The Port of Portland is the second-largest tonnage seaport in New England and one of the largest oil ports on the East Coast. Over the years, the local economy has shifted from fishing, manufacturing, and agriculture towards a more service-based economy. Most banks such as Bank of America and Key Bank have positioned their Maine operations in Portland which provides jobs as well as drives in businesses from outside the state that may not have had prior interest.    

Recently, a cold storage facility has been under construction in Portland with the goal of revamping the fishing industry. This cold storage facility will be located right on the waterfront and will allow refrigeration to happen right at the center of the port.  Once in place, various Maine food production businesses can store their products at the new facility as well as being able to save on transportation costs. The 50-million-dollar project is underway, and H.B. Fleming has been awarded the project to construct this new facility. H.B. Fleming was founded in 1955 by Howard B. Fleming and Ray Erickson with a focus on pile driving and marine work. They have partnered with International Construction Equipment, INC (ICE®) to create the foundation for the new cold storage warehouse. To construct the foundation of the warehouse, H.B. Fleming will be using an RTG 16 machine to drill the first 50' (ft) to insert H piles followed by an ICE® 44E Vibratory Hammer to further drive the 14" (in) H piles to bedrock. Almost $2 billion (about $6 per person in the US) in frozen seafood exported from the Eastern Seaboard does not pass through Portland. With this new facility the fishing and seafood industry should make a strong comeback as becoming one of the top economic drivers of Portland, ME. New customers who are looking to ship and store their fresh seafood will want some realty space inside this state-of-the-art cold storage facility.  

H.B. Fleming has done such a fantastic job constructing this new foundation for the cold storage warehouse that will boost Portland's economy for many years to come. International Construction Equipment, INC (ICE®) is thrilled to be partnered with H.B. Fleming on a very important "COOL" project that will not just impact local business, but also companies along the entire Eastern Seaboard. Brilliant work H.B. Fleming, we look forward to continuing to assist you on more projects that help grow the community and benefit domestic industry. 

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Media Contact-            
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA            
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations         

Vice President IT and IT Comm         
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc            
Office - 704-821-8200          Email - marketing@iceusa.com