ELLSWORTH — Can a company that helped Colombian coffee farmers and Cape Cod cranberry growers improve the way they market their products help the Maine lobster industry move toward economic sustainability? A task force appointed by Governor John Baldacci is betting more than $100,000 that it can.

Geraldine Knatz, the first female executive director of the port of Los Angeles, will be Maine Maritime Academy’s commencement speaker on May 2.—PHOTO COURTESY OF PORT OF LOS ANGELES

The company will be paid $108,000, plus as much as an additional 15 percent for its expenses. The money will come from the Lobster Research, Education, and Development Fund, which is funded by the surcharge on the state’s lobster license plates.

Moseley was one of 13 companies or individuals to respond to the task force’s request for proposals to help the task force develop a strategic plan for the lobster industry. Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Commissioner George Lapointe said that the task force graded each proposal, with 25 percent of the grade attributable to the prior experience of the contractor, 25 percent to the cost of the proposal and 50 percent on the content of the proposal.

“What I hope comes out is a solid suggestion on ways to do better economically in the industry,” Lapointe said.

Deirdre Gilbert, an assistant to Lapointe, said the company was chosen in large part because of its experience in developing strategic market plans for other food products — coffee and cranberries — that were, like Maine lobster, commodities. Moseley had another advantage. One of the principals who will work with the task force is Kristen Bailey, a former executive director of the Maine Lobster Promotion Council. Her familiarity with the industry will allow Moseley to “hit the ground running,” Gilbert said.

The task force received “a wide range of responses,” according to Gilbert. Some were directed more toward marketing, others came from individuals with considerable expertise in fisheries economics.

The task force decided before the request for proposals went out that, if necessary, it would fund proposals relating to both issues. With just $150,000 from the license plate fund available, “the price tag for all the proposals was too high to fund both,” Gilbert said.

The task force also has very little time to examine the issues. It must make its recommendations to the Governor by April 15 and will then be dissolved.

In its proposal, Moseley identifies four “project objectives.” They include examining existing “best-in-class” marketing initiatives in the food, farming and fishery industries, assembling a variety of successful business models the industry might follow, assisting the task force with its review of those business models and developing a strategic plan for the lobster industry.

The project will have three “phases.” The analytical phase encompasses extensive “stakeholder” interviews with members of all segments of the industry, from harvesters to foodservice operators, followed by an analysis of the data mined from those interviews and from an examination of the lobster market over the past three years. During this first phase, Moseley will also look at successful business models from other industries to determine how they might be applied to the lobster industry.

Gilbert said that Moseley was aware that some industry members might not feel comfortable providing information in a public setting. With that concern in mind, the company plans to conduct one-on-one interviews.

“They are conscious of the need to create opportunities for people to give information in a way that’s comfortable to them,” Gilbert said.

Moseley identified the second phase of its work as “market sizing.” During this phase, the company will identify the three top marketing opportunities for the Maine lobster industry and, working with the task force, develop business models and a strategic plan for the industry to benefit from those opportunities.

The third phase involves implementation of the short- and long-term plans adopted by the task force. That could include running workshops for industry customers, outreach to members of the industry and “pilot testing” the plan in the market.

The cost of the third phase is not included in the $108,000 contract fee. The proposal calls for “budgets and timelines” for those activities to be “developed” after the second phase of their proposal has been completed.

Although the task force and Moseley are operating under serious time constraints, Lapointe said it was important not to make hasty recommendations to the industry.

“The job of the task force is to make sure we don’t shoot from the hip,” Lapointe said. “I am seeking an element of timely seriousness.