SPOTLIGHT SERIES:
Miriam Borja-Fisher
Senior Business Development Manager at Western Fumigation and
Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce Treasurer
CACC: How did your experiences lead you to your role at Western Fumigation? Did you always envision yourself involved in this industry?
Miriam Borja-Fisher (M.B.F.): No one embarks on a career path with the intention of going into the fumigation business. And, I must say, when I first arrived at Western in 2002, I hadn’t realized commercial-scale fumigation of commodities was “a thing.” Fresh out of college, my experience focused on the financial and the marketing/ public relations industries, having started my career first with American Express, then Ted Bates Worldwide, and Australia & New Zealand Banking group, in New York City.
Once I left The City, and acquired an MBA, I started morphing into what would most prepare me for my work with Western. I moved to the Princeton, N.J. area and began working for a UK start-up biotech company called Biotrace, Inc. I was hired to open up “The Americas” market for them, and with a fax machine and some rented office furniture, I began making inroads first in the US, and then in Latin America.
By the time I was finished at Biotrace, the company had grown successfully from zero to a multi-million-dollar operation, which was then sold to 3M. The need to be resourceful and to build networks during my time with that company is what most prepared me for my work with Western.
As my mentor at Western, Barbara Hunter, always said to me, “you’ll never be bored, here at Western. Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, something will hit and you’re back fighting fires.” She was certainly telling the truth. Now, in my 20th year with Western Fumigation, I can definitely say there is always something that requires innovative and creative thinking.
CACC: How is your work at Western Fumigation connected to Chile and how does it support Chilean trade?
M.B.F.: A major part of our work in the Philadelphia/Delaware River region involves treatment of commodities arriving at the ports from Chile. This movement of food supplies requires the careful orchestration of an array of stakeholders, both at origin and on arrival. Western is a cog in the wheel that keeps everything moving efficiently to market. Western is known for its advocacy role on behalf of the industry, with regulators, nationally, internationally, and at the local level; and is often credited for many “win-win” solutions for the industry in general.
CACC: What is your favorite part of working within the maritime trade industry?
M.B.F: Working with people with an entrepreneurial spirit is definitely my favorite part of the maritime industry. Making things happen, and happen correctly and smoothly is very satisfying.
CACC: What makes the CACC a special and valuable organization to you?
M.B.F: The CACC is a very highly regarded organization in the maritime trade industry in our region and in Chile. It is the perfect platform for bringing together stakeholders who are involved in the Chilean-American trade to work collectively to keep this industry vibrant, adaptable, and growing. I am honored to be a part of the executive team and the Treasurer of the organization.
Many thanks to Miriam for participating in this Spotlight Series!
