Economic Director: Cape’s Location Right for Oysters, Wineries, Drones

COURT HOUSE – Leaders of Cape May County’s business community convened Sept. 15 at Bellevue Tavern to get an update on the area’s economic future from Carole Mattessich, director of the county Division of Economic Development. 
She cited what many members of the County Chamber of Commerce already knew, that development and environmental constraints of the 256 square miles that comprise the county are halved since 50 percent of the county is wetlands.
In the peninsular community, she noted it is unlikely “big box stores” would locate here. “We cannot build jobs around that model,” she said, nor would insurance companies be likely to insure large structures.
“We can’t chase them here,” she said.
What is here, the ocean and beaches, make the area natural for tourism, which is a “blessing” and a “two-edged sword,” Mattessich noted.
While tourism created jobs and is the county’s economic mainstay, “Tourism is a blessing, but it is also a challenge,” she said.
It does not afford the year-round, well-paying jobs with careers that attract young families.
Commercial fishing is another key economic driver to the county; Mattessich said the county has in place a program to assist that industry with “bridge-type loans” that “Keeps them afloat, no pun intended.”
The geographic placement of the cape, between the ocean and bay, makes it an excellent location for growing grapes for wine production. Similarly, the bay waters offer an avenue for aquaculture that is beginning to show strong promise with the advent of “Cape May Salts,” a variety of oyster that has become popular in the Delaware Valley but has also extended west to the Pacific Coast states.
The dew on grape leaves gives a unique flavor to the wines produced here to such a degree that Cape May Peninsula Wines is soon to become a standard federally-recognized designation for wines made in Cape May County.
Breweries and distilleries are also become widely known for their fluid products, Mattessich said. She noted that a distillery wanted to produce a type of alcohol that would use sweet potatoes as its base.
Because of that, a farmer has switched his production to grow those to supply the distiller.
Raw products aside, Mattessich reminded the chamber of the $173 million worth of the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May to the local economy. The base, which employs over 700, is also the place where all enlisted recruits begin their training.
Because many have had such positive experiences locally, they often desire to return for duty while some come to retire.
The sky over the county has grown in value, too, Mattessich said. She focused on the unmanned aerial system or “drone” industry the county is trying to foster at the County Airport in Erma. There, it is hoped, a new industry will hatch many new jobs and attract young families to the area.
The location is prime for research and development of drones, she noted, because there are few places with such unique geographic placement, that is, proximity to the ocean and bay, and being in the flight path to many major metropolitan airports.
Mattessich said the county holds monthly seminars to which UAS industry leaders are invited. Those meetings are held at the county airport. Each session offers a networking opportunity which has yielded some important leads for participants.
Mattessich also touched upon the county’s Open Space program, and its recent linkage with the Cumberland-Salem-Cape May Workforce Development Board, which freeholders anticipate will train many residents in industries that hold promise for jobs that pay well and offer a future in Cape May County.