Viking Crew, Fort Lauderdale USA – A Look back over the Last 2 Years
April 2018 seems like a lifetime ago after two incredibly busy years for the Fort Lauderdale team of Viking Crew. Sue Price who spear heads the set up with colleagues from Dover, UK making regular trips to assist during the busy seasons, reflects on the past two years…
When I was asked to write this blog my first thoughts were ‘where do I start’? It has been 2 years of challenges, learning and most importantly growth. Growth of relationships internally with my new colleagues at Viking Crew, growth with external clients and crew who now see me under the ‘Viking Crew’ family and growth personally, navigating my new journey with Viking Crew.
I am very proud of the space that we have created within our office, our ‘door always open’ approach has allowed us to help all crew (New Starters through to established Captains) with career and industry advice. Not only assisting them with their next position but also guiding them to ensure that their careers are moving in the right direction by looking 5 or even 10 years into their future plan. Using my 20 years of knowledge and experience in Recruitment in the most positive way to advise whoever walks into our office.
An essential part of making Viking Crew USA a success relied upon the partnerships and clients that support us here in Fort Lauderdale. We are very pleased to still be working closely with Maritime Professional Training (MPT) recommending their facility to our US based clientele. We have also built new relationships with a variety of businesses within Fort Lauderdale for both Cruise and Yachting. Assisting with Maritime projects ranging from administration of Filipino Employment through our Viking Asia Office, onboarding and manning arrangements for cruise concession companies, booking marine travel for crew through Viking Travel, assistance with payroll and management for foreign flagged vessels and offering our expertise on larger vessel recruitment for urgently required US crew.
I am also very proud of the charity and community work that we have organised since opening. I am an advocate and Viking Crew is a Founding Sponsor for the JA World of South Florida, Seas The World storefront, https://www.jasouthflorida.org/tag/sea-the-world/. This organization assists with giving students at insight into the Maritime Industry as a whole, with the aim to help budding Seafarers see the potential in a career within our thriving industry. Another project I am strongly involved in sees a group of 50 students attend the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show from a local Middle School. For 2 years now, Viking have assisted with providing T-Shirts for the students and ensuring that each child has the opportunity to tour at least one yacht at the boat show. It is a project that is very close to my heart as my own daughter was part of the project herself when she was in in 7th grade.
Further events we were involved in at Fort Lauderdale Boat Show included sponsoring the Top Notch Table Setting Awards, we also sponsored this at Palm Beach Boat Show. We have enjoyed hosting a cocktail event for the last two years in conjunction with the awards. Both years we have been able to add our ‘British twist’ by showcasing speciality cocktails with the assistance of The US Superyacht Society. In 2018 we had Pimms O’Clock and in 2019 along with Jonathan Pogash, The Cocktail Guru, we did a GINcredalbe party. Pimms O’Clock was also the British theme for our fabulous office opening party held back in July 2018 which was attending by our Chairman – Dieter Jaenicke and Finance Director – Stuart Jaenicke. We have also enjoyed working in partnership with National Marine for FLIBs 2019 sponsoring their annual Yachtails Party which was for Breast Cancer Awareness raising a staggering amount of money for a very worthy cause and Sponsoring ‘a hole’ at their annual Yachty Nationals Invitational Golf Tournament. We continued our community work by helping our local Police Department who are based within our shopping plaza at Harbour Shops (Cordova Road) with their annual Turkey and Christmas Toy Drives to help those in need.
To conclude, my time so far working for Viking Crew has been a blast, I feel so lucky to be part of this amazing organisation! Getting to work in an industry that I love for a company that is leading the Cruise, Commercial and Superyacht industries Worldwide is both exciting and inspiring all in one. I am excited to see what the next 2 years will bring for Viking Crew USA…Watch This Space!
Contact Details:
Sue Price
+1 786 708 0928
1845 Cordova Road
Suite 206
Fort Lauderdale
FL 33316
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Viking Maritime Group in Brief:
Viking Maritime Group is leading the way as a maritime services company and operates in the United Kingdom, USA, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Founded in 1988, today the company encompasses a diverse group of businesses including; Viking Crew, the leading maritime crew services provider; MSA the dover and Solent based maritime skills academys; and, Chiltern Maritime, the UK’s top merchant navy cadetship provider.
Across the company there is alignment and synergy in our ethos, in putting people first, and helping support and develop the talent and expertise within the global maritime industry.
