Mesquite lands shrimp farm

Kevin Rademacher

Thursday, Sept. 9, 2004 | 9:12 a.m.

In a seemingly unlikely pairing, North Dakota-based Aquatic Development LLC has plans to raise salt-water shrimp in Mesquite.

The company on Wednesday received $124,674 in tax incentives from the Nevada Commission on Economic Development to build a shrimp-farming facility in the town about 60 miles north of Las Vegas.

If the details are finalized the project would be under way by January and employ 18 workers at an average rate of $24.68 an hour. The lineup of employees would include a Ph.D.-level chief technology officer and several staff biologists.

"There's some high-level folks here," said Jerry Sandstrom, deputy director of the commission.

In its presentation to the commission, officials from Aquatic Development said that the company plans to eventually add another 72 employees. At full capacity, the facility could produce 2,000 to 5,000 pounds of shrimp a day.

Mesquite Mayor Bill Nicholes said the company has been in discussions with city and state officials for about six months. The new company also marks the latest milestone in Mesquite's effort to expand the economy.

In March, Do It Best Corp. received $438,750 in incentives for a 500,000-square-foot distribution center in Mesquite. The lumber and hardware cooperative company pledged to hire 94 employees.

Nicholes said an Oct. 25 groundbreaking is planned for the $22 million Do It Best project.

"It's huge to have these businesses here," he said. "We are going to double the size of this city in the next five years."

Mesquite, which has a current population of about 18,000, had just 5,000 residents 10 years ago, Nicholes said.