein. “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.”
Essential to the relocation was the $1.3 million investment made by the Company to refurbish a historic building on the property to serve as the new headquarters. Working with a local team of architects, designers, and contractors, the Company restored many of the original features of the building, which was originally built in the 1930s and served as the headquarters of an earlier fishing operation, the J. Howard Smith Company.
“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,” said Monty Deihl Vice President of Ocean Fleet Services, which owns and operates the fishing vessels that land at the facility.
With the transfer of Company headquarters from Houston to Virginia, many senior-level Omega Protein executives are now based in Reedville. This includes the CEO, and the Vice Presidents of Operations, Sales and Marketing, and Purchasing. It also now includes all members of our sales, marketing, customer support, and planning teams.
“We are excited that Omega Protein, Northumberland County’s largest private employer, is relocating its headquarters operations from Houston to Reedville,” said Luttrell Tadlock, County Administrator of Northumberland County. “Omega Protein’s investment in Northumberland County provides the expansion of jobs, along with positive economic impacts. 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.”
The move is the latest chapter of an over 100-year history of Omega Protein and the menhaden fishing industry in the Northern Neck, which laid its roots in Reedville in 1878. The Company is already one of the region’s largest employers, with 260 employees and over $20 million in payroll and benefits. The move will allow the Company to further expand its operations locally and continue to be an active member of the Reedville community.
About Omega Protein
Omega Protein Corporation is a century old nutritional product company that develops, produces and delivers healthy products throughout the world to improve the nutritional integrity of foods, dietary supplements and animal feeds. Omega Protein’s mission is to help people lead healthier lives with better nutrition through sustainably sourced ingredients such as highly-refined specialty oils, specialty proteins products and nutraceuticals. Omega Protein is a division of Cooke Inc., a family owned fishery company based in New Brunswick, Canada.
The Company operates seven manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada and Europe. The Company also has a long-term supply contract with Ocean Harvesters, which owns 30 vessels which harvest menhaden, a fish abundantly found off the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The Company’s website is www.omegaprotein.com.
All fishing vessels formerly owned by Omega Protein are owned and operated by Ocean Harvesters, an independent company.