Jim Rothlin’s first day on the job as CEO of the Port of Bremerton — nearly a dozen years ago — was quite a memorable one.
When he stepped into his office that morning, having barely sipped his first cup of coffee, Rothlin quickly learned that SAFE Boats, the biggest tenant at the port’s Olympic Industrial Park, was about to abandon ship. The company, which manufactures vessels for military, law enforcement, fire and rescue and other agencies, was experiencing a bit of a downturn in its commercial and private boat business.
“Their smaller boats weren’t selling as quickly as their bigger boats (used by the military, law enforcement, search and rescue and so on), which were being made in Tacoma (at the time),” Rothlin recalls. “I said, ‘Hold on… They aren’t going to move on my first day!'”
Rothlin responded quickly. He sat down with the principals of SAFE Boats and eventually renegotiated their long-term lease. Today, the company remains the industrial park’s biggest tenant, with 300 employees, and is now employee-owned, to boot.
“I’m trying to think outside the box,” Rothlin says of his approach. “I like to test the waters a bit.”
It’s that kind of persistence and innovative approach that’s helped Rothlin and his team maintain the port as a major economic engine in Kitsap County.
Since his arrival around 2013, the industrial park has tripled its number of employees and doubled its number of companies, including an Amazon fulfillment center that occupies a 117,000-square-foot building, visible from State Highway 3, and employs 250 people.
Via the Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA), the industry has taken notice. The WPPA named Bremerton the Port of the Year in 2023 and the Job Creator of the Year in 2022.
“We’ve been successful enough that we’ve been able to invest our cash flow into new things ahead of time,” Rothlin says. “We want to be less reliant on the taxpayer as much as possible and balance our cash flow with the quality of life (events) and the creation of jobs.”
Besides the industrial park, the port district oversees the Bremerton National Airport and two marinas — the Bremerton Marina, located on the downtown Bremerton waterfront (which includes the Turner Joy), and the Port Orchard Marina. Additionally, the port sponsors several annual events at the marinas, including the Taste of Kitsap, Blackberry Festival, Cruz Car Show and Bremerton Air Show.
If you’re keeping score, the port — which includes a free-trade zone — is more than 100 years old and is among the third or fourth oldest in the state, according to Rothlin. As a whole, the facilities account for something like $1.2 billion in sales activity on an annual basis. The airport, primarily a general aviation facility at this time, records about 65,000 landings and takeoffs every year, and includes 10 corporate airplane hangars and a couple of hangars dedicated to air charter companies.
But the airport’s footprint is about to change, Rothlin says. The port plans to add three more corporate hangars and 20 to 25 general aviation hangars in the near future. The port also transformed its tired old café, adjacent to the administration building and passenger waiting area, and turned it into Amelia’s Restaurant.
“It was costing us more money to fix (the former eatery) than to put in a new restaurant,” Rothlin recalls, “so we went ahead and did that.”
South of the airport and somewhat near the Amazon site, the port is planning to construct “five or six” buildings in the 20,000- to 70,000-square-foot range to attract new business, Rothlin says. The buildings, located in an area known as “Sky Park,” will have direct access to the airport taxiway as a bonus. The port is currently in negotiations with a developer to begin work on the site.
Perhaps the most interesting idea floating around the port these days is the notion of bringing in commercial air flights to the Bremerton Airport.
“It’s been a challenge since I’ve been here,” Rothlin says. “People have always said, ‘There’s just no interest.'”
But with the overcrowding of air carriers and air traffic at Sea-Tac International Airport in the last several years, the tide may begin to change.
“We weren’t raising our hands exactly,” Rothlin notes. “But then we took a visit to Paine Field (in Everett) and concluded that’s what the community could appreciate.”
Paine Field is a regional airport with flights to San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, Los Angeles and other Southern California destinations. Both Alaska and Frontier airlines fly in and out of there.
“We liked it,” Rothlin says. “They have two gates and six to eight flights a day. … You park and you walk into (a concourse) that feels like someone’s living room.”
Initially, the port surveyed its constituents and discovered there was a renewed interest in the idea of a potential regional hub, “unless a, b and c didn’t happen,” Rothlin remembers. Those three variables were no new noise, no increased traffic and no new taxes.
The port then conducted a study of local airport influencers. The demographics revealed that a commercial passenger air service in Bremerton might just be feasible to destinations such as San Francisco, San Jose, Phoenix, Palm Springs and other locations in Southern California and Arizona.
Working with a consultant, Rothlin and port commissioners envision 110-passenger planes taking off and landing in Bremerton on its 6,000-foot runway, which is expandable to 7,200 feet.
“All it’s going to take is permitting and funding,” Rothlin says. “Now, we’re actively pursuing (potential) airlines that are interested and evaluating flight patterns and the impacts of noise and traffic. … We also want to take a look at the (potential) community benefits and how this would impact our community. Then we’ll see what kind of interest there really is.”
Bremerton National Airport Amenities
- 6,000-by-150-foot runway in excellent condition with approach lighting.
- ILS/LOC/GPS approaches that accommodate all general aviation and jet aircraft.
- Fixed-base operator (FBO) services on the field from Avian Flight Center. Services include flight instruction, aircraft rentals, pilot store, corporate services and refueling.
- Aircraft maintenance and repair, engine overhauls, part sales and more provided by Avian Aeronautics.
- Credit-card-operated, 24-hour, self-fueling facility.
- A pilot lounge open 24/7, offering free Wi-Fi, refreshments and a temperature-controlled space to relax.
- Terminal area forecast (TAF) and continuous automated weather observation system (AWOS III).
- A compass rose to certify aircraft navigational equipment that meets Federal Aviation Administration specifications.
- Free Wi-Fi for the south hangar area.
- Hangars available for rent or purchase.
- 520 acres of ready-to-build industrial land with FTZ (free-trade zone) designation at Olympic View Industrial and Business Park, just across State Highway 3.
- Low business costs — power, taxes, land, transportation and labor.
- An active pilots association that manages and hosts social events, educational seminars and workshops and a robust youth aviation scholarship program and provides liaison services with port staff and commissioners.
- An Experimental Aircraft Association chapter supporting those who are interested in building aircraft.
- A large education center with a flight simulator and aircraft construction projects at the Bremerton Aviation Center for Education (BACE).
- A Civil Air Patrol composite squadron (Peninsula Composite Squadron) for seniors and cadets.
