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CEI Business Advising
he/him

Nick Branchina

Director, Fisheries and Aquaculture

About Nick

Nick is the Director, Fisheries & Aquaculture Program at Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), a Maine-based community development financial institution with a mission to build just, vibrant and climate-resilient futures for people and communities in Maine and rural regions by integrating finance, business expertise and policy solutions in ways that make the economy work more equitably. Nick serves on FocusMaine’s Aquaculture Implementation Team, SEAMaine’s Market Development Subcommittee, and the Department of Marine Resources’ Maine Seafood Marketing Advisory.

As CEI’s Director, Fisheries & Aquaculture Program Nick supports Maine’s fisheries and aquaculture businesses by connecting them to market opportunities and to CEI’s lending and business advisory services. He facilitates growth of Maine’s seafood industry via strategy and outreach, fundraising and enterprise development, providing direct technical and financial assistance to the marine sector. He has provided training on such topics as sales, marketing and customer discovery to new seafood businesses via the Aquaculture in Shared Waters program and the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs “Top Gun” program.

Nick brings to CEI over two decades of professional expertise in marketing, branding, sales, and business development, with much of his career working in Maine’s seafood sector. In addition to a consultancy practice assisting market development with a Maine-based online lobster retailer, Nick also served as Director of Marketing of Browne Trading Co. of Portland – a nationally renowned seafood company whose legacy ranks among one of Maine’s most prominent brands. His decade-long career at Browne included oversight of all aspects of marketing and advertising, public relations, purchasing and sales, and seafood product development and promotion.  Prior to his career in Maine, he worked in Washington D.C. where he held multiple marketing positions in the trade association and consulting sectors.

Education:

  • Middlebury College, cum laude  – Political Science
Get To Know Nick
What is unique about the town you grew up in?

My hometown in Connecticut once mined iron ore and forged cannonballs used in the Revolutionary War by the Americans

What was your first job?

Delivering Newspapers

What book, film, tv show or album do you return to again and again?

Star Wars: A New Hope

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