Last week we had the opportunity to meet with Len Quist – Vice President and General
Manager at VIKAND Solutions. It was a pleasure to meet Len, who is also one of the five
founders and the former President of our Chamber.
The name VIKAND stands for “We can” or “Vi kan” in Swedish. The D stands for on demand
and emphasizes the company’s flexibility and goal to meet their clients’ needs. VIKAND is an
American based company, with global operations and with a dash of Swedish culture.
VIKAND was founded in 2010. Len describes the organization as culturally diverse with a
flat organizational structure. Working with almost 200 cruise vessels, their goal is to make life
better at sea by providing excellent maritime medical services and improving health and
hygiene on board.
VIKAND offers a tailor-made medical service solution to fit each clients’ individual needs. This
means running the onboard medical operations and providing biomedical services to over
170 cruise ships. Besides the above services, VIKAND also offers various technical solutions,
such as air purification systems that break down tobacco smoke, reduce and eliminate
bacteria and viruses and even kill mold. Some other technical solutions include a bedbug
solution, a wearable anti-sea and motion sickness, and equipment monitoring the
effectiveness of employees’ hand washing routines.
Working at sea is very different from working in a land-based environment. Running the
medical operation onboard requires firsthand onboard experience, a good understanding of
and an appreciation for the multi-cultural environment on board. The majority of VIKAND’s
medical personnel have worked at sea and have extensive medical experience both at sea
and ashore.
So, what is the advantage of working in Fort Lauderdale, Florida? First of all, we are in close
proximity to many of our clients that are based here in South Florida, Len explains. Fort
Lauderdale and Miami are the world’s biggest home ports for cruise lines. The cost of doing
business in Florida is less than in many other places in the US. Excellent international air
travel options both to Europe and Latin America. Compared to the West coast, the lesser time
difference allows us to communicate with our colleagues in Europe during business hours, as
well as interacting with many of our clients that are also based out of Europe. Fort
Lauderdale is very international with many European, Canadian and Latin Americans expats
calling this home. “I lived in New York for many years and for its size Fort Lauderdale is truly
a global melting pot”. Several Scandinavian companies have established themselves in this
area and not to forget – Fort Lauderdale is also the yachting capital of the world.
With sustainability in mind, VIKAND sells equipment and products with long life-expectancy.
VIKAND’s future goal is to expand into commercial shipping and also to become a remote
location medical service provider. “Our company and our staff work hard trying to make a
real difference to our clients on land and at sea”.
