Barnacle Bill’s Seafood Market

Fourth Generation Seafood Entrepreneur Adds New Business Opportunities with Help from the SBDC

Sean Edmunds is the fourth generation in his family to smoke and filet wild Chinook salmon for Barnacle Bill’s Seafood Market in Lincoln City.

Sean’s parents own the market, which sells fresh seafood caught in the Newport area. Barnacle Bill’s has its own fishing vessel, which the market uses to catch salmon, crab, albacore tuna, halibut and more.

Sean went to SBDC in 2013 for help starting a wholesale side of the business. He worked with Craig Grant, an adviser, to write a business plan and acquire a loan. They talked about how to strategize for future production and demand.

“It’s a big undertaking,” Sean said. “We had a lot of ideas and he walked us through how to evaluate the best ones.”

The business built a large processing facility and, in 2014, got its wholesale license. Now, Barnacle Bill’s sells its renowned smoked salmon in stores throughout Oregon.

“If you just need to bounce an idea off of someone who’s been in the industry and has experience in the area of what you want to do, it’s just good to go talk with (the SBDC) and see if they can help make it more simple,” Sean said.