Success Stories ~ Cruiseport Gloucester

There's no alarm. Sheree DeLorenzo's eyes open promptly at 5:18am every day. "I have two speeds," explains DeLorenzo, proprietor of Cruiseport Gloucester—one of the city's largest harborfront businesses, "fast and stop."

DeLorenzo came to Gloucester in 2007 to take on the enormous task of running the brand new Cruiseport Gloucester, which integrates three major businesses under one roof and on the same dock:

• Gloucester's first and only Homeland Security licensed cruise ship and marine terminal
• Gloucester's largest and most elegant wedding and function venue
• Seaport Grille, one of Gloucester's largest harborfront restaurants

Cruiseport Gloucester is a case study in the power of integrating Gloucester's three prime economies: fishing, maritime and visitor-based. Built on 2.2 acres of waterfront property, Cruiseport Gloucester serves fishermen, luxury cruise ships and the Suez Neptune LNG facility (approximately 10 miles off the coast) all year long—and all from the same dock.

Combined with a high-end wedding/function venue and an enormously popular harborfront restaurant, DeLorenzo has found a perfect recipe for year-round success. "This year we've got 14 scheduled port calls from national and international cruise ships," says DeLorenzo, "Plus we service fishermen and the LNG facility year-round and we have weddings booked through 2012."

Given that Gloucester is busier in the summer, you might think Cruiseport Gloucester is a seasonal business. Not so. Last year DeLorenzo introduced Winter Wonderland Weddings. They were a smash hit. This year she's already booked 12 weddings during the 2011-2012 winter months. Most cruise ships come after Labor Day in what is known as the shoulder season. Seaport Grille is open year-round and frequented by locals (who account for half the customers even in the summer). In fact, owners of the Crows Nest (made famous by The Perfect Storm) send patrons right across the street to Seaport Grille for dinner.

"Gloucester has everything we need to succeed," insists DeLorenzo. "The ocean, the light, the beauty, year-round loyal customers and the draw of an authentic destination that attracts visitors from all over the world."

With a focus on long-term profitability as opposed to short-term gain, DeLorenzo is continually investing in the property -- and it pays off. She built Seaport Grille a year after Cruiseport opened and expanded it last year. Then she added a deck. Even though it's nearly three times its original size, Seaport Grille is packed with a waiting list nearly every weekend. Having added a new hardwood floor to the cruise ship terminal portion of the building, DeLorenzo entertains smaller weddings and functions in that space as well. Needing more room for fishing boats, she recently purchased property at 417 Main St. with 225 feed of dock space.

"Fishermen are struggling these days. It's hard for them to make ends meet," explains DeLorenzo. "We need to support them in order to preserve Gloucester's heritage." That's one reason she buys all her fish and seafood locally. The other is that it makes good business sense. She cuts out the middle man and serves the freshest possible food to her customers, many of whom are fishermen.

Since moving to Gloucester, DeLorenzo has become one of the City's top cheerleaders selling Gloucester as a destination for weddings and cruise ships. "This community has supported me like no other," she says with delight. "Once you're accepted in Gloucester, people embrace you and smother you until you come all the way into the community," she explains. "I give back a little by letting non-profits use the Cruiseport for free and the response is overwhelming. People in this town will do anything for you," she asserts. "Every day when I awake at 5:18 I say, 'Dear God, I am blessed to live in this beautiful place.'"