From Casino Remnants, a Shipyard Rises [PHIL-OSOPHY]

"From the ashes, the Phoenix will be reborn!"

In this port city, the stage is being set for the greatest thing since the first sighting of mermaids off the New Bedford coast. The father and son army of Charlie and Micheal Quinn, with a 30-year history with the local fishing industry, will be turning the former Revere Copper and Brass waterfront property into a working shipyard, where someday new commercial vessels will be built. This future shipbuilding location is a far cry from a proposed casino that the late George Rogers had recommended.

As reported by WBSM, the Baker-Polito Administration announced East Coast Fabrication, Inc., one of the Quinns' companies, will use Site Readiness Program funds to support the redevelopment of a commercial shipyard on the 13-acre former Revere Copper site with a $735,000 grant. After sitting empty for years, the property is getting a new life.

Right now, East Coast Fabrication does boat retrofitting but doesn't have the space to build, but with this site, it will. The owners have vision, drive and enthusiasm. They saw an opportunity to take the ashes of yesterday's industrial ghosts and transform them into new beginnings. I admire groundbreakers like the Quinns because they know how to build and win.

In life, you'll meet a lot of stargazers and if you're lucky, an astronaut or two. The Quinn family knows the difference between gambling and letting the small actions and rewards accumulate and compound until they begin to see positive changes and results. Their idea of gambling is to take a spade and a package of seeds. I call that stacking the odds in their favor with this important project.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.