Seattle: Global Seas and West Monroe Partners
As I look out my Hyatt Place Hotel window to the peaceful waters of Puget Sound, I think about how water connects human beings geographically throughout the world, and how nutrients and resources from the ocean fuel our lives. It made me think about our company visit to Global Seas LLC today, which is a fishing and vessel company located in Seattle.
When we first pulled up to the beautiful white Navy Admiral’s Mansion seated upon a hill above Puget Sound, I thought we were not going to a company visit, but to a swanky wedding reception! The AstroTurf lawn stretched out in front of the mansion and ran all the way to a huge cliff. If you looked beyond the cliff, you would see Puget Sound, and the Seattle skyline beyond that. Of course, our group used this picturesque location for a photo opportunity! Later on, we found out that Global Seas LLC owns the property and operates their worldwide business there as its headquarters. (Not surprisingly, they indeed rent out the space for wedding receptions!)
If you have ever seen the television show “Deadliest Catch”, you have witnessed the dangerous but essential work that fishermen in the Dutch Harbor of Alaska complete for most of the year in order to provide food to millions of people around the world. Global Seas LLC supports this work by building “safe, efficient, well-maintained, and sustainable” vessels, and by employing “the most knowledgeable and experience team” to operate them on the high seas. As a result, Global Seas LLC’s vessels and fishermen are responsible for much of the world’s Alaskan pollock supply, even the infamous McDonald’s filet-o-fish! Global Seas LLC’s cutting edge innovations include twine nets (instead of cotton) and biodegradable hydraulic fluids, and their corporate social responsibility includes a partnership with Native American tribes in Alaska, in which Native Americans receive employment working on their vessels and in their corporate offices. Also, their joint ventures with Korea, Japan, Russia, and Poland signify their international renown within the fishing industry. As a well-travelled individual with an insatiable wanderlust, this international aspect of their business interested me the most!
Our group moved from boats to boardrooms for our second (and final!!!) company visit today at West Monroe Partners. This nationwide consulting firm also holds a location in Chicago, which creates a wonderful opportunity for us to reach out and to follow up even after we return there tomorrow. Loyola Quinlan alum Sadia Anees gave us a presentation about West Monroe Partners, the consulting industry as a whole, and her personal career path as someone who graduated only 4 years ago in 2014. Staying consistent with Jesuit values of service, West Monroe Partners maintains an extremely ethical corporate culture, in that they dedicate “1% of their talent, time, and treasure” to various social projects within Seattle and across the nation, including Boys & Girls Club and Nature Bridge. As an added bonus, each of their 825 employees enjoys unlimited paid time off! Again, West Monroe Partners also spans internationally through partnerships with BearingPoint Europe and Grupo Asia, which makes me like these self-proclaimed “business consultants and deep technologists” even more! I never knew how much work went into consulting before, but it seems like a fascinating field, ripe with opportunities to work on many diverse projects and to interact with many different types of industries.
In the end, I’m so grateful for the chance to explore these different career paths through the Quinlan Ramble! My worldview has expanded tenfold through this eye-opening and fun Spring Break trip.
Daryn Robinson (BBA '18)
Marketing