7c Maritime Blue Final Report

THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE
MARITIME CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL
April, 2018

Item No. 7C Attachment 1                                                                                Prepared for:
Meeting Date: January 8, 2019

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This report was prepared by The Maritime Alliance, Delawarde Consulting, and ECONorthwest for and under contract to the Port of Seattle. We received
assistance and direction from the Port, as well as valuable information and perspectives from numerous individuals during stakeholder outreach events.
Cover Artwork provided by:Intergovernmental Oceanographic CommissionGlobal Ocean Observing System (IOC-GOOS) 
Artwork by Glynn Gorick depicting the Ocean Observing System












www.themaritimealliance.org      www.delawardeinc.com      www.econw.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS



TABLE OF CONTENTS
1    Executive Summary
2 Introduction
4    Growing Economic Opportunity in Washington's Maritime Sector
8    Benchmarking / Case Studies
12    Innovation Gaps in the Maritime Sector
17    Needs Analysis
20    Vision and Mission Statement
21    Business Plan
25    Operating Plan
28    Recommended Next Steps
Appendices



THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY                    The state of Washington is developing a
The Blue Economy includes both traditional maritime industries and         Maritime Blue Initiative with a vision of an
innovative BlueTechsectors such as autonomous underwater vehicles,
electrification of marine vessels, offshore renewable energy, remotely        Innovation Center anchoring its efforts.
operated vehicles and sensors. While maritime is one of the oldest
industries in the world, the traditional industry has been slow to innovate
and yet very few regions are currently focused on the fast-growing,
innovative BlueTechsectors. This is beginning to change as ports and
regions around the world are promoting sustainable ocean and water
industries that optimize conservation and promote economic development.
The State of Washington is developing a Washington Maritime BLUE
initiative with the vision of being a leading center for sustainable
maritime industries in the United States by 2050. This initiative calls for
the creation of a Maritime Innovation Center, which the Port of Seattle
has identified as a strategic initiative and is the focus of this report.
The Port proposes to renovate the Seattle Ship Supply building, which
is part of a larger redevelopment effort at Fishermen's Terminal with
support from multiple potential partners and stakeholders.
What is clear in our research of incubation programs is that co-location
of like-minded businesses or startups with collaboration from academia,
industry and policy-makers is critical to help facilitate the needed
culture for innovation in maritime.
The Maritime Innovation Center will: 1) raise the profile of maritime
industries in a crowded media space, 2) leverage regional expertise
in high-tech software and data companies to introduce disruptive
technologies in the maritime field, 3) introduce young people to exciting
new careers, and 4) support early stage maritime companies with a
hub-and-spoke model of collaboration across the entire maritime 
sector in Washington State.




THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL | 1

INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
The Port of Seattle hired The Maritime Alliance
(TMA) to develop a business plan for the
proposed Maritime Innovation Center and
conduct outreach to generate and evaluate
interest in the project. TMA enlisted the services
of Delawarde Consulting and ECONorthwest,
collectively known as the Project Team, to help
conduct this study and complete this report.
The Project Team reviewed materials provided
by the Port of Seattle and other sources to
assess the broader maritime sector in the State
of Washington and developed a list of relevant
contacts in academia, industry and government
which should be included in outreach efforts.
Our outreach efforts began with a series of
sector-based meetings organized by the Port
in August 2017. These effects were followed
by a Strengths-Weaknesses-Trends workshop
facilitated by the McDowell Group in October
2017 in order to get a baseline perspective
of the current state of maritime industries in
Washington and to begin developing a mission
and vision. Based on additional outreach and
meetings with maritime stakeholders around
Puget Sound, the Team developed an online        "Washington State is a place where nature and humans are
survey that was sent to approximately 400
relevant stakeholders in an effort to gather            inextricably linked A place where ingenuity is measured not
additional data which is summarized in this
report and provided in the appendix. Finally,          only by it's success, but also by its impact in a changing world.
the Project Team participated in a design             How we live, work, and play along the working waterfront is
charrette organized by Miller Hull to develop a
series of conceptual designs for the proposed       an indicator, or model, of how we can live in coordination with
Center, which the Team used to develop             each other and our natural resources." 
basic assumptions about the use and scale of
available space for purposes of creating pro         Washington Maritime Blue website
forma financial models.

2 | ECONorthwest

INTRODUCTION
The 'Blue Economy'
represents the sum of
economic activity including
ocean and water industries.
The innovation center is proposed to occupy
a redeveloped Seattle Ship Supply building at
Fisherman's Terminal. The project will honor
the rich maritime history in region and foster
a new generation of entrepreneurs, fishers,
inventors, and workers working to build a
sustainable and robust maritime economy.
The innovation center would support
next generation inventions that drive the
competitiveness of Washington State's
Blue Economy, and would be a key pillar
of an effort led by the State of Washington
Department of Commerce to develop a
strategy for Washington Maritime BLUE: 2050
Vision for a Sustainable Maritime Industry.
The facility would bring together leaders
from education, industry, and government to
address challenges and opportunities within
an organized maritime cluster and support
classes, events, incubator activities, technical
assistance, and research and development
that ultimately helps the industry innovate and      Blue Economy ClusterA regional concentration of 
sustain its competitive advantage.                 related ocean and water industries that helps increase 
The scope of this report is to evaluate
stakeholder interests, develop a vision and         its competitiveness globally through collaboration, events
mission for the proposed Maritime Innovation      and promotional activities and usually managed by a non-
Center, and suggest a business plan that can
inform future decisions about how to manage      profit organization.
and operate the space.

THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL | 3

GROWING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN WASHINGTON'S MARITIME SECTOR
The global 'Ocean Economy'                   16 SECTORS OF THE BLUE ECONOMY
is valued on a conservative                      Aquaculture & Fishing       Oceanography & 
basis by the Organization for                     Biomedicine               Marine Science
Boats & Shipbuilding       Ports & Maritime
Economic Cooperation and                                       Transportation
Cables & Connections
Development (OECD) at $1.5                  Defense & Security        Professional Services
trillion (2010) and growing      "If it's wet, it's Blue" 
Desalination/Clean Water        Robotics & Submarines
to $3.0 trillion by 2030, on a                       Marine Recreation           Telecommunications
Very Large Floating Platforms
'business as usual' basis.                         Ocean Energy & Minerals
Ocean Instrumentation     Weather Science & 
Climate Changes

GROWING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN WASHINGTON'S
MARITIME SECTOR
The growing Blue Economy is just beginning      The global 'Ocean Economy' is valued on a
to gain recognition globally as regions start         conservative basis by the Organization for
to recognize the importance of the ocean          Economic Cooperation and Development
for economic development, recreation,            (OECD) at $1.5 trillion (2010) and growing
sustenance, and quality of life purposes.           to $3.0 trillion by 2030, on a "business as
The role of the ocean in our daily lives is            usual" basis. The global water and wastewater
continously increasing. When we think about       technology industry is valued at approximately
the "Big 5" issues for human lifewater, food,      $500 billion for a total Blue Economy of $2.0
medicine, energy and "real estate"we are       trillion, and yet there is little recognition of this.
really thinking about the ocean. The Blue          Today, there is no list of the top BlueTech
Economy represents the sum of economic        clusters around the world and, when that
activity related to the ocean and water in           list is created, the State of Washington will
all its forms, with an increasing interest to           be well-positioned to be included given its
further develop emerging industries in ocean      available natural resources, maritime expertise
observation, renewable energy, and other         and geographic concentration of companies,
sustainable uses of the ocean to optimize          government research facilities, and university
conservation and economic development.        labs that are focused on developing innovative
ocean technologies.

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GROWING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN WASHINGTON'S MARITIME SECTOR
The proposed Maritime Innovation Center will       ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE MARITIME INDUSTRY IN WASHINGTON STATE
build on the rich legacy of maritime industry
and scientific discovery in Washington. It will
connect people and resources through a
hub-and-spoke model to encourage innovation
and promote BlueTechcompanies that will              $17.1B          $20.7B          $37.8B
contribute to the vision of Washington being                 Indirect             Indirect/Induced
recognized as a leading center for sustainable                                                               Combined Impact to
maritime industries.                                          Revenue                  Revenue                  WA Economy
THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF THE
MARITIME SECTOR
Like many resilient industries that have
evolved over time, Washington's Maritime          HUB AND SPOKE MODEL
market has adapted its industry to make
a more encompassing impact across an                                   -Washington Sea Grant   -CoMotion Labs
-APL & Collaboratory      -School of Oceanography
increasingly diverse set of industry sectors.                                      -School of Marine and     -Pacific NorthWest National
Environmental Affairs      Marine Energy Center
According to the recent Washington State           -Northwest Fisheries Science Center
-Western Washington      -Seattle Maritime Academy
-Pacific Marine Environmental Lab
University             -Northwest School of 
Maritime Sector Economic Impact Study            -Office of Coast Survey
-Northwest Center of       Wooden Boat Building
-National Weather Service
(April 2017), "in 2015, Washington's Maritime                                                                        Excellence for Marine    -Schmidt Ocean Institute
University of                  Manufacturing Technology -Washington State University
industry supported 69,500 jobs, $4.7 billion                                                 Washington
NOAA                Educational/ 
in wages, and $21.4 billion in business                                                                    Institutions
revenue". Among the key maritime subsectors,
commercial fishing and seafood processing,
boat and ship building, repair, and                       -Fishing Fleet                                                Washington      -Maritime Blue
-BlueNorth          Fishing Industry                                                  -Washington State Ferry System
State
maintenance provided the greatest number of           -Trident Seafoods
MARITIME
jobs and business revenue for Washington.                                             INNOVATION
In addition to direct jobs supported, the                                                       CENTER
Ocean 
Washington maritime sector supported an                             Investment
-Private Equity Funds     Community                                  Instrumentation
additional 121,600 jobs throughout the state                                                                                -SeaBird Scientific  -Biosonics 
-Angel Funds                                                         Industry
-Kongsberg/Simrad -Sequoia Scientific
economy; for every direct job in maritime, an           -Corporate investors
additional 1.8 jobs were supported through                                     US Coast
Guard                      Marine 
indirect and induced impacts. Maritime                                        District 13                 Industry
sector wages had a ripple effectevery                                                  US Navy
-Foss Maritime
direct dollar in labor wages was associated                                                                        -Crowley Maritime
-Vigor Marine
with an additional $1.06 in wages elsewhere                                                                      -IO Currents
in Washington. The multiplier effects of the                                                                            -Aerojet Rocketdyne
-Bremerton/Keyport  -Whidbey Island NAS
-NUWC          -Everett Homeport
-Naval Base Kitsap
THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL | 5

GROWING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN WASHINGTON'S MARITIME SECTOR
Puget Sound has all the components needed to be a world leader in BlueTechinnovationa
well-established maritime industry and a burgeoning tech sector. When you combine this with
the institutional assets in education, research and defense, the only thing missing is a forum
to connect it all.
Washington maritime sector activities also          growth was observed within the self-employed      acknowledges that national systems for
supported a significant bump of $37.8 billion       workers in the Commercial Fishing and             evaluating economic activity in the Blue
in business revenues across Washington.         Seafood Processing subsector. Overall, the         Economy are outdated and likely do not
Washington's Maritime Sector is measured        largest subsector of total employment was the      accurately capture BlueTechsubsectors.
through monitoring:                               Maritime Logistics and Shipping subsector,         Therefore, it is recommended that public
which grew at a Compound Annual Growth       agencies support efforts to develop new
Business establishments                      Rate of 1.3% from 20122015.                    approaches to evaluating the Blue Economy,
Jobs, including workers covered by      After adjusting for inflation, wages among     including the creation of satellite income
unemployment insurance and those who       Washington's maritime industries increased        accounts and new policies to update the
are self-employed                             by $200 million from 20122015, primarily         North American Industrial Classification
Wages                 due to the proportional impact of the Maritime   System (NAICS) codes and other standards
Business revenues generated from      Logistics and Shipping subsector, contributing  to include BlueTechas a category. With new
maritime activities                                 $1.5 billion in wage disbursements. The             methods and tools, economists and investors
second largest contributor to wages and           will have greater ability to evaluate market size
salary during 2015 came from the $1.2             and track economic performance of the Blue
The total number of sector employer
establishments remained steady between          billion within the shipbuilding, repair and           Economy over time.
2012 and 2015, while the sector saw growth in      maintenance subsector.
total employment over the same time period,        Business revenues from output, generated by      HARNESSING THE POWER AND
which suggests there is growth within each                                                            OPPORTUNITY OF INNOVATION
private sector operations within the maritime
establishment but not significant levels of new       sector, experienced meaningful growth             Maritime is one of the oldest industries in
firm formation. The reasons for the slower rate       between 20122015. After adjustments             the world. For much of human history, as
of firm formation is complex, yet it seems clear      for inflation, the maritime sector increased          explorers traveled by sea to discover new
that intentional efforts to support entrepreneurs      business revenue by $1.5 billion. Much of           lands and opportunities or nations battled
by targeting constraints and focusing on            this business revenue was seen within the          in the high seas, maritime represented
innovation may support continued wage and       Commercial Fishing and Seafood Processing      the height of human ingenuity, technology
employment growth overall in the sector.            sub-sector, contributing the largest proportion      and innovation. Newspaper headlines and
The total employment growth within the             of business revenue of about $9.4 million.          stories of heroic figures who 'conquered'
Washington maritime sector was about 2.6%                                                        the sea were celebrated, attracting young
The Project Team notes that much of the
between 2012 and 2015. Among the maritime                                                     and innovative talent to pursue careers
economic activity is attributed to legacy
subsectors, the largest increase of employment                                                        in maritime. However, when humans
or traditional maritime subsectors and

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BENCHMARKING / CASE STUDIES








discovered flight and developed a digital         Leveraging the maritime sector's propensity
world where information and status were         for cultivating self-starting employment
achieved at the speed of sound or light, we      opportunities with the region's hallmark
collectively lost our connection to the sea         innovation and technology ecosystem
and the world's innovators focused their          provides tremendous potential to create new
attention on software for global commerce       economic opportunities in the industry. A
and consumer technologies. There is            business incubator and start up programs
tremendous need and opportunity to bring       can help facilitate the transformation of
maritime into the digital world and develop       existing business practices while also creating
cleaner and more sustainable industries          space for new approaches and ideas. There
to promote renewed enthusiasm for this          is tremendous potential to align innovative
growing Blue Economy. With Seattle's global     technology development with education
influence in digital commerce, information        and workforce development programs,
technologies and communications, there is      investment capital, research, and outreach to
a unique opportunity to marry these in this       promote further expansion of new sustainable
region. A Maritime Innovation Center will         industries in the Blue Economy.
serve as a catalyst in this effort.


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BENCHMARKING / CASE STUDIES
BENCHMARKING / CASE STUDIES
The Project Team notes that ports and regions worldwide are taking steps to focus on promoting ocean technology innovations and entrepreneurship
in ways that fit their own unique set of circumstances.
We highlight a few efforts below in order to help position the Port of Seattle's proposed Maritime Innovation Center.

ALTASEALOS ANGELES, CA
The Port of Los Angeles has a long term agreement in the form of a public-private partnership with
the non-profit organization Alta Sea to manage a 35-acre waterfront site that includes space for a
planned Engagement Center or Event Space, Science Hub for classes and education providers,
and a Research Hub and Business Incubator (~10,000 sq.ft). The campus will initially focus on with
space available to startups as well as large companies that want to locate adjacent to the water.
Public/Private Partnership between the Port of Los Angeles and Alta Sea with a 50-year lease
Repurposed 35-acre waterfront site for combined research, co-working/incubator, education, and
public event space
Focused on aquaculture and BlueTechsectors, including remotely operated vehicles (ROVs),
autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs)
Port provides extensive rent credits in return for educational programming. Rent credits lower the
cost for tenants, which would pay:
$9/SF/Yr for incubator tenants
$18/SF/Yr for medium-sized tenants
$22/SF/Yr for large-sized tenants

CENTRE FOR OCEAN VENTURES AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (COVE)HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA
Converted an old Coast Guard facility into a hub for scientific research, events, incubator space,
ocean technology tenants, and workforce programming
Significant government funding and support
Focused on ocean technologies
Governed by a nonprofit organization that is similar to a cluster, and its incubator is contracted out
to another company that specializes in running incubators.

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BENCHMARKING / CASE STUDIES

NEWLABBROOKLYN NAVY YARD, BROOKLYN, NY
Converted 84,000 square feet from an old Navy Yard in Brooklyn into an urban
innovation space with prototyping, 3D printing, CNC machines, wood and
metal shop with support staff.
Inter-disciplinary focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, but no specific
focus on maritime
New York City Economic Development Corporation funded $2.5 million to the
private, for-profit company New Lab to operate the center for five years
Also includes corporate sponsors and a mix of startup and mature companies
that pay rent

PORTXLROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
"World's first Port Accelerator," spun out of the Port of Rotterdam, runs as an
independent accelerator
General co-working office space with fast-paced programming for startups
that are selected through a competitive process in cohorts
Value proposition is the connection to the port and a growing number of
end-users at one of the largest ports in the world

RDM ROTTERDAMROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
Converted from a defunct shipyard into a new interdisciplinary space that
supports events, technical training academy, an incubator, storage space with
a wave tank, and other testing facilities
Co-located with a senior secondary vocational school and a higher
professional educational program
Supported with funding from the European Commission, the Port of Rotterdam,
and other sponsors
Focused on maritime technologies and other ocean related verticals including
innovative housing concepts over water and design

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BENCHMARKING / CASE STUDIES

THE COLLABORATORY AT APL-UWSEATTLE, WA
Operated by the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory
Specific focus on marine and ocean technologies
Supports a synergistic ecosystem for marine technology research and
development
Hosted companies require demonstrated commercial capability
Provides co-location space for 1012 small-medium sized companies, events,
meetings, shared access to APL resources and facilities
Provides a forum to develop linkages between APL, industry and other
institutions

CO-MOTION LABSSEATTLE, WA
Part of the University of Washington with three physical locations.
Non-profit self-sustainability model
Average 6090 startups at any given time with a multi-industry approach
Includes engineering, computer sciences, life sciences, clean tech and AR/VR
for example
Offers a wide degree of incubator and accelerator programs and networking
with needed resources for business nurturing

PUREBLUESEATTLE, WA
Tacoma-based accelerator
Specific sector focus on water related technologies
Partially funded with grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce and an
equity sharing arrangement with a private LLC
Many parallels exist between the water industry and ocean/maritime with
respect to the present level of innovation, degree of fragmentation, and
attractiveness to investor

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BENCHMARKING / CASE STUDIES
HIGH DEGREE OF ENTREPRENEURIAL PROGRAMMATIC CONTENT
ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDIES                              (Incubator and Accelerator Programs)
Proposed Center
The diagram on this page showcases a
continuum of some of the entrepreneurial
(conceptual)
hosting programs mentioned in this report.
Along the horizontal line, programs to the
right have an increasing degree of BlueTech 
STRICT
focus while moving towards the top shows         INCUBATOR OR                                                                    STRONG OCEAN
programs with a high level of programmatic        ACCELERATOR                                                                      OR MARITIME
PROGRAM ONLY                                                                   FOCUS
content including seminars on topics such as        (Not both)
accounting and finance, business plans, human
resources, investment funding, and more.
It is important to note that the University                                                                                      RDM
of Washington has two exceptional
entrepreneurial programs, each with a
NewLab
different area of focus. Co-Motion Labs                                                                               APL Collaboratory
offers well-organized incubator/accelerator
programmatic support across a broad
range of industries with dedicated staff to
support 6090 companies at a time. The APL                     HOSTING/ CO-LOCATION ONLY
Collaboratory brings together 1012 small
companies focused on maritime technology
co-located within a synergistic university           The above diagram shows the case studies discussed in this report along two dimensions chosen to depict
comparisons specific for this Report. The cases shown are all highly successful against their own individual missions
ecosystem to provide a forum for advancing       and their position on this graph should not in any way be interpreted as a measure of effectiveness or performance.
research and development and spurring
economic growth. Both programs are affiliated
with the University of Washington and offer
models and potential partnerships for the          There is not a clear recipe for how to make         A cluster organization, like the one envisioned
Port of Seattle to consider as it develops a         business entrepreneurship and innovation          through the State of Washington's Maritime
Maritime Innovation Center. It is possible to         programs successful. What is clear in our          BLUE Strategy can be the bond that keeps
create a hybrid model, perhaps through a         research of incubation programs around           partners working together, engaged, and able
private-public partnership with the University       the world is that co-location of like-minded         to project internationally. While the cluster
or other organizations, to operate the Center       businesses or startups with collaboration         organization can be a potential operator of
and serve as a convener that promotes           from partners in academia, industry, and        the incubator, it is not necessary; however the
collaboration and supports innovation in the        policy is critical to help facilitate the need for     cluster organizer should be actively engaged
maritime sector.                                    culture innovation.                                 and ideally co-located with the incubator for
.                                                           the reasons mentioned above.

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INNOVATION GAPS IN THE MARITIME SECTOR
INNOVATION GAPS IN THE    FINDINGS OF PROJECT TEAM OUTREACH
MARITIME SECTOR           One of the major assignments to the
Project Team was to work with the maritime
To accelerate innovation, the creation of a          stakeholders in the region and establish
supportive and nurturing environment is           entrepreneurial focus points for the proposed
necessary. Four basic elements are required:      Maritime Innovation Center. As the maritime
ideas, people to make inventions, customers       cluster is inclusive of many small and
to purchase them, and a supporting culture to     fragmented segments it is important to
facilitate the process.                                 formulate the mission, vision, and goals of
By drawing on results from the previous            the Center in as simple a form as possible for
outreach section, we call out this synopsis of       proper focus.
the higher-level gaps that need to be prime in      In formulating our proposed mission and vision
any Innovation Center design process:            for the Center, we gathered information from four
Lack of public awareness was the most    primary sources that were heavily biased on
commonly mentioned element as well as all     input from interested stakeholders, as opposed
the resulting issues it causes including lack     to pre-existing literature. These sources are:
of linkages, specific resources, workforce       1. Strength, Weaknesses, and Trends Workshop
development programs, etc.
2. Regional Outreach Events
3. Personal Interviews
4. An Online Survey








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INNOVATION GAPS IN THE MARITIME SECTOR
Innovation as
described is an
idea followed by
invention combined
with a commercial
success.

SWT Workshop Outcomes                     As a diverse and fragmented industry,           1. SWT Workshop
steeped in many longstanding traditions, it is
Elements to Broaden                                                                         A workshop to discuss the region's maritime
Idea Area Topics For      expected that there would be considerable
Maritime Innovation                                                                              Strengths, Weaknesses, and Trends (SWT) in
Future Exploration       areas of concern to address. In our analysis,
Ecosystem                                                                      Seattle facilitated by Heather Haugland of the
we report on key findings from each source      McDowell Group (See Summary in Appendix)
Public awareness   Ballast water           and articulate outcomes into two primary
The SWT exercise clearly indicated that the
Workforce            solutions              areas which support creation of the Center:
development      Alternative vessel                                               region has a vibrant marine industry built on
Supportive elements needed to broaden
strong heritage with world renowned local
Specialized           propulsion                the maritime innovation ecosystem             assets and institutions. However, the public
investors                                       Idea Area Topics to identify important gaps awareness of maritime is not keeping pace with
Stronger linkages                in the industry (note some of these are     better-known industries. This lack of awareness
amongst existing                                quite specific and others are rather open       is believed to be slowing the pace of innovation
resources                                     ended)                                     and causing a workforce shortage and skills
(knowing where                                                                          gap. Important trends include:
to go)                                             A synopsis of each source follows:                  Alternative low carbon vessel 
Access to the                                          propulsion system
right lab and                                                                                         Increasing use of surface and 
testing facilities                                                                                                    undersea robotics
(having access to
Climate change (with attention to changes
use them)                                                                                 
in the Arctic)
Numerous challenges to the seafood
industry from both the resource collection
and consumer product standpoint

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INNOVATION GAPS IN THE MARITIME SECTOR
2. Public Outreach Tour                         Public Outreach Outcomes 
Regional Outreach Events in Anacortes, Port        Elements to Broaden    Idea Area Topics
Hadlock, and Bremerton facilitated by Heather       Maritime Innovation        For Future
Haugland of the McDowell Group (See                 Ecosystem           Exploration
Summary in Appendix)                          Gaining the        Hybrid energy
Regional outreach event findings aligned               cooperation            systems
closely with the SWT Workshop. In the North           of local micro
Sound meeting, workforce development              competitors to  Renewable
was emphasized along with leveraging local                                  marine energy
collaborate
expertise on environmental sustainability.                                  Undersea
Some frustrations were expressed in getting           Dealing with the         robotics
some of the smaller local companies to think           impacts of climate
of themselves as collaborators as opposed            change (public  Net-pen fisheries                 
to competitors. At Port Hadlock, the region's            recognition of)
reputation for high quality, craftsmanship, and
local cutting-edge laboratory research was
3. Personal Interviews                            KEY POINTS
emphasized. Concerns cited include:
Interviews with approximately 40 individuals      The key points from outreach informing 
Plans for the working waterfront
by Delawarde Consulting (See Personal         the suggested mission and vision 
Transforming local innovations into longer
Interview Summary in Appendix Item)             statements include:
term prosperity for the region by retaining
successful companies that otherwise are       Personal outreach focused more on specific       The Center should support entrepreneurs
acquired and/or move out of the region.         needs for the Center to fulfill wants from a            and established companies; raise the
Duplication of effort (i.e whatever is done    broad cross section of industry players. While    industry profile to attract investment; and
in the Center should be complementary        most subjects had narrowly defined interests         forge stronger connections across the
to other resources in the region and             along their organizations' specific missions,           existing maritime/ocean tech industries and
non-duplicative).                                 there was a strong desire to accelerate the            the broader tech industry in Puget Sound.
pace of innovation across the board in marine The region is rich in maritime resources
and ocean technology. One example that            and heritage, but this is under recognized
came up multiple times was the automation of        by the general public and policy makers
the fisheries observer program.                       who are being overshadowed by high-tech.
A mechanism for driving innovation in this
sector is widely supported.
The existing Seattle Ship Supply building
is recommended for becoming the central
forum and organizing element within a
hub and spoke model because of its
location and surrounding resources and
representation of heritage.
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INNOVATION GAPS IN THE MARITIME SECTOR
Personal Interviews Outcomes                     4. Online Survey                                 indicated a large amount of interest in the
Elements to Broaden    Idea Area Topics      An online survey was sent to over 400            Maritime Innovation Center and the respective
Maritime Innovation        For Future          stakeholders conducted by ECONorthwest        results show the preferences for individuals
Ecosystem          Exploration        (See Summary in Appendix section)             who most likely could become involved
with the facility at some point in the future.
Alternative
The Maritime Innovation Center Survey         A narrative summary of major takeaways is
Unique needs of the     propulsion          was developed to gauge interest in and           included below:
maritime industry:       systems            preferences for a proposed Center from a
Median            Robotics           targeted population of maritime industry          Overall, a plurality of the respondents
entrepreneur age in  "Pin boning"                                  contacts and related stakeholders. The Center        self-identified as being affiliated with the
40's 
is proposed to comprise three programmatic       Maritime Business sector (40%), with the
Fragmented          Fisheries           elements: (1) an incubator/accelerator,              second largest category self-identifying
market; limited Total     observer             (2) active connections between industry               as Government (17.7%). Responses
Addressable Market    program            and academia within a maritime focused            from these sectors largely mirrored the
(TAM) headroom        automation         "innovation network," and (3) education             remaining sample throughout the survey,
Uneducated                            and training resources that would serve            with minor variations highlighted below.
Modernizing
investors             
the fishing fleet       the maritime community. A model facility            In regards to views of the maritime
Specific co-location                      is anticipated to provide a full spectrum of      industry, the Maritime Business sector
Fish net
spaces for BlueTech                          services to growing maritime businesses while        has a slightly lower opinion of maritime
technology
entrepreneurs                              catalyzing innovation within its communities.         industry visibility than the remaining
Identified "step            Higher margin    The survey was designed to generate broader    sample, while the Government sector
seafood
recognition and understanding of the needs of        felt that the maritime industry had lower
out" spaces            products for
for successful                                 targeted stakeholders. The survey questions          "innovation" performance.
US consumers
enterprises                                allow the Port of Seattle to better understand       Across the entire survey sample, the top
Decreasing       the views of startups and SMEs in maritime        three business and innovation barriers for
Hosting space with      environmental       and BlueTechsectors with a potential interest         firms trying to grow in the maritime industry
both hardware and     footprint and        in a Maritime Innovation Center. The survey          were (1) lack of public policy and incentives
software support for     improving           was sent to stakeholders who have been              support, (2) workforce talent, skills, and
BlueTech             compliance
identified as potentially having an interest in a      development, and (3) understanding of the
Formal linkages                              Maritime Innovation Center.                          business/opportunities within the maritime
so industry and
Since the survey was not administered to             sector.
academia/govt. can
a random sample of the population, the              The Maritime Business sector was 
work well together                                                                               
results cannot be extrapolated beyond the         less concerned with understanding
Public education                             respondents who completed the survey.              business/opportunities and more
about local seafood                          However, the individuals who responded             concerned with access to investors 
industry                                                                                             and funding. The Government sector 
was more concerned with a lack of
research and development resources.

THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL | 15

INNOVATION GAPS IN THE MARITIME SECTOR
Charrette Collage
Survey Demographics
Funder/Invest or
Non Maritime business
Industry group
Academenic/Research
Workforce development
Other (mix of business/gov/research)
Government/Economic development
Maritime business
0%    10%    20%    30%    40%    50%
Of the hundreds of people who took the survey, people in the maritime business were the largest group. In
addition, the survey had representation from other major stakeholders in the innovation space.
The top three trending technology issues    There was no single overwhelming       In terms of the common incubator features,
transforming maritime businesses were: (1)        emphasis in response to open-end                the most important across all sectors was
electrification, (2) ship and vessel design           questions focused on specific components         access to laboratory, fabrication, or testing
innovation, and (3) marine renewables.            of the Maritime Innovation Center itself;            space, with event space and office space
The Government sector identified these           however, respondents provided additional         identified as the least important. This
same issues, while the Maritime Business         detail in areas of maritime economic               theme continued to appear in the question
sector saw autonomous and underwater          development, facility configuration,               about specialized incubator features, with
vehicle and systems development as more        incubator/accelerator services, and public         equipment-related features ranking at the
transformative than marine renewables.            policy objectives.                                 top of the list for all sectors.
In regards to the proposed Maritime      Both the Maritime Business and
Innovation Center itself, all sectors                   Government sectors saw themselves
indicated that the facility should promote           getting involved predominantly in workforce
knowledge transfer, business incubation,          development, while the remaining sample
and workforce development roughly              was most likely to become involved with
equally, while hosting public events was            knowledge transfer and joint applied
seen as less important.                            research activities.

16 | ECONorthwest

The Washington State martime sectorNEEDS ANALYSIS
needs to be more innovative.
NEEDS ANALYSIS              SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS TO GROWTH
When considering a plan to build an activity          IN THE MARITIME SECTOR                           Excellent
system and program for increasing the              As part of our research we surveyed
likelihood for innovation, it is important to              approximately 400 people and asked them
take note of assets already in place within            to assess a large range of business and
the region. Since the maritime sector is also          innovation challenges in the maritime sector.
quite complex with many subsectors, the            The list shows the top identified challenges.
supporting resources are equally complex
with overlapping priorities in other areas.             1) Lack of public policy & incentives support
While by no means an exhaustive list, we            2) Workforce talent, skills, & development
make note of the following examples:                3) Understanding business/opportunities      Needs Improvement
Natural Resources                within the maritime sector
0%     20%     40%     60%
Existing Entrepreneurial Assets                   4) Access to investors & funders
The Washington State maritime sector needs to be more
Shipbuilding, Marine Architecture, and            5) Lack of research & development           innovative: 2 out of every 3 respondents felt that the
Marine Transportation                              resources                                innovation performance is not comparable to other industries.
University of Washington
Other Educational or Institutional Assets
Federal Assets                NATURAL RESOURCES             EXISTING ENTREPRENEURIAL ASSETS
Seafood & Fishing Industry          The physical and geographic attributes of     As one of the world's leading tech regions,
Ocean & Marine Instrumentation Industry   the Puget Sound Region is an enormous     Washington state is fortunate to have a
advantage that is often overlooked in its            well-established culture of innovation. This
ranking of importance, so we listed it first.           culture is supported by over 50 existing
Included in Puget Sound is:                       entrepreneurial hosting programs (incubators,
A large shoreline                accelerators and the like) in Puget Sound
alone. While this is encouraging from the
Deep water port                              overall standpoint of having a startup culture
Proximity to Alaska & Arctic          with the needed support structures across
Proximity to Asia/Pacific Rim/BC                       broad industries, there are no start-ups with a
specific focus on the maritime/oceanographic
Protected freshwater harbor                    industry, with the exception of the University
Sustainable fisheries                        of Washington's APL Collaboratory. The
Collaboratory's unique distinctions are
Clean air and abundant energy and 
explained in the benchmarking section.
water resources
It is important for any plan going forward to
leverage and showcase these attributes.

THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL | 17

NEEDS ANALYSIS






SHIPBUILDING, MARINE ARCHITECTURE,                       UNIVERSITY OF
AND MARINE TRANSPORTATION                           WASHINGTON
While Puget Sound is not unique in the US                              UW is not the only
for having shipyards and architects, it is                                    educational institution
unique in the variety of commercial activities                               involved in maritime
supported. We note that not only are there                                or ocean activities;
existing skill sets and capabilities for well-           however it clearly stands out because of the
known shipbuilders such as Vigor (Tacoma,       number and size of programs it has that are
Seattle, Port Angeles), shipbuilding expertise       either supporting or can support maritime/
also extends to the Naval Shipyard, aluminum      oceanographic programs. This includes:
boats, and the local craftsmen in Port Hadlock        Washington Sea Grant
skilled in traditional wooden boat building.          
OTHER EDUCATIONAL OR
Marine logistics companies such as Foss          Applied Physics Lab (including                INSTITUTIONAL ASSETS
the Collaboratory)
Maritime and Crowley Maritime have a large                                                           Western Washington University (has
presence in the region. This large installed         School of Oceanography                        
programs in Marine Sciences, Energy, 
base can serve both as a needs source and         School of Marine and Environmental Affairs        and Autonomous Vehicles)
where innovative technologies can be applied.
In addition, Washington State operates the          Pacific Northwest National Marine                                                 Northwest Center of Excellence for Marine
Energy Center
largest commuter ferry system in the country,                                                            Manufacturing and Technology (Skagit
which also creates opportunities of scale for        Co-Motion Labs entrepreneurial                    Valley College)
clean alternative propulsion systems.                 hosting program                                Seattle Maritime Academy 
(Seattle Central College)
Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building
Schmidt Ocean Institute.
Washington State University Food Science
18 | ECONorthwest

NEEDS ANALYSIS





Everett, and Whidbey Island. The Naval       hulls and other equipment as well as unique
Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) facility     opportunities for innovation and testing. After
in Keyport has a large testing range           fishers harvest their catch the seafood must
for underwater vehicles and expressed       be processed, marketed, and delivered to
willingness to cooperate with interested       consumers. Many of these companies are
users (entrepreneurs in early proof of          also present on the ship canal and elsewhere,
concept stages)                            as the catch is processed and exported, with
US Coast Guard District 13D13's Area                      opportunities for innovation at each stage of
of Responsibility encompasses four states      the supply chain.
and the entire Pacific Northwest coast
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory                       OCEAN & MARINE INSTRUMENTATION
INDUSTRY
(PNNL)Part of the Department of Energy,
PNNL features many locations in the            Puget Sound is one of the leading parts of
FEDERAL ASSETS                                                               the country for underwater technology which
Pacific Northwest including a Research
NOAA Western Regional CenterHouses        Center in Seattle and the Marine Sciences     includes robotics, sensors, and platforms
the largest variety of NOAA programs             Laboratory in Sequim                          for providing the necessary information
at a single location in the United States                                                                for climate forecasters, ocean operators
(Includes National Ocean Service, National     SEAFOOD & FISHING INDUSTRY                (industry), and public safety. While numerous,
Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Oceanic                                                       most of the companies in this segment are
A significant portion of Alaska's fishing
and Atmospheric Research & National                                                        small and have close relationships with one
fleet has been based in Seattle for over
Weather Service). It employs the largest                                                            or more of the groups listed abovetwo of
100 years. As a consequence, there are
NOAA staff outside the Washington, D.C.,                                                        the better-known are SeaBird Scientific and
highly experienced shipbuilding, repair and
metropolitan area                                                                                Kongberg/Simrad.
maintenance services in close proximity to
US NavyThe Navy has a large            Fishermen's Terminal. The Chittenden locks
presence in the region including major        allow fishing boats to spend their off season
facilities in Bangor, Bremerton/Keyport,       on fresh water, which means less corrosion of

THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL | 19

VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT
VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT
VISION STATEMENT
Puget Sound in Washington State becomes a world leading hub for
sustainable maritime and ocean industries by creating an ecosystem of
innovation that drives productive collaboration among academia, industry
and government.
When people think about sustainable BlueTechindustries, we want
them to think about Puget Sound in the same way the world equates
finance with New York or technology with Silicon Valley.
MISSION STATEMENT
To provide relevant, timely, and targeted support for early stage marine
and ocean-oriented companies in the creation of new innovations to
modernize the industry and create good-paying Blue Jobs. This support
will be achieved by leveraging local assets and providing the necessary
linkages to leverage the collective strength.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
Create local economic development
Build the necessary linkages (hub and spoke) and accelerate maritime 
industry growth
Attract new entrepreneurs to BlueTech
Retain local companies and talent
Leverage the region's orientation towards environmental sustainability,
technology innovation, and maritime heritage
Attract investment
Workforce and development

20 | ECONorthwest

BUSINESS PLAN
BUSINESS PLAN
OVERVIEW
The Port of Seattle owns the Seattle Ship
Supply building at Fishermen's Terminal (FT)
and is renovating the 12,000 sq. ft. structure
as part of a broader redevelopment effort
at FT. The Port of Seattle has an unrealized
opportunity to renovate the existing property
into a Maritime Innovation Center which
would include incubator office space,
fabrication space, and event space for
workforce development programs and public
outreach. The renovation effort would support
the region's and state's efforts to grow the
maritime sector.
POTENTIAL OPERATING AND
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES
This proposal suggests a strategic move
forward by the Port of Seattle to invest in
renovating the existing building into the
symbolic and functional home for the future of
the region's maritime industry and innovation
center. To support the project, the Port of
Seattle should consider the following issues
regarding its role in hosting a physical space
and partnering with the broader public and
private interests in the maritime industry.
There are a number of operational and
governance structures under which the
proposed Maritime Innovation Center might
operatethese range from direct provision
models including Port management of the
Center to forming one of many types of formal
partnerships with either public or private
organizations. Deciding the appropriate model

THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL | 21

BUSINESS PLAN                                                 Access to specialized spaces will be key
Access to specialized spaces will be key elements of the innovation center: People who took the survey felt that access                                                                                      elements of the innovation center.
TOP FIVE RATED INCUBATOR SERVICES     to lab, fabrication, and testing space should be priority offering for the innovation center.
Survey respondents were asked to assess
a large range of incubator services. This
list shows the top identified challenges.                                                Event space
1) Shared resources with research centers, 
testing facilities, universities and private 
companies                                             Office utilities and IT support
2) Guidance and mentorship from                                 (computers, telephones, etc.)
business leaders/investors
3) Business support service provider                               Conference, break space, and
assistance (e.g. HR, legal, marketing)                                 collaboration rooms
4) Access to general equipment for testing 
or fabrication of prototypes                                  Laboratory or fabrication or testing
5) Classes/training for workforce and                                      s pa ce
skills development
0         2         4         6
Importance, low to high

requires an evaluation of the model's tradeoffs  Operational flexibility: the ability to                                                    OPERATING OPTIONS
with respect to several key criteria that would          deliver Center activities via contracts,            There are options available to the Port that
be related to executing on the Center's                partner with other academic and peer           it could employ to operate and govern the
mission. The key criteria to consider include:          institutions, and engage in a mix of              center. These include:
Facilitate access to capital: different types    public and private activities.
Accountability: each entity will         Port of Seattle governed and operated by
of entities (i.e., public, private, nonprofit)                                                                      a contractor (i.e. private group, economic
will have different sources of capital that           have unique success metrics and                  development agency or universitythey
can access at different costs and            accountability mechanisms.                      affiliated enterprise)
legal limitations.
The best model will be one that facilitates        Non-profit governed and operated by a
Financial exposure: tax exempt status           access to low cost capital, minimizes                 contractor (i.e. private group, economic
and ability to realize economies of scale         operating costs (is tax exempt and able to            development agency or universityor
leverage in-kind contributions are             achieve economies of scale on the operations         affiliated enterprise)
both factors which influence the financial        side), and is mission-driven and accountable
viability of the proposed Center and differ                                                               A public-private partnership that includes
to stakeholders.                                    
among ownership and operating models.                                                       desired aspects of other models

22 | ECONorthwest

BUSINESS PLAN
INCUBATOR AND ACCELERATOR           The incubator/accelerator program will feature    Table 2: Maritime Innovation Center Program Concept
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES                     the following programmatic elements:
PROGRAM ELEMENT      RENTABLE SF
A key component of the Center will be the            Advice (e.g. legal, accounting, marketing,
business incubator and accelerator program.                                                             Incubator space           3,600
permitting) and assistance (including
The Center is anticipated to be a provider             support for obtaining access to private and          Anchor office space          1,300
with special expertise in serving early                 government loans)
state business ventures. It will also provide                                                                  Accelerator space             800
Business training (writing plans, budgeting.)
space, facilities, and business mentorship                                                                      Event space              2,300
programs to support growth in maritime-            Classes, seminars, and/or on-the-job training
oriented business. The incubator space and                                                            Common area/ 
Guidance and/or mentoring from business                                      4,000
Conference/Admin
accelerator services could create tailored             leaders or investors
programs to meet the needs of participating                                                                               TOTAL     12,000
Help with hiring (entry-level employees or
businesses. The incubator would cater            
experienced professionals)                     Source: ECONorthwest, 2018
to entrepreneurs developing early stage
business ideas and technologies in search        Industry events and promotions
of viable business ideas. The accelerator                                                           MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER 
Shared resources with research 
SPACE CONCEPT
program could cater to businesses with              centers, universities, test facilities, 
defined products and business plans trying to        and private companies                         The Port of Seattle has completed preliminary
scale their efforts.                                                                                               space and design concepts to map out the
MARITIME AND TECHNOLOGY TENANTS     potential space program within the Seattle
The Center could be fitted out to provide
for the following space capabilities and             The Center could also offer access or              Ship Supply building at FT (See Summary
amenities; however, final decisions would          a satellite office for anchor tenants from            Report and Conceptual Drawings by Miller
need to be made regarding service breadth       existing maritime sector businesses that want      Hull in Appendix Section). The concept for the
to co-locate with and support early stage          facility is for a 12,000-square foot building that
and program requirements:
innovations. The Center should also have a      includes five programmatic components:
24/7 access for participating companies to
strategy for "step-out" space as companies
offices and co-working spaces                                                                 Incubator office and fabrication shop space
grow and mature, as well as "step-in" space
Conference, break space, and                available to companies from outside the            Accelerator office space
collaboration rooms                            region that want to test the local market.            Other tenant office space
Event space                                        Event space
Laboratory or fabrication or testing space,                             Shared tenant space; conference rooms,
such as a tool workshop and 3-D printers                                                           and Center administrative office space
IT support (computers, telephones, etc.)                             Table 2 above shows the facility space needs
Flexible space environments (easily                               by component and informed by a design
reconfigured office furniture, rolling doors,                                                              charrette coordinated by the Port of Seattle's
cubes, private "phone booths," etc.)                                                                architect. ECONorthwest describes each
component in detail on the following page.
Access to water/marine infrastructure 
and equipment
THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL | 23

BUSINESS PLAN





The space program serves as a guide            Anchor tenant office space
for future physical planning and financial           This component includes office space for
assessments.                                 additional tenants that would benefit from
Collectively, the Center office space,              co-location within the Center. These tenants
other tenant office space, and incubator/          might include other more established
accelerator space comprise the office areas      businesses in the maritime sector that can
within the Center.                                  lend advice and guidance while having
access to innovations and startups.
Center office space
This component includes the office space          Shared tenant space
for Center administration office space               The shared tenant space includes common
and operations.                                  areas which would be available to all office
tenants and their guests. These shared
Incubator and Accelerator tenant office space     spaces include: a reception area, a mailing,
This component includes a mix of rentable         printing, and production station, a storage
co-working, independent stations, and            room, a break room with a full kitchen, and a
dedicated office space needed to support the     conference room that seats at least fifteen.
individuals and firms in the Center's programs.
Event space
Incubator and Accelerator tenant fabrication/     The event space is a venue for the Center and
flex space                                          industry groups to host events. The space
This component includes a mix of fabrication      should be flat and open, allowing for a variety
and flex space that can be used as a              of uses including meetings, audio/visual
workshop and/or office space depending on      events, and gatherings. The specific design of
the needs of the current program tenants.          the event space should also allow for double
duty as flex space for office and incubator
tenants.
24 | ECONorthwest

OPERATING PLAN
OPERATING PLAN            reflect that this is a new facility with stateof-the-art
offerings in office, fabrication,
This section presents an operating forecast for        and event space (current co-working space
the Maritime Innovation Center. An operating         in this part of the office market range
forecast shows revenues and expenses             between $150 to $300 per membership).
associated with operations only. It does not
include investment items (e.g. capital costs)        Accelerator tenants: Revenue estimates
or finance items (e.g. debt service payments),         assume that tenants will pay on average
both of which factor into the feasibility of a             $200 per month for memberships for
project. These are assumed to be a condition        dedicated office space capable of holding
of Port of Seattle investment in the Ship                3-4 employees.
Supply Building. This forecast describes            Office tenants: Revenue estimates assume
facility operations, presents revenue forecasts,        that office tenants will pay $25 per square
breaks down costs by segment, and                foot per year (triple net rents). These rents
concludes with an operating income forecast.        reflect that this is a new facility with state-
The forecast is built upon:                              of-the-art offerings in office, fabrication,
Data gathered on performance         and event space (current office rents in the
benchmarks, models and best                  immediate range between $25 to $35 per
management practices and an inventory of        square foot per year).
specialized equipment from other similar        Fabrication space: The facility will include
incubators or innovation centers                   fabrication spaces to be managed
Real estate market data             by the proposed Maritime Innovation
Center. This space would be covered by
Information on comparable facilities
individual memberships.
Consultation with industry associations          The event space: ECONorthwest estimated
event center revenues using per square
REVENUE SEGMENTS                      foot rental revenues from the proposed
This forecast assumes that the Proposed             event space. It assumes that the Center
Maritime Innovation Center will generate              would generate revenue from 30 paid
revenue from the following sources:                   events paying current market rents for
event space in the area (it will also likely
Incubator tenants: Revenue estimates             host unpaid events).
assume that tenants will pay on average
$200 per month for memberships. Under       In total, the Proposed Maritime Innovation
the space program above, the Center          Center is anticipated to generate $228,000 in
might have space for 50 dedicated             revenues per year, or $19,000 per month.
spaces at full utilization; however, it might
overbook the site to account for time of
day fluctuations on utilization. These rents

THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL | 25

OPERATING PLAN
OPERATING EXPENSES                   Utilities: ECONorthwest estimated the        benefits generated by the facility. The financial
This section summarizes the operating               Proposed Maritime Innovation Center           performance of the facility could be improved
expense assumptions used in the financial           utilities on a per square foot basis at its         through more aggressive rent structures of
forecast for two program assumptions. First,          current location and applied this cost to the     office tenants or through public and private
the program will likely need to run on a very           number of square feet at the new location       support of its mission.
lean budget at start up and make choices            that are not leased to tenants
about enhancing its services as the center         Maintenance/Janitorial/Grounds: The            RESERVE/CAPITAL FUND
and its programs mature. At the time of this           model segments this expense item into          The facility will need to fund operating
report, it is assumed that the Port will operate          three sections: the fabrication space, event      reserves as well as a capital replacement
the facility with specialized staff who are               space and office space. The fabrication         fund. Generally, a capital replacement study
knowledgeable about business startups in the        additional professional service assistance      will need to be undertaken to determine a
maritime sector. The analysis also assumes           which will be needed                          replacement schedule and cost obligation
that the Port will use 1) its existing staffing and                                                              estimate; however, a rough standard of
operating capacity in the Fishermen's Terminal 
Marketing: Our analysis assumes that         $1 per square foot per year (seen in other
the proposed Maritime Innovation Center
area to provide gap coverage for events and                                                        similar facilities) would be needed to target
will need to have a budget for marketing
other building maintenance, and 2) rely on                                                            approximately $12,000 per year for the fund.
the site to prospective tenants and to
in-kind contributions from project sponsors to         advertise events                                OTHER FUNDING CONSIDERATIONS
supplement basic operations of the Center      Event/Programming: Our analysis assumes      Many incubator facilities are governed in such
outside of any firmer financial commitments.
that the proposed Maritime Innovation           a way that allows outside revenue support
The operating expense model does not include        Center will need to have a budget for            from government and industry sources. Given
three essential cost items that are assumed            hosting and programming events                their unique mission, finding opportunities
to be covered by the Port of Seattle: 1) cost
to lease the land, 2) start up and tenant                                                                  for corporate sponsorship, government
Consumable Materials and Supplies: The
grants, philanthropic, or industry support is
improvement cost to fit out the space, and 3)           proposed Maritime Innovation Center will
a reasonable basis for funding. For the Port
debt service to support facility construction.            need to purchase general office supplies to
of Seattle and its economic development
maintain its operations
Table 3 lists the operating expense                                                                  mission, there are several funding
categories and their annual estimated            FINANCIAL FORECAST                        considerations to explore:
expenses. Each category is discussed in         NET OPERATING INCOME                      Direct support through their existing tax levy
more detail as follows.                             Table 3 shown on the following page outlines
the financial performance of the proposed         Indirect support through charges on 
The calculations for the four operating                                                                      its existing or future maritime real 
expenses are:                                  Maritime Innovation Center for its first 10             estate holdings
Payroll and Benefits: Currently, it is                          years of operations allowing time for ramp up.
ECONorthwest anticipates that the Center will      Further work by the Port would need to be
estimated that the facility will need 1
not generate a net-positive operating income.       conducted to test the feasibility and revenue
full-time and limited hourly staff and
This is the purely financial outlook, since it           adequacy of any of the options listed above.
would scale staffing based on need and
does not take into consideration the important
economic conditions
economic, fiscal, and community development

26 | ECONorthwest

OPERATING PLAN


Table 3: Net Operating Income
YEAR 1     YEAR 2     YEAR 3     YEAR 4     YEAR 5     YEAR 6     YEAR 7     YEAR 8     YEAR 9    YEAR 10
Revenues
Incubator space    $38,100    $89,300     $92,400     $95,700    $99,000    $102,500    $106,100    $109,800    $113,600   $117,6 0 0
Anchor office space    $32,500     $33,500     $34,500     $35,500     $36,600     $37,700    $38,800     $40,000     $41,200    $42,400
Accelerator space    $26,400     $ 27, 2 0 0     $28,000     $28,800     $29,700     $30,600     $31,500    $32,500     $33,400     $34,400
Event space    $18,600     $19,500     $20,500     $21,500    $22,600     $23,700     $24,900    $26,200     $ 27, 5 0 0     $28,900
Revenue Total   $115,6 0 0    $169,500    $175,400   $181,600    $187,9 0 0    $194,500   $201,300   $208,400    $215,700    $223,300

Operation Costs
Operating Fee (Staff Costs)   $112,20 0    $114,40 0    $116,70 0    $119,100    $121,400    $123,900   $126,300   $128,900    $131,500    $134,100
Supplies/Equipment/IT   $20,000     $20,400     $20,800     $21,200     $21,600     $2 2,10 0     $22,500     $23,000     $23,400     $23,900
Meeting and Event Expenses    $2,500      $2,600      $2,600      $2,700      $2,700      $2,800      $2,800      $2,900      $2,900      $3,000
Marketing    $5,000      $ 5,10 0      $5,200      $5,300      $5,400      $5,500      $5,600      $5,700      $5,900      $6,000
Professional Services    $5,000      $ 5,10 0      $5,200      $5,300      $5,400      $5,500      $5,600      $5,700      $5,900      $6,000
Utilities   $30,000     $30,600     $31,200    $31,800    $32,500     $33,100    $33,800     $34,500     $35,100    $35,900
Maintenance   $60,000    $61,200    $62,400    $63,700    $64,900    $66,200    $ 67,6 0 0     $68,900    $70,300     $71,700
Leasehold Excise Tax    $24,700     $25,600     $26,500     $ 27,4 0 0     $28,400     $29,400     $30,400     $31,500    $32,600     $33,700
Operations Total   $259,400   $265,000    $270,700    $276,500   $282,400   $288,500    $294,700   $301,100     $307,600    $314,200

Net Operating Income   $(143,800)   $(95,500)    $(95,300)    $(94,900)    $(94,500)    $(94,000)   $(93,400)    $(92,700)    $(91,900)    $(90,900)
Source: ECONorthwest, 2018.





THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL | 27

RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS
RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS
The Port of Seattle should consider these
findings and deliberate on the following set of
decision points.
Develop and refine conceptual drawings
for the layout and needs requirements
of the proposed Maritime Innovation
Center including architectural renderings,
site layout, and office and workshop
components.
Structure a long-term funding strategy
for the Maritime Innovation Center that
includes a holistic approach to Fishermen's
Terminal and other ideas for promoting
innovation that creates and encourages
new sources of revenue to the Port.
Reconvene a broad-based advisory
committee to inform future decision
making, inclusive of public agency officials,
education and university partners, industry
leaders, sponsors, and other stakeholders
as appropriate.
Develop commitments from public and
private project sponsors. The Port has
signaled its commitment to support           Determine governance and operating          On the policy side, it is recommended that
innovation in the maritime sector. Other           structure. As the project moves forward,           public agencies support efforts to develop
regional and state economic development       the Port will need to select a preferred            new approaches to evaluating the Blue
interests, and maritime industries, have           operating model and develop a strategy           Economy including the creation of satellite
shared interests. Additional work should          that is most appropriate, including but not         income accounts and efforts to update the
be done to identify which groups would          limited to, the possibility of negotiating            North American Industrial Classification
like to be directly involved in sponsoring          a memorandum of understanding,                  System (NAICS) codes and other standards
the innovation center, including                   developing a public-private partnership,           to include BlueTechas a category.
determining levels of financial and other          issuing a request for information, or
in-kind support necessary to launch the          evaluating other options internally or            
facility.                                                   externally with non-profit, for-profit, or
university operators.

28 | ECONorthwest

APPENDICES

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APPENDICES
LIST OF APPENDICES          MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER
OUTREACH MEETINGS IN ANACORTES &
PORT HADLOCK
PROPOSED MARITIME INNOVATION
CENTER GREEN PAPER                    To establish background and focus for the study,
the Port hosted three outreach events. The first
This is a short policy brief discussing how
was a SWT workshop in Seattle on October
an innovation center could interface with
17 (summarized previously). The second
a dynamic economy and local economic
and third events were outreach meetings
development efforts. This paper was used to
in outlying Puget Sound communities, with
preface attendees at the Maritime Innovation
the aim of gathering input from stakeholders
Center Workshop.
outside the immediate vicinity of Seattle. These
outreach efforts recognize that many innovative
MARITIME INNOVATION                    solutions, technologies and best practices have
CENTER WORKSHOP                   been accelerating in small and rural maritime
The Port of Seattle hosted a workshop on            communities around the state. This document
October 17th with a variety of stakeholders to         summarizes the proceedings of the two outreach
identify the major strengths, weaknesses, and        meetings, held on December 1314, 2017.
trends of Puget Sound's maritime sector, as well
as gather input to form a vision for the center.         MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER
This document summarizes the workshop.          INTERVIEW SYNOPSIS
As part of the discovery process to develop the
MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER            plan for the Center, interviews were conducted
DESIGN CHARRETTE                     in person or on phone with 35 people (28
As the Port redevelops Fishermen's Terminal it        distinct organizations) representing a broad
wants to restore its Seattle Ship Supply building      spectrum of interested entities. This document
and turn it into a facility that can support               summarizes key findings from those interviews.
entrepreneurs and established companies. The
Port contracted with the Miller Hull Partnership        MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER SURVEY
to complete a design charrette for the Ship
The Maritime Innovation Center Survey was
Supply building as a location for the Maritime
developed to gauge interest in and preferences
Innovation Center.
for a proposed Maritime Innovation Center
from a targeted population of maritime industry
contacts. The survey was designed to generate
broader support and understanding of the
needs of targeted stakeholders. This document
summarizes the key findings from the survey.

THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL | 31

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THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR THE MARITIME INNOVATION CENTER AT FISHERMEN'S TERMINAL | 33

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