industries

Expedia CruiseShip Centers

“Of the 10 employee changes proposed last year,” says president Matthew Eichhorst, “we implemented eight by Christmas.” Number of employees: 65 in B.C. Head office: Vancouver Quote: “It’s a positive and proactive work environment, even during tough economic times. The company lets us work without micromanaging and we feel empowered to do the right job”

By BCBusiness /

“Of the 10 employee changes proposed last year,” says president Matthew Eichhorst, “we implemented eight by Christmas.”

Number of employees: 65 in B.C.
Head office: Vancouver
Quote: “It’s a positive and proactive work environment, even during tough economic times. The company lets us work without micromanaging and we feel empowered to do the right job”


If my company were a celebrity, it would be: CHARLIZE THERON
“Extremely talented, intelligent, exotic, grounded and fun-loving”

When you’re a franchise organization – with 116 locations across Canada, six in the United States and thousands of people wearing the company badge – it’s important to have a sense of purpose and to communicate that purpose. Communication, in fact, is the hallmark of cruise vacation specialists CruiseShipCenters (which, since 2007’s 50 per cent sale to Washington-based Expedia Inc. has been known by the combined moniker). “We have lots of feedback from the field,” says company president Matthew Eichhorst. “We have two ‘anchor’ meetings a year, where we get all the franchise partners together and discuss new initiatives.” At corporate headquarters, there’s also the annual fall retreat, with its “CEO for the day” exercise in which employees get to list all the things they think the company should be doing, or not doing, and then vote on the top 10 items. “Of the 10 changes proposed last year,” says Eichhorst, “we implemented eight by Christmas.”