business backgrounder | employment & workplace
Supply in Demand
Washington’s Center of Excellence for Global Trade & Supply
Chain Management helps ensure that the goods Americans use —
and the products we create and ship around the world — make it
to their destination on time.
Brian Mittge
Located at Highline College, this center of excellence is well-positioned between Washington’s two
largest ports as it prepares students for high-paying jobs in logistics and supply chain management.
Jose Ramos knows exactly how Russell Wilson feels.
Like the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks quarterback, Ramos often has to scramble on the field to make connections as
obstacles and deadlines complicate his work as an international trade specialist.
“We can move any product anywhere in the world,” said Ramos, who specializes in air export for the Seattle office of
international logistics firm Panalpina. Sometimes that means finding a solution when none seems to be physically possible.
at a glance
The U.S. will need to fill more
than 270,000 supply chain
management and logistics jobs
every year through 2018 to keep
up with expected industry growth.
These jobs are particularly
important in Washington and
especially the Puget Sound region.
The expected national growth
rate in these occupations is
11.3 percent, but in King and
Pierce counties these traderelated jobs are expected to
grow at 15.8 percent.
Washington’s Center of
Excellence for Global Trade &
Supply Chain Management is
one of 10 flagship institutions
focused on building and
sustaining industries that drive
the state’s economy.
42 association of washington business
Jose Ramos stands among boxes of aerospace products at Panalpina’s Seattle office (actually located
in Kent). Ramos originally planned to become an engineer, but became intrigued by the career
possibilities of international logistics.