Port of Seattle CEO Tay Yoshitani and Port of New Orleans President and CEO Gary LaGrange announced a friendly wager today, three days ahead of the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints NFC Divisional Playoff game.
“We’re flying the 12th Man Flag over the Port of Seattle headquarters all week,” said Yoshitani. “Get your seismographs ready -- we know there’s going to be another earthquake at CenturyLink Field on Saturday. Go Hawks!”
The last time the Saints were in town, University of Washington scientists noted a minor earthquake caused by ecstatic Seahawks fans at CenturyLink Field.
In the unlikely event that the Saints should win, Yoshitani will send the Port of New Orleans a Washington seafood sampler, including crab, salmon and halibut, from local retailer Wild Salmon Seafood Market.
“The Who Dat Nation is on a roll, just like Louisiana,” LaGrange said. “In fact, we’re so confident in our boys in Black and Gold that we’re betting Louisiana seafood with the Port of Seattle on this game.”
The Port of New Orleans, in conjunction with the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, is offering up boiled crawfish, wild alligator and New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp.
The two port leaders are long-time friends. Yoshitani is current chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), while LaGrange served as AAPA chairman in 2006.
The Port of Seattle supports 200,000 jobs across Washington. The port’s Fishermen’s Terminal is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and is home of the North Pacific fishing fleet, which hauls in one-half of the nation’s annual seafood catch. According to a 2013 study, Washington’s seafood industry directly generates 15,000 jobs and $8.5 billion in annual business revenues.
