Economic Linkage from Marine Industrial Businesses

The motivation for conducting this analysis is an interest in better understanding the relationships between large local businesses and the small to medium sized businesses who serve as vendors and suppliers to the larger industries, and to quantify this to the extent possible. Five marine industrial firms (firms located in the Portland Harbor area who rely on access to waterborne transportation modes) were interviewed regarding their spending on direct and indirect materials, services, and capital goods during 2011 and 2012. In order to secure complete information, the firms requested anonymity to protect their competitive interests. The data submitted for analysis by these firms was analyzed by these spend categories as well as by where the spending occurred: in the local area, regionally, nationally, or internationally.