Dole extends lease with Wilmington, Del.

Dole extends lease with Wilmington, Del.    Dole Fresh Fruit Co. signed a land and warehouse lease extension with Diamond State Port Corp. today that will keep Dole at the Port of Wilmington, Del., until 2025.
   In 2009, Dole directed 57 ship calls to Wilmington. A recent economic impact analysis by Martin & Associates for the Port of Wilmington credits Dole with generating more than $45 million in annual business revenue and producing more than $3.1 million per year in regional taxes. The port said over the life of this agreement Dole's economic impact tops $675 million in business revenue and $46.5 million in regional taxes.
   'From Wilmington, we can efficiently access major distribution centers as far as Ontario, Quebec and the maritime provinces of Canada in the north, and in the U.S. as far west as the Mississippi River and as far south as North Carolina,' said Joseph Tesoriero, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Dole Food Co.
   “This long-term lease secures more than 800 jobs at the port, which keeps cargo moving and brings significant economic benefits to the region,' said Gov. Jack Markell.
   Wilmington is the largest U.S. banana port, receiving fruit not only from Dole but also from Chiquita as a port of call for Great White Fleet.