The Clam Industry in the Marshalls

Cheshire, C.L.; Hezel, Francis X. (2004-08-23). [www.micsem.org The Clam Industry in the Marshalls]. Micronesian Counselor (Report). Kolonia, Pohnpei: Micronesian Seminar. pp. 1–8.

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Abstract: This article is an analysis of Robert Reimers Enterprises’ (RRE) effort to commercially develop giant clams in the Marshall Islands from 1986 to the present. The purpose of this analysis is to explore what succeeded and what has failed and why. It might be that the lessons learned from RRE’s experience will show us how to better support and assist this kind of business development in the future. History of Robert Reimers Enterprises

B efore we can understand how RRE was established and how it operates, we need to look first at Robert Reimers, the founder of RRE. Robert Reimers’ most telling characteristic may have been what can only be described as his entrepreneurial spirit. Despite his many successes, Robert Reimers was, according to his son Ramsey, “always on the lookout for what he referred to as ‘new money.’ While he was managing stores for the Japanese on Jaluit and Wotje before the war, he was also making a local “vodka” from pandanus and selling it to them. While he was working at the U.S. Navy boat pool, he came in contact with a Hawaiian who could ship consumer goods from Hawaii. Together they formed a partnership to import fabrics and perfume from Hawaii. From the time Robert Reimers was old enough to hold a job, he was building his own business. Through his position as store manager for the Japanese on Jaluit and Wotje, he learned how to sell retail goods on outer atolls in exchange for copra.

He combined this knowledge with his experience building boats and importing consumer goods from Hawaii to import goods and sell them to outer island communities. Over time, he expanded his line of imported products from fabric and perfume to include food and other consumer goods from Hawaii and the US mainland. By 1960, Robert Reimers’ import business was large enough to require a store with enough freezer space to store whole container loads of frozen food. When he applied for a commercial loan (the first commercial loan granted to a Marshallese) to build his store...