Victoria Li has been with Orca Bay Foods in Seattle, Washington since 2015 in the role of sales administrator and was a member of the National Fisheries Institute’s 2018 Future Leaders class.
SeafoodSource: What does your job at Orca Bay entail?
Li: In the past, my job at Orca Bay was very much limited to sales administration. This meant that I processed and confirmed purchase orders that we received from our customers, and at the same time, I was responsible for being the liaison between those customers and our sales managers. Since the Orca Bay Foods and Odyssey Foods acquisition/merger I’ve been given this great opportunity to learn more about not only the sales side of operations, but the procurement and production sides of the seafood industry as well. While I still get to do a lot of the customer service parts of the job, I am now also responsible for creating purchase orders and assisting with work orders that are then scheduled for production.
SeafoodSource: What drew you to the seafood industry?
Li: It’s funny because I am born and raised mostly in Kansas. Not the super rural part as most people imagine it to be, but it is still nothing compared to the being in Seattle. I have always loved seafood and had some prior experience and knowledge with working in supply chain and manufacturing, so when I relocated to Seattle a few years ago and an opportunity came up with Orca Bay, I jumped at it. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the seafood industry is actually a lot of fun; it’s dynamic, I’m constantly learning new things, and now I’m completely hooked (no pun intended).
SeafoodSource: As a member of the NFI Future Leaders class, what were the key learnings you took away from that experience?
Li: Oh my goodness, there are too many to list! My experience with the NFI Future Leaders class was such an incredible one because I not only got to meet a lot of great people within the industry that I wouldn’t otherwise cross paths with, but it gave me the opportunity to see and learn about the parts of the seafood industry that I don’t necessarily deal with day-to-day at Orca Bay. I also got to meet the teams of people at NFI along with many other organizations that make it their business to fight for this industry every day. That is not only inspiring but really motivated me to bring that fighting spirit back to Orca Bay in any way that I can.
SeafoodSource: How has being a Future Leader influenced what you'd like to do within the seafood industry going forward?
Li: It has definitely lit a fire in me. I think that because I went into the program as somewhat of a newbie to the seafood industry, it puts me in a unique position because suddenly I want to do it all and I have the drive to do it. By nature, I’m very curious with an innovative mind. I want to use that in a way that I can help to grow this industry while also motivating my peers to do the same.
SeafoodSource: What's the major seafood-related topic of conversation among your co-workers these days?
Li: Sustainability is a big one. And it’s an extremely important topic because when we talk about overfishing the oceans, it isn’t just a problem within the seafood industry but an environmental problem as well. So, at Orca Bay we talk a lot about how to make smart decisions to preserve both the integrity of the industry and our planet. Another thing that we are starting to chat about quite a bit is the importance of blockchain and the traceability of seafood. It seems that over the years, the mindset of most consumers has been shifting toward the need for this information and they are beginning to care more about what they are putting into their bodies, so it makes both of these topics extremely viable at this time of our lives.
SeafoodSource: What are three of the most interesting things you've learned about the seafood industry since working at Orca Bay?
Li: I’ve learned that it’s an industry that never sleeps. When I go to sleep at night, there are people that are just starting their day on the other side of the globe and that’s wicked cool. I’ve learned that a lot of people that work in the seafood industry are lifers. I get the impression that they love it and never want to leave, which is nice because I find myself surrounded by many mentors, all with a wealth of knowledge. Finally, I’ve learned a lot about specific species that we work with at Orca Bay. It’s funny because as a consumer of seafood, I’ve never really taken the time to learn about these things and now I feel as though I have all of the most random seafood knowledge. My only hope is that I can use it in a trivia tournament at some point.
SeafoodSource: When you're not working, what are we likely to find you doing?
Li: I am currently finishing up my MBA in logistics, materials and supply chain management and that has taken a lot of my time. I graduate in December and I already have plans to bring the things I’ve learned through the program back to Orca Bay. Outside of school and work, I spend a lot of time creating paper art or writing. I recently had my first art exhibition with the hope of exhibiting in Kansas City and in Hollywood in 2020. I have also successfully completed two fiction novels that still need quite a bit of editing, but I hope to send them to publishers next year as well.
Photo courtesy of Victoria Li
